Creativity and the Waste Hierarchy ??

Although Creativity is my ‘thing’, so is sustainability.

Creative ideas are just like resources, they are precious. We manage physical waste through the waste hierarchy, so applying the same concept to ideas seems a very logical lateral step.

We all want to maximize value and reduce "idea waste."

Here’s how to apply the waste hierarchy to ideas, with some suggestions for each step:

?

1. Reduce: The one way to handle idea waste is to reduce it. Thinking up new ideas is mentally expensive. Before generating new ideas, ask yourself: Do we need to create something new?

1. Encourage people to first look at what has been done elsewhere before generating another new idea—sometimes the creative solution to a problem is already happening somewhere else in the organisation.
2. Set clear objectives for creative idea sessions to make sure new ideas are aligned with specific goals or challenges. Creative thinking by its nature often flies off in all directions, this is good, but not great when you have a specific issue to resolve.

?

2. Reuse: Not every idea has to be brand new. (to be truly creative it probably needs to be new) Reuse ideas that worked in one situation, because they can often work in other similar situations.

1. Create an "idea repository" where old ideas (either used or un-used) are stored, tagged, and available for future reference. Brilliant if you regularly tender for work, as often ideas come up too late or don’t quite fit that project/timing/client. I’ve never managed to create an Ideas repository, but love the ‘Idea’.
2. Cross-pollinate ideas from different teams or departments. People in the same organisation regular face similar challenges, use that as a starting point. People are great at hiding their ideas and solutions until asked directly. Remember an idea that worked in marketing could spark the thinking to solve a similar situation in IT or Ops.

?

3. Recycle: Even ideas that don’t fully hit the mark can still be valuable. Take the core of an underdeveloped idea and recycle it.

1. Create a "half-baked idea" bin where ideas that didn’t work as intended can be stored for future consideration. I love this idea, but first need a good idea register or repository.
2. Mix and match parts of various discarded ideas to create new, hybrid solutions. Sometimes, combining unrelated ideas always leads to something more powerful. ! The most powerful ideas come from the ‘Yes, and’ iteration building to something WOW.

?

4. Recover: If an idea has been shelved, that doesn’t mean it’s lost forever. Recovering the forgotten or dismissed ideas can spark fresh thinking.

1. Now here is an idea that we all can do now. Set up a calendar reminder to revisit old brainstorming notes or project proposals every 6 months. Pull out any ideas or threads that have been lost, passed by or missed. This is recovery of value!
2. Revisit ideas that were sidelined or rejected due to lack of resources—new budgets, situations or skills may make them feasible now. Every idea has it’s time and that might not be when it was thought about!

?

5. Dispose: Not all ideas are worth keeping. Let go of ideas that are no longer relevant, productive, or aligned with your goals.

1. It’s very easy to get anchored on how good you think your ideas are. Be objective if they are no good let them go, especially if they relate to problems that have been solved long ago. Don’t let them take up bandwidth.
2. Psychological safety is important, so team members feel comfortable letting go of ideas that don’t work without fear of judgment. Be comfortable sweeping the sheds of the old ideas, if they ideas are passed their sell by date, they need binning. ?

?

Applying the waste hierarchy to ideas, will help you extract more value.

Don’t let a good idea go to waste!

Not every idea needs to be new or fully original—sometimes it’s about using what we already have more wisely. Combining, dividing, reusing and repurposing all work.

??CTA – Don’t overthink it. Start making your own idea repository in the back of a work notebook or on Onenote. I wish I’d started one years ago, I didn’t, so today is the day!