It's easy to look at successful company's public persona from the outside and make assumptions about how its culture and communication might work.
But in a recent article for Fast Company, Kelli Richards, who formerly spent 12 years with Apple developing some of its first entertainment innovations, outlined three innovation-related principles she picked up in her time at the company. Some aspects of the principles run contrary to popular beliefs about how collaboration, feedback and coordination contribute to success at the world's leading firms.
1. Consensus is not your friend. Empower project leaders to make decisions independently. As important as collaboration and teamwork are to carry initiatives to their fullest potential, "nothing slows work down like waiting for everyone to agree," Ms. Richards wrote.
2. Don't run back and forth seeking interim feedback. Companies with policies that require constant updates on progress and along-the-way approval for projects can end up stifling innovation.
3. Be wary of received wisdom. Perhaps nowhere more true than in healthcare, it is important for project leaders to push team members to look beyond the status quo and be willing to accept that paths to success might look different than they once did.
Read Ms. Richards' full article here.