ELP 2011 Retreat (part 2)

Does your company suffer with individuals that:
• have lots of ideas?
• are constantly thinking “outside of the box”?
• are okay with uncertainty?
• want things to be different?
• are conceptually flexible?
• are innovatively creative?

…yet drive insanity to the brink of homicidal tendencies into those who: 
• stick to a few ideas that work? 
• act within the system?
• like predictability and control?
• like to make things better?
• are disciplined and focused?
• adaptively creative insane to near homicidal tendencies?
 
You’re not alone, and we’re here to help!  At Bridgers Incorporated, we are able to pair two polar opposites together with one of our associates to not only create, but actually produce new, better, more innovative products for the constantly technology-advanced world.  We are able to match your crazy, uncontrollable, attention-challenged individuals (Innovators), and your head strong, diligent, always-on-time grumps (Adaptors) with one of our well-balanced associates (Bridgers).

Act now, and we’ll throw in the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory evaluation** at no additional cost!  Contact us now at (555) BRI-DGER, and tell them Pete sent you!

** The Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory evaluation is used to measure an individual’s thinking style.  Security should be on hand when this evaluation is administered; not everyone approves of where they score, and there is no telling how they might react.

Our class took part in the KAI evaluation, and was broke up into three main groups: Adaptors, Innovators, and Bridgers (refer to traits of Adaptors and Innovators below).  Adaptors and Innovators don’t always get along, but we learned that it is important for a group to have both in order to be effective over time.  The scores could range from a 32 (extremely adaptive) to 160 (extremely innovative).  The larger the gap between peoples’ scores, the greater the problems of communication and collaboration exist.  The Bridger acts as the go-between the Adaptor and Innovator, and in a sense, balance out the differences between the two in order to get things done.  Understanding and acknowledging these traits will help make us stronger leaders and team members within a diverse group.  

Adaptors:  Tend to accept problems as defined with any generally agreed constraints; generate a few novel, creative, relevant and acceptable solutions aimed at doing things better; prefer well-established, structured situations; in times of expected change may have some difficulty moving out of their established role. Some famous Adaptors would be Thomas Edison and Michelangelo.

Innovators:  Tend to reject the generally accepted perception of problems and redefine them; produce numerous ideas, some of which may not appear relevant or acceptable to others; prefer less structural situations; are essential in times of change or crisis, but may have trouble applying themselves to ongoing organizational demands.  Some famous Innovators would be Nikola Tesla and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Adaptors are seen by Innovators as sound, conforming, safe, predictable, inflexible, wedded to the system, intolerant of ambiguity.

Innovators are seen by Adaptors as glamorous, exciting, unsound, impractical, risky, abrasive, threatening the establish system and causing dissonance.

Greg Nollkamper, AIA
PAGE SOUTHERLAND PAGE, LLP