Mission statements, "mantras" and innovation

Call them what you like, but some form of short, written statement that describes what your firm does -- its "raison d'être" -- is worth having. It's much easier to innovate on the value side of the things if employees know why customers might crack open their wallets in the first place.

The following mission was articulated by Alfred Fuller, founder of Fuller Brush:

"In the buoyant elation of my adventure, I considered myself a reformer, eager to attack the dirt and domestic labor of the city; destroying the one and alleviating the other*.

Brushes. You'd probably get laughed out of the room if you came up with something like this in 2006, but is it really so absurd? This type of statement shifts the focus away from the product itself, in this case a brush, to the solving of problems. For Fuller, it also had the added advantage of motivating salespeople and reduced the embarrassment of cold calling.

So in addition to getting more specific with brainstorming sessions, it is probably a good idea to make sure everybody is crystal clear about the broader purpose of the firm.

* Alfred C. Fuller, A Foot in the Door: The Life Appraisal of the Original Fuller Brush Man (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1960), p. 87.

innovation management in Asia