About this Author
Gwen Smith Ishmael, Sr. Vice President of Insights and Innovation at Decision Analyst in Arlington, TX, has led marketing and new product development activities in the CPG and technology industries since 1986. She also conceived and developed ground-breaking Web-based promotional vehicles, two of which are patent pending. Gwen holds an MBA in Marketing and is a featured speaker on insights and innovation around the world. Her writings have been featured in international text books, most recently in Managing 4 Ps of Marketing FMCG Sector, and Product Innovation: A Strategic Tool for Growth, by ICFAI Publications, 2006 and 2007, respectively.
Founding Author
Renee Hopkins Callahan started IdeaFlow and serves as chief blog-wrangler. She is
Director of Innovation Services at Decision Analyst in Arlington, Texas, is a former journalist who worked as an editor and reporter for The Dallas Morning News and the Nashville Tennessean, and was managing editor of D, the Dallas city magazine. She has a master's degree in rhetoric and has also taught college-level English and informal logic.
1. Chas Martin on April 5, 2006 9:50 PM writes...
If I had a buck for every time I've experienced the benefits of miscommunication....
Permalink to CommentFirst projects with new creative team memebers is probably the best example of how repeating what you thought you heard is better than what was intended. The stairstep to understanding can take some very strange and very insightful turns.
The phenomenon isn't limited to creatives. In fact, to mix up a team with people who have nothing to do with the project, the client, the industry or even your company, can offer a great opportunity to understand the problem from a totally fresh and unbiased perspective. I vote for the human mashup for all problem solving. See The new creative organziation
Gary Hamel recently wrote (somewhere) that if you want innovative thinking, talk with someone outside your industry.