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November 10th 04, 01:12 PM

(Hans K0HB) wrote in message . com...
(Brian Kelly) wrote

Encouraging innovation isn't tough --- in my engineering group I ask
each engineer to spend 10% of their time (4 hours per week) as "PBI"
time ("Partially Baked Idea"). This is time to pursue personally
selected pet projects unrelated to their primary tasking, even unrelated
to our groups tasking. Once a quarter we hold a one day "off site in
blue jeans" meeting where individuals can grab the spotlight and "show
and tell" their PBI to the rest of the group. The effect on creativity
is marvelous, and also a great tool for identifying "up and comers"
whose creativity might be otherwise masked by the day-to-day drudge of
assigned tasking.

And they get paid for every minute they spend on their brainfarts.

Brian sees them as "brainfarts" and our company sees the program as a
particularly effective source of new product ideas. So much so that
in the past three fiscal years 18% of our new-product revenues had
their origins in the PBI-incubator.

Damned RIGHT they get paid for every minute, and it's money well
spent.

73, de Hans, K0HB

Phew! I thought you had taken up the Steve Baton to call me "liar and
coward" but then I realized that you spelled "Brian" correctly.

bb