When Do Ideas Die ?

When Do Ideas Die ? and what to do about them?- Edward de Bono

Why Ideas die... 

1. When enough people attack the idea.

2. When there is no enthusiasm or passion for the idea.

3. When the cost of trying out the idea is considerable and there are other priorities demanding funds.

4. When the idea appears to be risky.

5. When there is no one senior to champion the idea.

6. When an idea does not seem feasible at first appearance.

7. When there are ego problems between those promoting the idea and those opposing it.

8. When the idea is seen as 'the same as' an old idea or something that is already being done.

9. When a change of circumstances or strategy lessens the value of the idea.

10. When the idea has been tried and has failed.

There may be many more reasons to add to the above list.

When new ideas die, they are assigned to a sort of cemetery. They may never be looked at again. Or they may be reviewed periodically.

If an idea genuinely offers value then it is always worth reviewing it periodically to see if that value can now be delivered or if the value is now even more significant.

There are concepts of value and concepts of delivery. As usual in creative thinking, it is important to extract and spell out the concept that seems to be in use in the new idea.

If the concept of delivery is made clear, then this concept might be challenged and an alternative way of delivering the same value might be found. If the concept of value is made clear, then there might be other forms of value derived from this basic concept.

Even when an idea 'dies', the concept behind the idea need not die at the same time. The concept can survive while efforts are made to see how it might be delivered through a practical idea.

When an idea dies, it is important to spell out very clearly why this has happened. Is it a matter of cost? Is it a matter of implementation? Is it a matter of feasibility and practicality? Is it a matter of risk? Is it a matter of low value? In practice, it will usually be a combination of several of these. It may simply be a matter of low motivation for the idea. That is always difficult to admit.
Keep analyzing your ideas and idea bank. It may spring surprises