【Native Speaker每日综合训练—48系列】【48-13】经管 innovation and creativity

AgendaChen

Part I: Speaker

Innovation Needs a System

Source:Harvard Business Review Blog
https://hbr.org/2015/01/innovation-needs-a-system

[Rephrase 1, 15:29]

AgendaChen

Part II: Speed

Maximizing the Potential of a Creative Mind
byNatalie Bounassar |  02 Feb 2015

[Time2]
Recently I was sharing some concerns with a trusted mentor. I was stressed and anxious. As I rambled on, I realized I was talking in circles.

I was jumping back and forth between the backstory and current story, sidestepping and swinging back around to finish a thought. Then I stopped narrating.

"I’m sorry. I’m making no sense," I said.

"Natalie. I’m tracking you," my mentor said. "You’re painting a picture. I can’t tell you which strokes to use, but I see the picture.”
Her response was so simple and reassuring, I felt understood. She validated my thought patterns.

Entrepreneurs, by nature, see things differently. They are constantly searching for opportunities, for points of pain and possible improvements in current systems. Such individuals rarely think inside the lines. If they did, things would remain status quo and innovative breakthroughs would be nonexistent. For entrepreneurs, the wheels are always turning and the creative juices rarely stop flowing.

Anyone who has ever experienced the creative process can attest to the fact that it is anything but predictable and rarely clear-cut. Brushstrokes fly all over the place in ways that can make very little sense to an onlooker. Sometimes multiple ideas are at play at once -- something that more systematic thinkers might not understand.

I'm not suggesting that one way of thinking is superior to another. Rather I wish to acknowledge and validate that the creative process is messy -- and that this is OK. Here are a few ways I try to organize the messiness that is my creative process:


1. Write things down.
Because creative people see potential in so many different situations, they are usually juggling multiple ideas at once. I find that in the quiet moments of one project, I'm often pondering my next idea. As an entrepreneur, I can't "turn off” my creativity. It would be detrimental to my growth and potential.

Instead of putting your idea maker on mute, I suggest keeping lists. Create an "idea inventory." Write down your ideas. Keep lists of projects that you’re currently working on: What have you done? What do you still need to get done?

If you carefully track each project that you’re involved in and each one that you’d like to do, you can inject a healthy amount of organization into your creative process. Done right, this will let you expend your creative energy while making significant progress on the tasks at hand.  

2. Know when to purge.
I often have a certain conversation with fellow entrepreneurs. People get bogged down because they don’t know when to cut the cord on a project or partnership that's no longer viable or healthy.

There's nothing wrong with experimentation. I highly recommend trying out as many different interests and ideas as possible.
[460 words]

[Time 3]
Finding the right outcome won't always be straightforward. Sometimes the process involves a lot of trial and error. But one thing gives way to the next. And after a series of seemingly nonsensical brushstrokes, people often end up where they are supposed to be.

Experimentation is key but so is purging.
Knowing when to step away from a project or pursuit that's no longer productive or fulfilling is crucial. This is not failure. It's simply part of the learning experience. I constantly make lists of the projects I'm focused on and go through and "delete" projects that I no longer want to pursue.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that these project ideas were failed attempts. It just means I’ve found that my time and energy is put to better use elsewhere. By purging the extraneous projects from my list, I am able to create more mental space for the things I want to focus on, as well as nurture new ideas.  

3. Keep painting.
I am very lucky to have a mentor who has expressed such understanding and empathy about the messy tendencies of a creative mind. But not all people understand this. For those who lean toward systematic thought and orderly expression, a scattered creative process can be intimidating and undesirable.

Don’t let such individuals dampen your process. Keep painting and let the brushstrokes fly. Even if they don’t make sense to other people, let yourself go through your own messy, creative process. Continue exploring fresh ideas and purge the ones that don't work for you.

Stay on top of your projects, but give yourself the freedom to fall flat on your face and then rise again to try out a new idea.

Each person’s project capacity will be different. Perhaps working on multiple projects at once isn’t your style. That’s OK.

But for those of you who function best in a sometimes chaotic and creative environment, give yourself the permission to live in it. Keep the ideas flowing: If you don’t explore them, you will never truly understand their potential or viability.

Famed writer Lillian Hellman penned the book Pentimento, recounting the people who had had a profound impact on her life. (Pentimento means "a reappearance in a painting of an original drawn or painted element which was eventually painted over by the artist.") An entrepreneur, like an artist, always has the option of "painting" over a current project to reshape or remold it -- or begin something new. If traces of the old "painting" resurface, they only serve to influence the new project.

Entrepreneurs are the sum of their endeavors and learn from experience.
[436 words]

Source：http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/242454

Cultivating a creative workforce
by James M. Kerr  |  07 May 2014

[Time 4]
We all want to work in a gratifying and stimulating environment – one that brings out the best in us and our colleagues. But how do you cultivate such a work environment? The place to start is by building a creative workforce.

Why? Because creativity spawns interest and excitement among staff members. It leads to compelling product and service offerings. It serves to differentiate firms from their competition. So let's explore how to get it started.

Creativity has two components – consumption and production. Creative inspiration comes from consumption. One must consume creative things in order to produce creative things. It is how diverse ideas and styles are borrowed, blended and reapplied to create something fresh, new and bold.

The most creative, productive output is pure. Zen-like, it comes from the right view, right intention and right action. We create to contribute, educate, entertain and inspire. Creativity should not be hurtful, painful or damaging.

Building a creative workforce requires an understanding of this consumer/producer dynamic. With it understood, success comes with the delicate balancing of these apparent opposites.

Managing Consumption/Production Dynamics
The consumption part of the equation comes just by taking the time to observe. We are exposed to a whole host of original ideas and artifacts. Object d'art are all around us to consume – from a painter's masterworks, to musical masterpieces, from innovative packaging concepts to over-the-top TV advertisements. So much is there to consume that we can become overwhelmed and grow immune to all the creativity that surrounds us.

The truth is exposure to anything that we find unusual or provocative can be viewed as a form of creativity to consume. Consequently the best way to consume is to read, watch, observe, listen and play. The best part of that the consumption does not have to be deliberate or purposeful to have an effect on how we think and behave. We can be opportunistic and intentional or relaxed and meandering in our consumption and it will still be of consequence in our creative production.

An organization can promote deliberate consumption by, among others, supporting the arts, hosting community programs, holding "lunch and learns" and sponsoring book clubs all aimed at engaging staff to participate. An enterprise can encourage that by regularly emphasizing the importance of the arts and awareness of how it can be influential in improving the way work is done.
[392 words]

[Time 5]
Management teams often find the production element of creativity a bit more daunting to establish within an organization. As the bible suggests, "there is nothing new under the sun." Indeed, the concept of producing something that is wholly new and never before seen may not be truly possible. Rather, creativity comes by way of extending existing constructs. For example, African drumming informs modern Jazz, the Blues informs Rock and Roll and the Internet is born through the emergence of computing and the evolution of network communication capabilities.

Radical departures from existing constructs also contribute to creative production. However, even radical departures from the status quo find their roots in something that existed before. Consider even Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, as radical as it was at the time, was based on Newton's work from two centuries earlier.

Whether evolutionary or radical, creative churn harvests tremendous pieces of art, literature and music as well as innovative products, provocative business paradigms and avantgarde management models. The trick is in the ways that organizations institute creative thought and development.

Instituting Creativity
The best way to get the "creativity culture" started within an organization is by making it a corporate program. The Creativity Program should encompass a set of projects targeting specific changes aimed at retooling the culture. Projects related to community outreach/sponsorship, "lunch and learns," book clubs, culture committee and other arts awareness initiatives must be included within the Creativity Program.

But, these are only part of the story. Initiatives intended to harvest changes in management practices, policies and the ways in which work is organized (and, in the way problem-solving, in general, are approached) are important elements of a solid Creativity Program.

Consider a policy change as simple as requiring the formation of multi-discipline SWAT teams to solve complex functional-level problems. In such a work environment, for example, a product engineering department that has exhausted all of its approaches to reducing the cost of production problem confronting the Company can be assisted by a cross-functional SWAT team comprised of product engineering, manufacturing, IT, finance and marketing personnel.

This combination of skills and background can bring unlimited possibilities to the solution from opportunities for additional capital investment to reapplication of existing software to shop floor workflow improvements because the SWAT team participants come to their problem-solving assignment from completely different business backgrounds, working styles and expertise. This amalgam of talent brings a diversity in thought that can spawn very creative solutions to the business problem.
[413 words]

[Time 6]
The fact is, this is a surprisingly effective way to cultivate a work environment that promotes the sharing of creative thoughts and actions. Cross-discipline work exposes participants to new thought models and problem solving paradigms, often leading to creative outcomes that would not have been recognized otherwise.

Formalizing the Program
By definition, a business program is ongoing in nature and is comprised of a series of specific projects that are staffed and funded at various points in time in order to deliver value to the organization. To ensure that a business program has staying power, it is important to fully document the projects that comprise it.

Each project within the Creativity Program, for example, should include a project brief which contains important information, including, a project name, description, objectives, a list of work products to be produced, resource estimates and a project timeline. These briefs can be simple and to the point, as long as they adequately describe the intention of the initiative.

To round out the program plan be sure that a project brief is developed for each initiative and that the projects are plotted on a program timeline. It is not unusual for the initial Creativity Program plan to span several years. Once established, the Creativity Program should be maintained and adjusted forever more – stated another way, organizations that make creativity a priority should designate a member of the senior management team to oversee the administration of the Creativity Program.

It is by gaining a better understanding of the consumer / producer dynamic elements of creativity that an organization can begin to establish focus on, and become passionate about, designing creativity into the workplace. Once this dynamic is better understood, the work of establishing a creative workforce can be done deliberately thorough a well designed Creativity Program.

By getting creativity onto the Radar Screen, and by making it a priority, an enterprise can establish a satisfying work environment – one that inspires and motivates exceptional performance from management and staff, alike
[332 words]

Source：http://www.management-issues.com/opinion/5830/cultivating-a-creative-workforce/

AgendaChen

Part III: Obstacle

China’s financial diplomacy
Rich but rash

[Paraphrase 7]
XI JINPING, China’s president, was chummy in public when he met NicolásMaduro in Beijing in early January (pictured), praising his Venezuelan counterpart as a “good friend of the Chinese people”. Behind closed doors, negotiations must have been far more tense. Chinese banks have lent $50 billion to Venezuela since 2007. With its economy in a deep recession, Venezuela’s ability to repay these debts is in grave doubt. Investors trading Venezuelan bonds would see default as a virtual inevitability but for China’s involvement. Having already lent so much to Venezuela, will it give MrMaduro yet more to prevent his country from going over the edge?

And Venezuela presents just the first such dilemma for China. The second-biggest recipient of Chinese loans in South America is Argentina, which is also suffering as commodity prices swoon. It has started drawing on Chinese credit to stop its currency reserves from shrinking further. Then there is Russia. Chinese banks have lent more than $30 billion to Russian oil companies. As Russia’s economy crumbles, the promise of yet more Chinese cash is one of its few pillars of support.

China is seen as a possible saviour of all three countries—their lender of last resort, the one banker to keep the money flowing when others turn away. That is testament to China’s remarkable growth; as recently as 2010, it was still a net recipient of foreign aid. But it also casts a pall over China’s record in international lending.

China has dramatically scaled up its global loan book over the past five years by dealing with countries largely ignored by Western lenders, whether for political reasons (Russia) or economic (Argentina). Moreover, these loans have come without the kinds of policy conditions normally imposed by the International Monetary Fund. Instead of insisting on fiscal rectitude, China has more often demanded that borrowers award contracts to Chinese construction companies. Since 2008 China has also agreed some $500 billion in currency swaps with nearly 30 countries, from Canada to Pakistan, which gives the counterparties access to yuan when trouble is brewing.

At the same time, China is setting up development banks intended to challenge the dominance of the World Bank and the IMF. Its actions stem in part from frustration at how little say it and other developing countries still have in their running. An agreement struck in 2010 to boost the voting power of emerging markets would still leave America with a veto over big decisions, yet Congress has repeatedly failed to ratify even that unsatisfactory deal (see article). With China on track to surpass America as the world’s biggest economy within a decade, the anachronistic state of global economic governance is growing ever more glaring.

Fast-developing
China is not waiting. In July it partnered with Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa to form the New Development Bank, a World Bank knock-off with $50 billion in capital. The five also plan to pool $100 billion of foreign-exchange reserves for any of them to tap in a crisis. In October China led the creation of the $100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a rival to the Asian Development Bank, which is dominated by Japan. A month later it announced a $40 billion Silk Road Fund, to be managed by another development bank backed by China. With or without the delayed reforms, the circumstances of the World Bank and the IMF will change, since China has charted a course to become an alternative banker to the world.

The question is what kind of banker China will be. To be sure, it is easy to get ahead of reality. The swaps offered by China are symbolically important, but are “more like straws than lifelines” for countries gasping for liquidity, says Eswar Prasad of Cornell University. And the guiding principle of China’s activity as lender of last resort is mercantilism. It wants to safeguard its investments in Argentina, Venezuela and Russia. “Business is business,” says Yu Yongding, a former adviser to China’s central bank.

It is not quite that simple, though. One essential part of China’s plan is to internationalise its currency. Yuan are not as useful as the dollars the Federal Reserve offers through currency swaps, but providing loans in a squeeze is a good way for a central bank to acquire global clout. The Bank of England’s role as a lender of last resort in the Overend Gurney panic of 1866 helped establish sterling as an international currency. By the same token, the Fed’s swaps with foreign banks after the financial crisis bolstered the dollar.

But China’s support for Argentina, Venezuela and Russia is also risky. There is an element of adverse selection: in the hunt for global commodities, China has dealt with countries shunned by others. When trade deals morph into financial support, it increases its exposure to losses.

A bigger concern is that China’s ambitions for the yuan are prompting it to lower its capital controls before its cloistered banking system is ready. Even the IMF, long an advocate of faster financial reform in China, has urged it to be more cautious. The total of unexplained capital outflows from China has steadily increased in recent years, hitting $63 billion in the third quarter of 2014.

China does appear to be learning from its mistakes. China Development Bank’s foreign loan growth has slowed from nearly 50% a year in 2009-11 to just over 10% in 2013. Even before oil prices collapsed, says Erica Downs of Eurasia Group, CDB had grown much warier about lending to Venezuela, tying its financing to specific projects. In other words, it is becoming a little like the World Bank.

What is more, China’s decision to establish new multilateral development banks is an implicit admission that its unilateral approach was not working. Jin Liqun, the head of the AIIB, has travelled to capitals around the world to promise that it will adhere to the highest standards of corporate governance. Officials at the Asian Development Bank, the lender most directly challenged by the AIIB, say they have been working closely with China to help it get off to a good start. Chinese officials have even requested advice about the designs of different development banks, hoping to learn from them. This suggests that China is not looking to overthrow the existing order so much as to claw its way into it.
[1057 words]

Source：
http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21641259-challenge-world-bank-and-imf-china-will-have-imitate-them-rich

CC_Vera

Time 2        3:17
Intro: Begin with the author's story.
Main idea: Entrepreneurs think out of line+the author's creative thinking process.
1. Write things down. 2. Know when to purge.

Time 3        2:37
3. Keep painting. Keep in the messy creative process. Find your own way.

Time 4        03:10
We need to know how to create a creative work environment in order to work in a grantful enviornment.

Two parts we need to learn: consumption and production.

Consumption create inspiration. We need to understand consumption/production dynamic. Reading, observing, watching are the ways.

Time 5        03:11
New things come from old thing.EX: Einstain's theory is baced on Newton's work.
EX. Even radical deprivation from the existing structure have roots.

To institute creativity, we need corporation program. People from different department (cross-function collaboration) benefit creativity.

Time 6        01:46
How to  formalizing the program.
Need to create simple but clear description about the project. Need a manager to oversee the project.
Create an work environment that encourge creativity and idea sharing.

Obstacle:        6:45
Intro: The meeting of Xi Jinping and V. China's lending to other countries.
The purpose of China to lending money to others is to build a new world bank, internationalize RMB.
The risks that China is exposing to.
China is learning from others.

微软雅黑

speed：
2:26
entrepreneurs are always likely to have creative thinking, which is sometimes messy. The author suggests several ways to solve this problem.
First one is to write your thought down.
The second is to know when to purge.
The third is to keep painting.
all in all, the entrepreneurs should learn from their experience and always be creative.

3:05
we must learn to improve the creative workforce so that we can create a stimulating working environment.
Creativity includes consumption and production.
consumption takes time and we should be exposed to unusual things.

3:54
Creativity doesn't necessarily means that we should create a brand new thing. It is easier for us to just change based on the current item or idea. And to finish this goal, we can utilize different resourses from different environment or background. Then the author took an example to illustrate this point.

2:12
Cross-discipline work is a very good way to motivate people's inspiration. Another useful way is formalizing the program. That means we should file and check the projects frequently.

Obstacle:
8:05
This article made some comments to China's several financial measures.
After financial crisis, China lend a lot of money to conturies such as Venezuela. this measure showed the fast development of China. However, is there any hope to avoid loss? The author said through doing so, China wants to establish cooperation. However, it also means potential risks.
We also find that China as well as many other Asian countries established the development bank to challenge IMF. Doing so means that the unilateral approach of China was not working.

baleibabi

Time2 3:28
Time3 3:00
Time4 2:58
Time5 3:16
Time6 2:46
Obstacle 7:48

MJ19841996

Time 2: 4'03"
Time 3: 3'23"
Time 4: 4'20"
Time 5: 4'14"
Time 6: 3'14

ali199445ce

<speed>

02:57
entrepreneurs think thing differently, often with full creativity.
the process of creativity can be a mess, so two steps are advised:
1.write your ideas down immediately
2.know when to purge

03:00
trial and error is unevitable, therefore, purging things does not mean that you fail ,  but that you have learned from an experience.
let your creative process go on, and purge those projects that do not fit you, so that you can fully focus on what you really want to involve in.

02:48
the importance of developing a creative workforce can not be over emphasized.
creativity consists of two elements- consumption and production.
the enterprise can encourage its employees to consume the creative pieces simply by listening, playing, watching, observing, and reading.

03:14
the creativity is based on the things that already exist, namely that nothing is "purely new."
the company must develop a "creativity program", which cosists not only of "lunch and learn", book clubs, but also of creative problem-solving.

02:01
write down the briefs associated with the "creativity program" in order to grab the initiatives.
keep the program working, often spanning for several years, and monitor its operation.
as long as the company successfully develop the creative workforce, it can expect to have exceptional outcomes and  performance.

<obstacle>

07:36
china lends a huge amount of money to the three economic-risky countries- venezuela, argentina, and russia.
some said that china's intention is to push yuan to a worldwide currency, while others said that china trys to maintian its investment in those borrower countries by doing so.
china is also developing several developing banks that may be rival to world bank and IMF.
however, the concerns that the debt may not be fully repay because of poorly economic status in those three countries has slow down the step of the action lending money rapidly out from china.

rita-schumi

Speed：
02：28
03：22
02：40
01：57
02：35
the importance of a creative mind and how to cultivate a creative workforce
-Creativity does not refer to do something brand new, it refer to complete task lists by different resources and channels.
-Creativity program

Obstacle:
06:50
To build further cooperation, China always lend money to other countries.
The author analyzes the goods and potential risks of China's economic policy on loans.

sumy217

Obastacle
1.China lend money to coutries shunning by other European contries to improve its financial power, a strategy which is risky.
2. China establish bank to bloster yuan.