Hack:
A human tech that eliminates stress, improves creativity, energy, focus and happiness?

By Michael Scheelhardt - Innovation Devotee

April 16, 2011 at 8:27am

Moonshots

Increase trust, reduce fear

Amplify imagination

Capture the advantages of diversity

Summary

Dear anti-bureaucrats.

I've come across a human tech, so to speak, that is straight forward and may enable you to obtain a turbo boost on your skills. The best thing is - it is not a joke!

Research on innovation management proposes that multi-disciplinary teams improves the innovation performance in a company, due to the fact that the integration of different skills and competencies lead to more creative ideas are generated. Now, different opinions also tend to provoke, and sometimes big ego's set the agenda of the talk. This leads to some people tend to dominate the conversation more than other people - not owing to they always have the most bright ideas. You know the situation, right?

Now - I have come across a human tech, taught at IAHV - International Association for Human Values. Simple breathing techniques and meditation have undergone peer-reviewed research reports and showed tremendous results.

The techniques document for a fact to improve creativity, focus, energy, sense of well-being, and reduce level of cortisol (stress hormone). Se some of the research findings here http://www.apexprogram.org/html/research-findings.htm.

I know for a fact that the effects are valid, since I did the course last summer and experienced one idea after another popping out of my mind. Experiencing this led me to propose that if these techniques are implemented in corporations, they will surely benefit the creative part of the innovation process. In addition, since people get peaceful they act with less ego which helps their collaborative skills.

It is really amazing! See the video of the world bank talking about their experiences here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2b0TPzrTCg

So my suggestions are that companies integrate these techniques in their corporate environment and benefit from this because employees will become more productive both in terms of creation principles (innovation) and execution. Besides, stress costs companies billions of dollars every year and reduces productivity. All in all it will lead to better bottom line and a sustainable HR policy with lots of happy employees!

What do you think?

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April 24, 2011 at 12:26am

Pamela Lovell

There is a plethora of research that describes the benefit of meditation (in particular, Insight Meditation) and the effects on the brain. There are specifically nine functions of the pre-frontal cortex, our executive center that are enhanced through meditation. These are: increased body regulation (decreases in stress hormone cortisol as well as other stress hormones), increased emotional regulation, better attunement with others, increased insight, empathy, intuition and the modulation of fear, increased moral awareness, and finally flexibility in responses. One can imagine that the brain's pathways for innovation are "greased" if you have this enhanced activity in your executive center. See Dan Siegel's work at the Mindsight Institute.

I've been teaching meditation to leaders for over 5 years and run an annual retreat for leaders at the Bay of Fires in Tasmania. See the link for www.stratgicintent.com.au