Workers at IDEO don't seem to come to work everyday; they instead come into a world of fun. When we started watching the IDEO video in class, I thought that the IDEO workers had to be people who were very, very smart. I was right about their intelligence levels, but I forgot to account for their extreme creativity. They don't have a standard work environment, similar to how, in many ways, we don't have a standard school environment. I noticed many similarities between IDEO and Glenbrook South. For one, their relationships with their boss reminded me of similarites between Glenbrook South students and their teachers. When I was taking transfer students on tours and I saw one of my teachers in the hallway and said hello, a boy who had just moved to Glenview from India remarked, "Teachers are more like friends here. That must be nice." Until then I never realized how bizarre other people must see the way we interact with our superiors.
IDEO has the same rhythm, only they take it to a new extreme. Not only are they "friends" with their bosses, there is no normal work place restrictions. They were joking around, sometimes very inappropriatly. One worker even said that they create and talk first, and apologize later if they step over the line. That is something that most people should take away. I cannot count how many times a person has raised their hand in class to answer a question and said, "Sorry if this is wrong, I think that..." Why do we always apologize? We need to take more risks in school, work, our personal lives, our activities, and at home. At IDEO they were totally cool with messing up, because from their huge mess up, came a new idea, or at least a new restriction.
When people are expected to apologize before they even begin something, they won't be as innovative. Instead they'll stick to the norm, because if they speak out then they'll have to apologize, which will mean they did something wrong. In general, people need to be more open to admitting that they are wrong. I think that is why people get into silly arguments, I think it is why that shy girl in the corner doesn't raise her hand in English to share her opinion. The reason IDEO is an open work place is that all the workers will take a risk, apologize, and move on if something doesn't work. And because of that, they usually don't need to apologize. People except all of their quirks and ideas, because that is what keeps the company running. I'm going to use this, not so that I stop apologizing, (because let's be honest, I'm going to make mistakes) but so that I wait until I do something wrong to apologize. And when I apologize it won't be because I'm afraid of what people think, it'll be because I really did mess up.
If everybody were more open to different quirks, there would be more companies like IDEO around, and there would be more people like the employees of IDEO around. Next time I have a ridiculous idea, I'm not going to ask permission to try it (unless it is really crazy, or just dangerous, or really, really stupid) I'm just going to go ahead and do it. Acting directors always say to start off doing way more for your character than you think is necessary because it is easier reel someone in and have them tone it down than it is to start small and then try to reach that big point. That is basically what they workers at IDEO are doing, and what I am going to do. I'm going to go all out first, and if it is too much then I'll just take away bits and pieces. No one ever tells you to dream small and realistically. So why should we act like we are small?
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