Wake Up Your Mind

12

No claim is made that this volume could turn a wheelwright into a playwright, or a chauffeur into an author, or a waiter into an inventor. It purports only to help its readers achieve greater happiness--for themselves and for others--not through any Pollyanna magic, but through psychologically sound measures.

18

Dr. S. L. Wells reported to the American Association of Applied and Professional Psychologists the results of his study of a high-salaried group of people in comparison with a group of average salary. In four intelligence tests, these two groups rated about equal in all respects except one--creativity.

20

As for getting along with oneself, our contentment largely depends on whether we are creative or non-creative.

27

One reason why we now need to reach out for creative exercise is that our creative growth is inhibited by the very climate in which we live. Sheer necessity forced our forefathers to think up new and better ways of doing things. To keep alive, they had to work their ingenuity overtime. Our softer living numbs our sense of enterprise and deadens our creative spirit.

27

Although many blame the New Deal for killing the try-hard spirit of yesteryear, its decadence began long before F.D.R. took over.

29 Interesting mention of Osborn/Barton's attitude toward New Deal vis a vis creativity.

In recent years, interest in the award has sadly fallen off. "Yankee boys are feeling the influence of living under a government where Poppa Knows Best and Poppa Will Provide." That's Bruce Barton's explanation of this apathy.

There are many signs that Yankee ingenuity is on the wane--not because we are born with less creative talent, but because we no longer try hard enough to use the talent that is in us.

31

Higher and higher taxes are the arch deadeners of incentive in every line of endeavor.

35

In its aim to train the mind, education has concentrated on building up judicial judgment--strengthening the critical faculty of the student. When this is carried to extreme it tends to make the student less creative. For an overdeveloped discriminative faculty is a natural enemy of imagination.

184

If we cannot spare the rod, we can at least think up better ways to spank.

207

Some 6000 American companies operate suggestion systems through which their 20,000,000 employees are urged to submit ideas for the good of the business and are well rewarded for acceptable suggestions. This movement is our nation's only major effort designed to keep our people on their creative toes.

Said Henry Ford II: "We Americans are becoming more and more a nation of employees. Four out of five people today work for somebody else. The job of distributing management is one of the special problems of our times." That fact alone justifies the millions which employers are annually investing in suggestions systems.

And there's another reason, according to Harry J. Richey of the National Biscuit Company: "A suggestions system offers the last means of direct communication between top management and the man on the production line--a way to recognize and develop leadership. National Biscuit makes the bulk of its promotions from those who offer suggestions."

An executive of the Eastman Kodak Company points out still another virtue of suggestions systems: "In tehse programs both the employee and the company have much to gain and nothing to lose. The fundamental basis is therefore friendly. Improved labor relations obviously result, to the benefit of both."

Suggestions systems are growing ever greater. In just one year the amount paid to Eastman Kodak employees for their ideas increased by $28,000 to a new high of $191,000. A total of 9711 suggestions were adopted, a gain of 1100 over the previous year. In one Kodak Plant, last year, four individuals submitted more than 50 ideas each.

In 1951 the General Electric Company paid to employees for their ideas an average of over $40,000 a month.

The size of award depends upon the value of the suggestion. Cash prizes range upward from five dollars to small fortunes. Many companies have paid $5000 or more for one idea. Last year's suggestion champion was Charles Zamiska, who received over $28,000 for devising a better way to handle cores in the casting department of the Cleveland Graphite Bronze Company. That sum represented 25 per cent of the resultant savings during the first six months.

The average cost of installing and operating suggestions systems runs about $5 per year per employee. Processing costs range from $2 to $15 per suggestion. It has been estimated that American businesses are investing nearly $100,000,000 a year in these programs. Surveys show that 27.6 per cent of the ideas suggested are worth accepting and rewarding.