Episode 17

full
Published on:

17th Mar 2025

Transforming Manufacturing Organizations Through Deliberate Creativity with Dr. Amy Climer

In this episode of The Manufacturers Network Podcast, host Lisa Ryan welcomes Dr. Amy Climer, an expert in fostering organizational creativity and innovation. Amy, author of "Deliberate Creative Teams," shares her research-backed strategies to help manufacturing companies enhance their creative processes. Dive into a discussion about incorporating creativity in manufacturing, the role of leadership in innovation, and practical techniques for fostering a creative environment on the shop floor.

Key Themes:

  1. Defining Creativity in Manufacturing:
  • Amy defines creativity as "novelty that is valuable," emphasizing the importance of fresh, innovative ideas that bring tangible benefits to organizations.
  1. Importance of Creativity in Manufacturing:
  • Amy discusses how creativity helps prevent stagnation, encourages innovation, and ensures manufacturers remain competitive in a rapidly changing market landscape.
  1. Fostering Creativity:
  • Clear Shared Purpose:
  • Teams need a unified purpose to drive creative efforts towards meaningful goals.
  • Strong Team Dynamics:
  • Effective communication, trust, and balanced conflict are essential for fostering a creative team environment.
  • Creative Process Awareness:
  • Understanding and implementing a creative process, like the Creative Problem Solving methodology, is critical in generating and developing innovative ideas.
  1. Lessons Learned from Real-World Examples:
  • Amy shares a manufacturing company case study that improved efficiency and spurred innovation by implementing structured creativity sessions, generating over a thousand ideas.
  1. Role of Leadership in Innovation:
  • Leaders set the tone for creativity by role modeling, encouraging idea sharing, and creating a supportive environment for innovative thinking.
  1. Implementing Creativity in Structured Environments:
  • Amy offers practical strategies for integrating creativity within daily operations, including regular ideation sessions and structured feedback mechanisms.

Fun Facts:

  • The term "Creative Abrasion," mentioned by Amy, originates from Jerry Hirschberg's work at Nissan in the 1980s, highlighting the productive clash of different cultural and creative perspectives.
  • Amy refers to the ingenious use of a 3D printer to maintain an obsolete machine as an example of creativity leading to unexpected problem-solving.

Lessons Learned:

  • Deliberate creativity requires an intentional and structured approach to be effectively harnessed within organizations.
  • Encouraging and valuing employee input can lead to significant cost savings and process improvements.

Connect with Dr. Amy Climer:

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for The Manufacturers' Network

About the Podcast

The Manufacturers' Network
Connecting Manufacturers with Manufacturers
The Manufacturers' Podcast is THE place for manufacturers to connect with and learn from other manufacturers. Not only will listeners get to learn from their manufacturing colleagues, but they will also discover HOW they can help each other as a resource or as a source of help and inspiration.

As a manufacturer, it's easy to get pigeon-holed into only focusing on your own industry, whether it be through your industry trade association or your industry colleagues. While trade associations are an excellent source of information for their members, sometimes it's gaining a perspective from someone else in a completely different industry that gives you the solution to your dilemma.

Stay tuned for new episodes every week on "Manufacturing Monday's." This drive-time length podcast will give you the information, tips and strategies you need to get your week off to a fantastic start.

About your host

Profile picture for Lisa Ryan

Lisa Ryan

As a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), an award-winning speaker and author of ten books, Lisa Ryan, CSP, works with her clients to develop employee and client engagement initiatives and strategies that keep their top talent and best clients from becoming someone else’s.
Lisa’s expertise includes: strengthening workplace culture, improving employee engagement, increasing customer retention, and initiating gratitude strategies (“Grategies”) for personal and professional benefit. Lisa’s participants enjoy her high energy, enthusiastic delivery and quick wit and they leave the session with ideas they are committed to acting on immediately to make positive workplace culture changes.
Lisa costars in two films with other experts including Jack Canfield of “Chicken Soup for the Soul.” She is the Past-President of the National Speakers Association, Ohio Chapter and holds an MBA from Cleveland State University.

Relevant Experience

• Keynote, breakout or workshop speaker at more than 100 national and international conferences
• Thirteen years of industrial marketing and sales experience, including seven years in the welding industry – and yes, she does weld
• Host of “Elevate Your Engagement Levels: What You Need to Know” on the Elite Expert Network and the C-Suite Network
• Creator of “The Seven Mistakes Managers Make to Crush Company Culture” video series
• Best-selling author of ten books, including “Manufacturing Engagement: 98 Proven Strategies to Attract and Retain Your Industry’s Top Talent”
• Award-winning speaker