In Corporate America, a Shell engineer starts a meditation program that helps innovation & creativity
Far be it from me to promote any oil or gas company. I like to keep track of which oil companies are involved with the most unsavory labor or environmental practices and avoid buying my gas at these stations…. often driving a bit farther to do so and usually going to a locally owned station which according to my husband makes worse quality gas. I’m not actually that educated or knowledgeable about this subject so chime in if you have more info about this subject…. seems hard to find a gas station that runs on sustainable environmental practice and fair trade as part of their governing practices.
I was reading in the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business school newsletter about noteworthy practices in the corporate and government world. I can across an article about “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” at Shell, which had an example of using conscious breathwork and meditation in order to be more creative and productive.
Mandar Apte, a chemical engineer, has worked at Shell for 12 years. He is part of Shell’s Game Changer program, whose mission is to provide seed funding and guidance to cutting-edge ideas and foster a culture of innovation.
Mandar Apte is also the founder of a staff-led initiative called Empower, which uses breathing and meditation exercises to nurture personal creativity as well as inter-personal skills. So far, some 2,000 employees at Shell offices in the U.S., U.K., the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates have gone through classes that are part of the Empower program.
In a conversation with Knowledge@Wharton, Apte discusses the impact that Empower has had on him and his colleagues and his hopes for its future. (Video with transcript)
http://knowledge.wharton.
As part of an initiative to make Shell the most innovative energy company in that industry. Apte ‘s regular job involves encouraging innovation and weeding out limiting or disruptive ideas. According to Apte, “Game Changer is a program where you can bring out-of-the-box thinking to our team, and we are licensed to give you not only a budget but also the support structure and network that you need to build that idea into a proof of concept. In today’s world, innovation happens when you make non-traditional connections. The skills you require to foster this innovation culture are mental and social. You need courage to think out of the box. You need to forget past failures. You have to have the skills to manage anxiety because when you are trying something new, you are stepping into the unknown. You need to build a circle of trust around you where you get positive criticism. By enabling staff to develop these mental and social skills, the Empower program has enhanced the ability of Shell employees to innovate.”
Innovation is about thinking of new things. You learn how to drop the old habits, the old ideas, taking a pause from the day to day task of business That’s what meditation allows you. It gives you tools and techniques to pause. And silence is the mother of creativity. That’s the first step. The second step involves social processes and interpersonal skills. If you can invoke that quality of compassion or empathy in yourself, where you are not judging yourself, you’re not criticizing yourself, nor are you judging somebody else, then I think there is a space for insights to be created. How much energy do we spend negatively judging not only ourselves but also our friends, family, co-workers, managers and even strangers? These qualities of non-judgement, acceptance, open-mindedness are crucial for grooming and harnessing your own innovative skills and nourishing the innovation culture in an organization.
Have you ever participated in a course like this at your company that taught you skills to help you nourish your creativity and innovation through holistic practices? What was it like? How did it impact you?