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Independent Developer Projects in the Workplace?

Posted by Cliff on from the if-it-works-for-Google... dept.

An anonymous reader asks: "My company wants to increase creativity and innovation, we our thinking of implementing a Google like policy of 20% of your time for independent projects but I can't find any details on how Google actually implements this. I am curious how they divvy up their time (1 day a week or 1 week a month)? How do you keep your real project from impacting it? At what point are the projects reviewed? Has anybody experienced other successful ways to stimulate creativity at their workplace?"

7 of 337 comments (clear)

  1. Heh by Neil+Blender · · Score: 5, Funny

    Who doesn't spend at least 20% of their workday doing things other than work?

    1. Re:Heh by Cheesy+Fool · · Score: 5, Funny

      Probably more than that. To quote Office Space:

      ~ Well, generally I come in at least twenty minutes late, I sneak in through the backdoor so Lumberg won't see me, then for the next hour I just kinda space out.
      ~ Space out?
      ~ Yeah, I just kinda stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working... I'd say in a given week I do about, oh, 15 minutes of real, actual work.

      --

      Hail to the king, baby!
    2. Re:Heh by EvilTwinSkippy · · Score: 4, Funny
      Are you kidding? My job description includes "...Stay up to date on network and techology developments..."

      It just so happens that most of my leads include "Userfriendly", Fark.com, and /.

      --
      "Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival."
      --Dr.W.Edwards Deming
    3. Re:Heh by hoggoth · · Score: 4, Funny

      > Mastadon hunting parties probably stopped to bathe in the brook and wrestle each other under water

      I, for one, welcome our new homo-erotic Elephant killing cavemen overlords.

      --
      - For the complete works of Shakespeare: cat /dev/random (may take some time)
    4. Re:Heh by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

      I, for one, welcome our new homo-erotic Elephant killing cavemen overlords.

      Be careful. Mr. Goatse? A Mastadon mating injury.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
  2. Two words by savagedome · · Score: 4, Funny

    My company wants to increase creativity and innovation

    Two words: Massage Bunnies

    Nothing much. They just rub your shoulders after you've been sitting there pondering on the problem at hand (no pun) for long. It relaxes you.

    It helps if they are wearing a tutu.

    --


    Free XBox, PS2
  3. Your company has deeper problems by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let me get this straight... Your company wants to increase creativity and innovation yet can't even decide for itself how to "implement" independent thinking time?

    And you go as far as asking slashdot how to copy google's infrastructure... how original and creative!