Building a Culture of Experimentation - AEC Business · “Clash of social contracts” ... Experimentation improves a company’s ability to be proactive and ... Ali is a construction

BuildingaCultureofExperimentation

AarniHeiskanen&MikkoTaskinen

©2016AEPartnersOy

”Howtomakeexperimentationpartoftheeveryday?"

Cultureofexperimentation

Thetwobusinesscultures

Exploitativeculture

Explorativeculture

Integrativeculture

• Productivity• Efficiency• Predictability

• Creativity• Serendipity• Uncertainty

InspiredbyRalph-ChristianOhr

“Clashofsocialcontracts”

BreakrulesanddreamOpendoorsandlistenTrustandbetrusted

ExperimentanditeratetogetherErr,fail,andpersist

Payitforward

ExcelatyourjobBeloyaltoyourteamWorkwiththoseyoucandependonDotherightthingthefirsttimeStriveforperfectionReturnfavors

ByViktorW.Hwang

RulesoftheRainforest(forinnovation)

RulesofthePlantation(forproduction)

Plan- Do- Check- ActDo- Check- Plan- Act

Experimentationcanbeabridgebetweenthetwocultures

WhatareexperimentsExperimentsareanagileandefficientprocedurefordeveloping,testing,andimplementingnewpracticesandtechnologies.

WhatisneededExperimentsrequiremanagementcommitment,smallinvestmentsandtolerancetooccasionalfailure.Theexperimentersneedanopenmind.

HowtoexperimentTheparticipantsexperimenttofindasolutiontoachallengeorutilizeanopportunity.

WhytheyworkExperimentsareinspiring,theyusethestrengthsofindividuals,theyadvancelearninganddiscoveryinteams.Successfulexperimentscangrowintonewpracticeswithout pressurefromabove.

Experimentation improvesacompany’sabilitytobeproactiveandadaptivetothechangesinthebusinessenvironment.

Threesuccessfactors

• Thepastdoesnotdeterminethefuture

• Fromstagnationandcynicismtogrowth

• Awarenessofthecapacitytoinfluencethingsandpeople

• ExaminingwhatdrivesmypresentbehaviorandwhatcanIchange

• Utilizingthepotentialofanindividualinternallyandexternally

• Creatingideasandnewwaysofworkingfromacombinationofindividualandteamcapabilities

Attitudes Behavior Interaction

Thevalueofexperimentation

AvaluemapofexperimentationCompany

Individual

Shortterm

Longterm

Faster speed to market

Foresight

Commitment to work

New perspectives

Stories

Fresh attitude towards

work

Learning how to learn

Positive cultural change

Improved customer orientation

High develop-ment ROI

New markets

Finding new capabilities

Team

Howtoexperiment?

Metrics

Elementsofexperimentation

Achallenge Rightpeople

Managementcommitment

Evaluation

Communi-cation

Application

Challengingtherolesandhabits

ofpeople

Interaction

DOINGandlearning

Typesofexperimentation

Customers

Partners

Public

Newservices/products

Existingservices/products

Customerexperiences

Business processes

Knowledge/skills

Technologies

Rapidprototyping

Pilotprojects

Ideacapture

Online campaigns

Crowdsourcing

Focusgroups

Competitions

Surveys

Discussion groups

Tests

Withwhom

Internal

Forwhat How

Hackathons

Gaming

Impactareas

Individual

Team

Company Culturalevolution

Teamlearning

Personalgrowth

Company’svisionandstrategy

Alearningpath

• Wakeup!• Whatisexperimentation• Whyitisnecessary• Whattoexperimenton• Whatmakes

experimentationsuccessful• Whatisreflectionon/in

action

• WhatassumptionsdoIholdtrue

• HowcanIchallengemyassumptions

• Whatismypotential• What’sholdingmeback• Howtostrengthenself-

knowledge• WhatshouldIletgo/update• WhatshouldIpractice

• Howtosetgoals• Howtoorganize• Howtocarryout• Howtoevaluate• Howtofeed-forward• Howtodecideonnextsteps• Howto‘sink’newmethods

intodailyroutines• Howtopractice/reflect

1- Understanding 2- Personaldevelopment 3- Experimentationpractice

Examples

Aclandestinetrialthatchangedhowacompanymanagesprojects

Practicalinsightandprototypingresultedinanewbusiness

Aliisaconstructionengineerwhorealized,whileworkingonprojects,certainlimitationswithexistingconstructionsoftware.Theywereinternalsolutions thatdidnotallowcollaborationwithsubcontractorsthatareresponsible formostofthetasksinamodernproject

Afterprototypingandcollectingcustomerfeedback,AliandhisteamcreatedBulldozAIR.Itallowsteamsworkinginthefieldtobettercollaboratewiththeofficebyexchanginginformationinavisualway.

LearnmoreatAEC-Business.com.

Animpossiblegoalrevampedamasterplanningprocess

ThecityofConstitución inChilewaspracticallyobliteratedbyatsunamiin2010.Thecityleadershipdecided tocreatethenewmasterplanin90daysinsteadofthenormalprocessthatcantakeupto15years.

Reachingtheimpossible goalforcedthesystemtorethinkthewholeprocessandinvolve citizensinnovelways.Theresultwasabetter,faster,andcheaperwayofplanning.

LearnmoreatAEC-Business.com.

Niina Jaatinen,anengineeratSwecoStructures,waspondering howtoimprovethewayengineeringwasdoneinthecompany.Shediscovered scrum, anagileprojectmanagementframeworkwidelyusedinITdevelopment.

Sheprototypedscrum,withoutinforminghisseniors, withagroupofprojectmanagers.Oncetheclandestine operationwasexposed, shewasfirstscolded, thenpraised.Thenewwayofworkinghadprovedtobesosuccessful thatitisnowbecominganorminthecompany.

LearnmoreatAEC-Business.com.

Anunservedneedinspiredanewonlinebusiness

Thedevelopers ofServiceWhale hadlearnedthat40%ofconsumersinclude thewords‘price,’ ‘cost,’ or‘estimate’whenshopping formajorhomeimprovementprojects.However,theinformation ishardtofind.Basedonthatnotion, theydeveloped aservicethatallowsahomeowner togetupfront, customizedquotesonline.

ReadthewholestoryatAEC-Business.com.

Innovationcouldhappenoveraweekend

Ahackathon istypicallyaweekend-longeventwhereteamsofprofessionals solveproblems givenbyindustry participants.

AECHackathon hasquickly becomeaglobalcommunity ofinnovators thatinclude allelementsofthebuiltenvironment.Theyoffertheopportunity tocollaboratewithcuttingedgetechnologies anditsdevelopers anddesigners.

Learnmoreataechackathon.com.

Anideacompetitionhelpedimproveprofessionalservices

Afewyearsback,weorganizedanideacompetitionforaprofessional servicesorganization.Theyinvitedtheirstaffof300totheonline eventandaskedthemtogenerateideasonhowtosupporttheirclients’ sustainability efforts.

Theoutcomewasover120ideasofwhich20werechosen forvoting.Thewinnersgotresourcesforworkingoutsolutions fromtheideas.Anotherresultofthecampaignwasadatabaseofcategorizedandevaluatedideasthatmyclientcoulduseinthefuture.

LearnmoreatAEC-Business.com.

Contactusformoreinformation

AarniHeiskanen

[email protected]

MikkoTaskinen

[email protected]

Photos:©2016AEPartnersOy