DeEtta Jones Creating a Culture of Innovation_October 4 2013

Creating a Culture

of Innovation

@DeEttaMJones

Creativity v. Innovation • What does it take to

innovate?

• Types of innovation

• Reasons to innovate

Tools for Innovation

Politics of Innovation

Creating a Culture of

Innovation

Session

Outline

-Teresa Amabile, How to Kill Creativity, HBR

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At the fringe

We know

where it lives…

All innovation is creative

But not all creativity is innovative

Imagination, Audacity and Design

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“If you see a stylus or a task manager, ‘they blew it.’”

Debunking

Myths

-Paul Light, Sustaining Innovation: Creating Non-Profit and

Government Organizations that Innovate Naturally

1. Innovating is the gift of the few.

2. Innovating is the product of

perfection.

3. Innovating is best done under

extreme pressure.

4. Innovating is best done alone.

5. Strong adversaries make for strong

innovations.

6. Innovating always means saying yes.

7. Innovating is a choice between

science and art.

8. Good management is hostile to

good innovation.

9. Innovating organizations are good at

keeping secrets.

10. Innovating is the path to

organizational bliss.

1. Transformation

2. Problem Solving

Two Types

of Innovation

“When you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.”

Consider

Dakota Tribal

Wisdom

INNOVATION MEANS CREATING CHANGE INSTEAD OF JUST REACTING TO IT

http://www.rebelsatwork.com/2013/02/20/50-reasons-not-to-change/

Brand Erosion: We are a mature business model and sometimes our funders take us for granted or fail to fully understand our value add.

Internal Churn: Our new ideas are stuck in the mud of internal planning and review processes

Competition: Our competitors are moving into our space and we need to do something to defend it

Adjacent markets: We see opportunity in adjacent markets (demographics, formats, medium) but we don’t know where and how to start

Mining IP: We have so much IP but we don’t know how to turn it into products and services our customers want

Time-to-Market: Our need for approval and perfection doesn’t allow for nimbleness and trial and error

Customer insight: Our processes are driven by our values and mission but fail to recognize latent or unarticulated customer need

Sustainability: We’ve gotten lucky one or twice but how do we repeat our successes year after year?

Innovation Why?

Tools

For Innovation

1. Creative Insight Session – State the problem

– Brainstorm

– Reframe the question

– Second round

2. Excursion Technique – What can a photograph

tell you about your problem?

3. Prototyping – Observing people in

situations—what are they doing? How can we create solutions to their problems?

Tools

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66ZU2PCIcM

Prototyping

The Politics

of Innovation

And we’re

getting worse at it

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We have a hard time predicting

what will work….

Driving Forces Restraining Forces

Forces For/Against Change

In Your Organization/Industry

Q: What is the #1 determinant of success?

A: The number of ideas you come up with and try to make happen.

MANAGER: STRIVES TO KEEP BAD THINGS FROM HAPPENING

INNOVATOR/DESIGNER: STRIVES TO MAKE GOOD THINGS HAPPEN

The Difference

Creating a Culture

for Innovation

“Organizations are, first and foremost, centers

of human relatedness and relationships come

alive where there is an appreciative eye,

when people see the best in one another and

the whole, when they share their dreams and

ultimate concerns in affirming ways, and when

they are connected in full voice to create not

just new worlds, but better worlds. By making it

possible for every voice to be heard, a life

giving process is enacted.”

-The Appreciative Organization by Harlene Anderson,

David Cooperrider, et. al.

A Positive View of Organizations

Positive Experiences of

Positive Emotions

Broaden Momentary

Thought-Action Repertoires

Build Enduring Personal

Resources

Transform People and Produce

Upward Spirals

Focus

on the

-Barbara Frederickson, Positivity

Appreciative Inquiry is the study and exploration of what gives life to human systems when they function at their best.

This approach to personal change and organization change is based on the assumption that questions and dialogue about strengths, successes, values, hopes, and dreams are themselves transformational.

Te

ch

niq

ue:

Appreciative

Inquiry

If we look for what is

best and learn from it,

we can magnify and

multiply our success

If we continue to search

for problems,

we will continue to find

problems Appreciative Inquiry-

Simply Put…

Starting with 2 very different questions:

• What works well in this organization?

vs.

• What problems do we need to fix to

make this organization better?

Imagine the difference…

4-D Cycle of Appreciative Inquiry

-The Power of Appreciative Inquiry

Positive Core

Design “Determine

what should be”

Affirmative

Topic Choice

Dream “Imagine

what might be”

Discovery

“Appreciate

what is”

Destiny “Create what

will be”

• Identify problems

• Conduct Root Cause Analysis

• Brainstorm Solutions & Analyze

• Develop Action Plans

• Metaphor: Organizations are problems to be solved

• Appreciate “What is”

(What gives life?)

• Imagine “What might be”

• Determine “What Should

Be”

• Create “What Will Be”

• Metaphor:

Organizations are a

solution/mystery to be

embraced

Problem Solving Appreciative Inquiry vs.

Create a list of "banned" negative expressions

• "We've tried that before"

• "It will never work"

• "We don't do it that way"

Post the list so everyone can see it.

Review the list and note that other negative expressions can be added at any time.

Exorcise

the Negativity

Reflect: How might you incorporate more positive exploration of ideas and minimize negativity in your organization?

Be specific. Write down specific questions you might ask.

With one other person: Share your ideas with a colleague.

Exercise

The Future is…

Diverse and

Unexpected -Frans Johannson,

Medici Effect

1. The more ideas

the better

2. Go for zany!

3. Hand your

problem off to

someone else

4. No bad ideas!

5. Use your whole

mind

6. Open it up

7. Measure

performance

8. Celebrate success

9. Have fun

10.Build mission

into systems not

vice versa

Ten Strategies

for Leading Innovation

CREATIVITY

HARD WORK

+

Willingness to Make Some Mistakes

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In your: • Environment

• Structures

• Leadership

• Management

systems

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Release

Creativity

Traditional failure

• Try to get your product 95% right • Release it

• Learn what is wrong with it from consumers

• Lament the fact that it took you years to make junk

Perfect is the enemy of innovation

‘Pretty Good’

…Ain’t All Bad

– Try to get your service, program or product 50% right

– Release it

– Learn what is wrong with it from customers

– Fix it up a bit and release a new version

*better yet, get customers involved from the outset—invite them to describe their problems and how you can help solve it.

Successful

Failure

Reward Use of the Whole

Self

Reward Use of the

Whole Self

• Look for groundbreaking ideas in unpredictable places

• The predictable path to success does not exist

• Diversity drives innovation—we come up with more ideas at the intersection

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A Few Things

to Think About

% of Decision-Making Responsibilities

80%

20%

20%

80%

Leader

Team

CONTROLLING FACILITATING

CONTROLLING FACILITATING

• Tell

• Sell

• Decide

• Solve Problems

• Listen

• Ask Questions

• Coach

• Teach

Diversity

and Teams

Reference: Adler, N. J. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior.

4th ed. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western, 2002.

Effectiveness in creative tasks

Monocultural Teams

Multicultural Teams

Multicultural Teams

Less More

+ + +

+

+

+ +

+

c. Milton J.Bennett, 2008

Impact of Diversity on Team Performance

Leader acknowledges & supports cultural difference

Cultural difference an asset to performance

Leader ignores or suppresses cultural difference

Cultural difference an obstacle to performance

Leaders’ Role

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1. What are the implications

of this for you and your

organization?

2. What are the leadership

qualities that you want to

see in yourself and others in

your organization to

increase the propensity for

innovation success?

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Leaders’

Role

1. Why should I care?

2. Organize for innovation

3. Staff teams with those who are committed and passionate about new ideas

4. Keep teams small

5. Encourage dissent

6. Give teams permission to break old rules

7. Support innovation • Unwavering support from top management is essential

• If you’re organization can’t innovate, get out of the way

Leadership

Take-Aways

www.DeEttaJones.com

@DeEttaMJones

Thank you!