Innovation Carol Franczek cfranczek@theinnovationpractice 847 786-4243

1. Innovation Carol Franczek cfranczek@theinnovationpractice.com 847 786-4243

2. Goals for today • Definition • Why Innovation Is Important • Leadership & Innovation • Three skills

3. Real or Bogus?

4. Leadership

5. Leadership:Elements needed for supporting Innovation¹ • Inspiring a Shared Vision – envisioning the future; creating an ideal image of what the organization can become; developing a clearly defined and embraced strategy for innovation. • Challenging the process….looking for innovative ways to improve the organization (speaks to search for opportunities; experimentation; risk-taking) • Enabling others to act – building organizational structure and spirited teams (fostering collaboration and strengthening others) • Modeling the Way /Process– establishing principles for how people will be treated and how goals will be pursued. Theresa Amabile has built on this theory, showing that leaders’ behaviors (like supporting team initiatives and paving the way for their success) dramatically increases the likelihood of success. • Encouraging the heart – making people feel like heroes (recognizing contributions and celebrating accomplishments) ¹ Kouzes and Posner. Five Capabilities of Leaders

6. Whose Vision is it?

7. What % of observable creative behavior is directly attributable to the climate set by the leadership team? Actual is about: Leadership’s Role in setting climate *Based on Research by Goran Ekvall

8. YES, BUT

9. YES, AND

10. Suggest An Idea Evaluate An Idea Accept Or Reject Implement Conventional Meetings Risky Unless good Attack & Defend Score or Withdraw

11. Habits

12. New Habit #1 Separate Divergent from Convergent Thinking!

13. Basic Process Divergent Thinking Think of Ideas/ Make Lists Key is to keep them separate! Convergent Thinking Focus & Select

14. Defer Judgment Strive for Quantity Seek wild ideas Build on ideas Divergent Phase

15. Convergent Phase • Be affirmative • Be deliberate • Check your objectives • Improve ideas • Consider novelty

16. Suggest An Idea Suggest An Idea Evaluate An Idea Record An Idea Accept Or Reject Stop When Enough Implement Converge Meeting Differences Conventional Meetings Brainstorming Meeting Risky Unless good Follow Brainstorming Rules Attack & Defend In Public Evaluation Deferred Score or Withdraw PUCCIO, 1993

17. Solving Problems Difference 2: There is a Diverge and Converge part to each phase Identify a Goal or Wish Gather Facts Clarify the Challenge Difference 1: Clarify the Challenge Generate Ideas Select & Strengthen Solutions Plan & Execute

18. Gather Facts • Brief History of situation • Why this is an opportunity? • Who might be involved and why? Who else? • What have you already thought of and tried? • What is your ideal outcome? • What criteria does your solution need to meet? • What else do you think is important to know about the situation?

19. Don’t let “buts” stop you

20. New Habit #2 Restate Problems as Questions using How to…

21. Wouldn’t it be great if we could ?

22. How might we?

23. Who is impacted? And How?

24. Converge—Pick one or combine into one

25. Generate Ideas to solve the challenge Wish

26. Mindmaps

27. Select & StrengthenWhat we see ourselves doing is….. • Create a solution statement that summarizes • Add detail - your solution statement can be bullet points, or a paragraph • Make your solution come to life!

28. New Habit: #3Strengthening the Solution: POINT • Plusses: List at least 3 plusses or specific strengths. What is good about the idea NOW. • Opportunities: List 3 opportunities – these are speculations, spin-offs or possible future gains. When it becomes a reality, what has become possible? List potentials using the phrase: • It might • Issues:List key issues or concerns. Phrase each concern as an open-ended question that will allow you to overcome each one and move forward. Use the phrase: • How to…. • In what ways might… • What might be all the…. • New Thinking - overcome your key issue by generating some ideas to solve it

29. Plan & Execute – Identify Assistors/Resistors • Diverge: • List all the people, situations, actions “stuff” that will assist you in making your solution happen.Consider all your stakeholders • List all the people, situations, “stuff” that will be resist you or constrain you if you want to make your solution happen.Consider all of your stakeholders • Converge: • Identify key assisters and resisters. • Identify how to overcome key resisters.

30. Plan & Execute – Plan Action Steps • Diverge: • Reviewing your solution and list of assisters and resisters, diverge a list of potential action steps to make this solution happen • Converge: • Reviewing your potential action steps, and choose which steps you are going to do short-term, mid-term, long-term. Create a detailed action plan.

31. Planning for Action

32. Final Thoughts • Innovation is broadly defined • Everyone is critical to the process—You are most critical! • Inspiring Vision • Challenging the process • Enabling others • Modeling the Way • Encouraging the heart • New Habits/Skills that can impact the climate • Expand the problem solving framework • Separate Divergent versus Convergent Thinking on own/with groups • Rephrase problems as questions • Use POINT • Final Request