This deck was used at half-day session I conducted on Innovation for leaders in the state of Florida.

1. Creating a Culture
of Innovation
@DeEttaMJones

2. 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

3. -Teresa Amabile, How to Kill Creativity, HBR

4. www.DeEttaJones.com
At the fringe
We know
where it lives…

5. All innovation is creative
But not all creativity is innovative

6. Imagination, Audacity and Design
www.DeEttaJones.com
“If you see
a stylus or
a task manager,
‘they blew it.’”

7. 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.

8. 1. Transformation
2. Problem Solving
Two Types
of Innovation

9. “When you discover
you are riding a dead
horse,
the best strategy is to
dismount.”
Consider
Dakota Tribal
Wisdom

10. INNOVATION MEANS CREATING CHANGE
INSTEAD OF JUST REACTING TO IT
http://www.rebelsatwork.com/2013/02/20/50-reasons-not-
to-change/

11. 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?

12. Tools
For Innovation

13. 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

14. Prototyping

15. The Politics
of Innovation

16. And we’re
getting
worse at it
www.DeEttaJones.com
We have a hard time predicting
what will work….

17. Driving Forces Restraining Forces
Forces For/Against Change
In Your Organization/Industry

18. Q: What is the #1
determinant of
success?
A: The number of
ideas you come
up with and try
to make happen.

19. MANAGER: STRIVES TO KEEP
BAD THINGS FROM HAPPENING
INNOVATOR/DESIGNER: STRIVES TO
MAKE GOOD THINGS HAPPEN
The Difference

20. Creating a Culture
for Innovation

21. “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

22. 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

23.  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.
Technique:
Appreciative
Inquiry

24. 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…

25. 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…

26. 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”

27. • 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 Inquiryvs.

28. 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

29. 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

30. The Future is…
Diverse and
Unexpected
-Frans Johannson,
Medici Effect

31. 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

32. CREATIVITY
HARD WORK
+
Willingness to Make Some Mistakes
www.DeEttaJones.com

33. In your:
• Environment
• Structures
• Leadership
• Management
systems
www.DeEttaJones.com
Release
Creativity

34. 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

35. – 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

36. Reward Use
of the Whole
Self
Reward Use of the
Whole Self

39. • 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
www.DeEttaJones.com
A Few Things
to Think About

40. % of Decision-Making Responsibilities
80%
20%
20%
80%
Leader
Team
CONTROLLING FACILITATING

41. CONTROLLING FACILITATING
• Tell
• Sell
• Decide
• Solve Problems
• Listen
• Ask Questions
• Coach
• Teach

42. Diversity
and Teams

43. Reference: Adler, N. J. International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior.
4th ed. Cincinnati, OH: South-Western, 2002.
Effectiveness in
creative tasks
MonoculturalTeams
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

44. Leaders’ Role
www.DeEttaJones.com

45. 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?
www.DeEttaJones.com
Leaders’
Role

46. 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

47. www.DeEttaJones.com
@DeEttaMJones
Thank you!