The brainstorming session may beget large quantities of ideas, but the executive workshop can help create something far more valuable: focused energy to explore new growth platforms from corporate leaders.

1. MASTERING THE ART OF
EXECUTIVE ENGAGEMENT
How to conduct an executive workshop that produces game plans for innovation
Viewpoint November 12, 2010
By Jeneanne Rae
The brainstorming session may beget large What is the right formula to attract a person who
quantities of ideas, but its more sophisticated must prioritize every minute of every day, doesn't
cousin, the executive workshop, can help create suffer fools, and whose bonus is likely to depend
something far more valuable: focused energy to on quarterly results, yet who is also tasked with
explore new growth platforms from corporate figuring out the future? Produce the right level of
leaders. In the scheme of things, cool ideas are a executive workshop structured to drive key
dime a dozen, but generating the confidence to commitments and decisions. Here are some
brave new ground, especially in risk-adverse pointers:
global corporations, is something far rarer.
Use time wisely. Set realistic expectations for
Several paradoxes exist in corporate innovation involvement. A half day to one full day is all you
environments today. Due to the resources will likely get. If you can't get this much time,
required, new growth-platform investment carve out a specific role in kickoff and closing
decisions are typically made at the highest levels activities so participants can get a grasp of the
in large global business units, yet the executives content discussed and process utilized.
who must make those decisions have little time to
spend on exploring the sources of innovation Make passion palpable. Get the right people in
beyond the conventional R&D lab, where the room at the forefront of the challenge. Think a
momentum-setting action rarely takes place. select number of credible key stakeholders,
Managing customer complexity with new, value- archetypical customers, subject-matter experts,
added offerings has become the latest best and other provocateurs, not just company
practice for industry leaders, yet few are employees. Discourage politically based
structured to take on the challenge. Even if the invitations and folks with potentially derailing
willingness for radical innovation exists, proven agendas.
processes for cracking the code on organic
growth challenges and driving differentiation Efficiently convey new relevant information.
often don't. Result? Spinelessness, fear, Spend time building context. Through no fault of
excuses, skepticism, flat-lining, or worse. their own, executives often live in bubbles.
Fortunately, they're usually aware that they lack
No doubt these factors contribute to the slow perspective and appreciate being enlightened
pace of game-changing innovation we see at about new factors they should consider in
present. But I would also argue that the problem decision-making. It has been my experience that
isn't that executives today are too overwhelmed driving a far-reaching, compelling, and efficiently
to contribute and support innovation and change. delivered context for a challenge is seen as a
The problem is we need new ways to drive their wonderful gift. This type of information is critical
engagement. yet often out of reach for busy executives.
www.motivstrategies.com Reprinted with Permission

2. One suggestion would be to articulate adjacent Strive to contradict the dominant logic of your
market dynamics and sources of nontraditional industry. Innovation happens when companies
competition. For example, point out why the do something the rest of the pack hasn't.
performance expectations in consumer markets, Countless examples are available. For
say, by Amazon (AMZN), have now set the bar inspiration, look at an array of pan-industry
for all e-commerce transactions. Or why Zipcar's players who saw the opportunity to do things
understanding of your preferences is emblematic differently and never stopped to look back,
of the type of customer intimacy expected from including ING Bank (ING), Flor Carpets, Home
every provider given the type of technology Bistro, Flexjet, and Salesforce.com (CRM). How
available to drive such customer relationship could your company break the mold similarly?
management systems today. How might these or There is still no hotter topic in business today
similar everyday performance expectations than driving organic growth and innovation. More
influence the must-haves in any new offering? often than not, these matters require the attention
of senior executives who encounter numerous
Facilitate integrative thinking. Design engaging impediments in finding, vetting, and committing to
exercises that mimic everyday unresolved the big ideas of tomorrow. If you are having
opportunities. In my role as executive education difficulty getting the type of attention your big
instructor for Columbia University's Graduate ideas deserve, consider engaging your executive
Business School, I recently led an experience team in a compelling new way that imparts spot-
design exercise involving multiple layers of on vision. Your action-packed, hands-on event
customers (financial buyer, systems operator, will not fail as a call to action for those tasked
end users, etc.) for a set of health-care with leading your organization into the future.
executives. The example I used was based on a
company that sold intelligent building solutions.
After 90 minutes of deconstructing another
company's problem, a galvanizing moment
occurred among the participants that showed an Jeneanne Rae is the President and CEO of
obvious path to tackling their own multilayered Motiv, a strategy consulting firm focused on
customer-experience opportunity. design-driven innovation and opportunity
landscaping for S&P 500 firms. She has worked
The issues raised via seeing another company
in the fields of innovation and design for over
that's succeeded at its very own challenge drove
a passionate strategic discussion about market twenty years, consulting and educating dozens of
research practices, resource prioritization, and leading companies in a multitude of industries.
organizational development. For this crowd,
enlightenment in how to enable innovation is jrae@motivstrategies.com
perhaps more important than any idea that could
703.778.1051
have been generated through the process. The
exercise's success at transcending their mindset
lies in allowing leaders to think in an integrative
way outside their own box instead of the industry-
focused, siloed manner normally found in the
average corporate environment.
www.motivstrategies.com Reprinted with Permission