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Empowering Innovation

Michael M. CirovicProfessor and Chair

Electrical Engineering

Cal Poly, SLO

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Why Innovate

Technological innovation has improved and enhanced the human existence

Innovation is part of the human spirit It is entirely normal for us to want to improve things,

to make them better than they were

Innovation drives the economy PC’s are a good example

Hardware (higher speed) Software (more power, new features)

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Innovation - What it is not

It is not the way movies portray it

Not always planned the transistor

Not always an improvement lumpy cable

Not a discontinuous event that drastically changes the status quo Innovation is Not Revolutionary but Evolutionary

Not the result of a flash of inspiration More Perspiration than Inspiration

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Three Avenues to Innovation

Personal - What each person: Can do Needs to do Should avoid doing

Group – Group members need: To be Supportive, nurturing To be team players To refrain from being overly competitive

Institutional – what the corporate infrastructure: Needs to cultivate Needs to prevent

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Institutional Empowerment of Innovation

The company should create a fertile environment Employees need to know that their ideas are welcome Happy employees innovate

Every evaluation should explicitly address the employee's contributions in innovation Rewarding acts of innovation will bring more

It must be safe to fail Innovation can be stymied where the fear of failure rules Punishment for failing must be in proportion

Negativism must be minimized It is so easy to react to a new idea by finding fault or a reason why it

will not work

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Group Dynamics to Empower Innovation

The notion of team effort is critical Each individual must be ready to help all others

Cooperation and Competition must be two sides of the same coin

Sacrifices are part of it

Praise and encouragement among team members

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Individual

A Different Point of View is Needed Less judgmental More positive, persevering Edison’s “100 ways not to do it”

Creativity needs to be Unblocked! We all wear blinders, suffer from conventional thinking Takes discipline and work to overcome Need to practice unblocking on a regular basis

I do a puzzle daily

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Anathema to Innovation

Creative thinking blockers Arithmetic Balancing our checkbook Putting on our pants Our Memory

It is associative Causes us to remember and repeat

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Paths to Innovation

Innovation is nothing more than Directed Problem Solving Abstraction

Generalization of trends and patterns Extrapolation

Getting the solution by extending the current pattern in a given/new direction

Avoiding Conventional Thought Ask the question “what would happen if …”

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Examples

Homeless Tracking System Problem statement Conventional Solution Innovative Solution

HODOC Problem statement Books -> Database -> CD ROM

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10 Innovation Proverbs (Thinksmart.com)

1. PEOPLE do innovation.

2. Innovation means doing something that hasn't been done before. By definition there is risk involved. No risk; no innovation.

3. Innovation is a win-win process.It creates new value for the customer and the organization.

4. Innovation is a team sport.Teams are built around a common objective and trust.

5. Innovation requires risk.Risk-taking requires trust.Trust requires honesty and openness.

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10 Innovation Proverbs (continued)

6. Innovation requires energy.Energy comes from challenges that excite the imagination.

7. Innovation is about creating the future.Cost-cutting and downsizing are about fixing the past.

8. Innovation is not just a rah-rah word or fad.It is an investment in the future that requires new processes, time, energy, commitment and resources.

9. Innovation requires new information -- from co-workers, customers, suppliers, competitors and from the world.

10. Innovation requires time -- time to think, time to tinker, time to talk about possibilities and ideas.Down-to-the-second controls can kill innovation.

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Parting Thoughts

Some people view the world as being made up of problems, I view the situation as presenting opportunities for clever solutions