© Linda Naiman CreativityatWork.com

What is the “Secret Sauce” of Innovation?

Learn the 5 Discovery Skills of Out-Performing InnovatorsBased on the innovator’s DNA study by Christensen et al

Presented by Linda Naiman Founder, Creativity at Work.com

For ProductCamp, Vancouver 2013

© Linda Naiman CreativityatWork.com

Business success in the 21st century resides in the ability to lead creatively and innovate

Creativity supported by Workplace Culture = Innovation

Linda Naiman, Creativity at Work

The problem is, very few business leaders know how to develop creativity and innovation within themselves or within the workplace.

© Linda Naiman CreativityatWork.com

Searching for Answers

Eight year study by Dyer, Gregersen, and Christensen uncover the origins of creative—and often disruptive—business strategies in particularly innovative companies.

At most companies, top executives do not feel personallyresponsible for coming up with strategic innovations.They facilitate the innovation process.

In stark contrast, senior executives of the most innovativecompanies—a mere 15% in our study—don’t delegate creative work. They do it themselves.

But how do they do it?

Innovators in the study included Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Pierre Omidyar, and A.G. Lafley.

© Linda Naiman CreativityatWork.com

Key Discoveries

Specific patterns of behaviour emerged over and over:

One’s ability to generate innovative ideas is not merely a function of the mind, but also a function of behaviours.

Five discovery skills distinguish the most innovative entrepreneurs from other executives.

5 Discovery Skills of Innovators

Innovator’s DNA

1. Associating2. Questioning3. Observing4. Experimenting5. Networking

These behaviours cultivate new insights

“Entrepreneurs (who are also CEOs) spend 50% more time on these discovery activities than do CEOs with no track record for innovation.”— Innovator’s DNA by Clayton M. Christensen et al.

Compete with your twin to create new biz idea venture in 1 week: Who will win?

You?Working alone in your cubicle to come up with ideas.

Your Identical Twin who:1. talks with 10 diff people— ie

engineer, musician, designer

2. visits 3 innovative start-ups to observe what they do,

3. samples 5 new products

4. shows a prototype she’s built to 5 people, and

5. asks“What if I tried this?” and “Why do you do that?” at least 10 x a day

Idea in action

© Linda Naiman CreativityatWork.com

You could be as innovative and impactful as the most creative people in business – if you change your behavior and develop these 5 habits....

1. Associating

“Creativity is connecting things.”—Steve Jobs

The more diverse your experience and knowledge, the more connections your brain can make.

Steve Jobs studied calligraphy and this influenced user-friendly, graphics-based Macs.

Associating

Pierre Omidyar: Founder of ebay connected dots:

1.Fascination with creating more-efficient markets after having been shut out from a hot internet IPO in 1990s;

2. Fiancée's desire to locate hard-to-find collectible Pez dispensers

3. Ineffectiveness of local ads to locate these items

2. Questioning

Innovators are consummate questioners who show a passion for inquiry. Their queries frequently challenges the status quo.

Questions focus on two areas:1.Describing the Territory2.Disrupting the Territory

Tips:• Engage in QuestionStorming• Cultivate question thinking• Track your Q/A ratio• Keep a question-centered

notebook

"You don't invent the answers, you reveal the answers by finding the right questions.“

- Jonas Salk

Eg: Questioning Status Quo in HealthCare

Connecting dots: Medicine and Tech

David E. Albert, MD is a physician, inventor and founder of three tech companies, InnovAlarm, Lifetone Technology and AliveCor.

AliveCor’s Heart Monitorplugs into your iPhone

"The ability to get an ECG on a Smartphone is remarkably transformative—an icon of how medicine of the future will be radically rebooted."

Eric Topol, M.D.Watch  story:  h,p://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/vp/50582822#50582822

3. Observing

Ratan Tata was inspired to create world’s cheapest car by observing the plight of a family of four packed onto a single motorized scooter.

Tip: Be an anthropologist: observe human behaviours and actions to discover wasted effort that could be turned into an innovation challenge.

“We don't know who discovered water, but we know it wasn't the fish.” Marshall McLuhan

Nano $2500 1998

Observing“Observation is the big game changer in our company”— Scott Cook, founder, Intuit

Two key observations:• Wife’s frustration on keeping track of

their finances• Sneak peek at Apple Lisa

problem

solve

Visual Thinking makes tacit knowledge visible and helps people see what you mean.

Client meeting in the boardroom of BP in NYC.

4. Experimenting

Three ways that innovators experiment

•Try out new experiences•Take apart products, processes, and Ideas

•Test ideas through pilots and prototypes

Example: Michael Dell taking his new computer apart in his sixteenth birthday.

Eg. Prototyping

Prototyping: Build to think

“Effective prototyping may be the most valuable core competence an innovative organization can have.” Think about It.

Innovation = Reaction to the Prototype

—Michael Schrage, MIT

“Encourage employees to go down blind alleys and experiment…”

--Jeff Bezos

5. Networking

Rather than simply doing social networking, innovators spend a lot of time and energy finding and testing ideas through a diverse network of individuals who vary widely in their background and perspectives.

Discovery driven executives Delivery-driven executives

• Why they network: Idea- Learn new, surprising things- Gain new perspectives- Test Ideas “in process”

• Why they network? Resources- Access resources- Sell themselves or their company- Future careers

• Whom they target- People who are not like them- Experts and nonexperts with very

different backgrounds and perspectives

• Whom they target?- People who are like them- People with substantial resources,

power, position, influence, etc.

Source: Innovator’s DNA

If you want to see the future coming, 90 percent of what you need to learn, you’ll learn outside of your industry. There is nothing that you can learn from inside your industry that will help you get ready for the future. Literally nothing, because you already know it.~ Gary Hamel

Eg Networking inspired innovation

Michael Lazaridis, says that the original inspiration for the BlackBerry came from a speaker at a 1987 conference, describing how a Coke wireless data system in vending machines can send out a notice when they need refilling. 

Key ideas for JetBlue (satellite TV at seat and at-home reservationists) came through networking at conferences and elsewhere

harvard business review • december 2009

The DNA of Disruptive Innovators

Taking risks

Questioning

Observing

Networking

Experimenting

Associational thinking

Innovative Business Idea

Courage & motivation to Innovate

Behavioral Skills Cognitive skill to

synthesize novel inputs

Challenges to status

quo

Source: Innovator’s DNA

What DNA Skills will you practice?

1. AssociatingWhat associations can you make between the disparate data you gather through your discoveries, and your field?

2. QuestioningWrite down questions every day that challenge status quo in your work. Collect compelling questions from other leaders and innovators.

3. ObservingTake pictures and notes everywhere you go.

4. ExperimentingAttend seminars/ trade shows, outside your area of expertise. Create learning labs/salons that provoke new ideas and insights.

5. Networking: meeting people with different ideas and perspectives. ProductCamp TedX Creative Fridays Sam Sullivanʼs Civic Society

Linda Naiman, Creativity at Work

Connecting:

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For Creativity & Innovation skills development via coaching and training please contact me at:

LN@creativityatwork.comTel: +1 604-327-1565

Thank you!Linda Naiman