The Ten Faces of Innovation

8/2/2019 The Ten Faces of Innovation

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lines of entrepreneurship in action, the countless people and teams who make

innovation happen day in and day out."

Because organizations need individuals who are savvy about the counterintuitive

process of how to move ideas forward, Kelley recommends three "Organizing

Personas": The Hurdler, The Collaborator, and The Director.

Because organizations also need individuals and teams who apply insights from the

learning roles and channel the empowerment from the organizing roles to make

innovation happen, Kelley recommends four "Building personas": The Experience

Architect, The Set Designer, The Caregiver, and The Storyteller. Note both the

sequence, interrelatedness and, indeed, the interdependence of these ten

"personas."

I am reminded of comparable material in A Kick in the Seat of the Pants.

Specifically, Roger von Oech's discussion of what he calls "The Four Roles of the

Creative Process" (i.e. Explorer, Artist, Judge, and Warrior). Also Six Thinking Hats

in which Edward de Bono explains the need for a creativity "wardrobe" comprised of

several hats. Specifically, white (rational, logical, and objective), red (emotional),

black (negative), yellow (positive, hopeful, optimistic), green (creative and

innovative), and blue (ordered, controlled, structured).

What Kelley achieves in this volume is to develop in much greater depth than do

von Oech and de Bono what are essentially ten different perspectives. He does so,

brilliantly, by focussing the bulk of his attention of those who, for example, seek

and explore new opportunities to reveal breakthrough insights...and while doing so

wear (at least metaphorically) one of de Bono's hats (probably the green one).

Kelley devotes a separate chapter to each of the ten "personas," including real-

world examples of various "unsung heroes who work on the front lines of

entrepreneurship in action, the countless people and teams who make innovation

happen day in and day out."

Two final points. First, most of those who read this book can more easily identify

with "unsung heroes" such as those whom Kelley discusses than with luminaries of

innovation such as Thomas Edison or with celebrity CEOs such as Andrew Grove,

Jeffrey Immelt, Steve Jobs, and Jack Welch, all of whom were staunch advocates of

constant innovation in their respective organizations. Also, presumably Kelley

agrees with me that those who read and then (hopefully) re-read his book should

do so guided by a process which begins with the curiosity of an anthropologist and

concludes with the empathy of a caregiver. This is emphatically not an anthology of

innovation recipes. Rather, it offers a rigorous intellectual journey whose ultimate

value will be determined, entirely, by the nature and extent of innovative thinking


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which each reader achieves...and who then uses the breakthrough insights to drive

creativity throughout her or his own organization.

The Learning Personas

Individuals and organizations need to constantly gather new sources of information in order to

expand their knowledge and grow, so the first three personas are learning roles. These

personas are driven by the idea that no matter how successful a company currently is, no one

can afford to be complacent. The world is changing at an accelerated pace, and today's great

idea may be tomorrow's anachronism. The learning roles help keep your team from becoming

too internally focused, and remind the organization not to be so smug about what you know.

People who adopt the learning roles are humble enough to question their own worldview, and in

doing so they remain open to new insights every day.

The Anthropologistis rarely stationary. Rather, this is the person who ventures into thefield to observe how people interact with products, services, and experiences in order to come

up with new innovations. The Anthropologist is extremely good at reframing a problem in a new

way, humanizing the scientific method to apply it to daily life. Anthropologists share such

distinguishing characteristics as the wisdom to observe with a truly open mind; empathy;

intuition; the ability to "see" things that have gone unnoticed; a tendency to keep running lists of

innovative concepts worth emulating and problems that need solving; and a way of seekinginspiration in unusual places.

The Experimenter celebrates the process, not the tool, testing and retesting potentialscenarios to make ideas tangible. A calculated risk-taker, this person models everything from

products to services to proposals in order to efficiently reach a solution. To share the fun of

discovery, the Experimenter invites others to collaborate, while making sure that the entire

process is saving time and money.

The Cross-Pollinator draws associations and connections between seemingly unrelated

ideas or concepts to break new ground. Armed with a wide set of interests, an avid curiosity,and an aptitude for learning and teaching, the Cross-Pollinator brings in big ideas from the

outside world to enliven their organization. People in this role can often be identified by their

open mindedness, diligent note-taking, tendency to think in metaphors, and ability to reap

inspiration from constraints.

The Organizing Personas


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The next three personas are organizing roles, played by individuals who are savvy about the

often counter-intuitive process of how organizations move ideas forward. At IDEO, we used to

believe that the ideas should speak for themselves. Now we understand what the Hurdler, the

Collaborator, and the Director have known all along: that even the best ideas must continuously

compete for time, attention, and resources. Those who adopt these organizing roles don'tdismiss the process of budget and resource allocation as politics or red tape. They recognize

it as a complex game of chess, and they play to win.

The Hurdler is a tireless problem-solver who gets a charge out of tackling something that'snever been done before. When confronted with a challenge, the Hurdler gracefully sidesteps the

obstacle while maintaining a quiet, positive determination. This optimism and perseverance can

help big ideas upend the status quo as well as turn setbacks into an organization's greatest

successesdespite doomsday forecasting by shortsighted experts.

The Collaborator is the rare person who truly values the team over the individual. In theinterest of getting things done, the Collaborator coaxes people out of their work silos to form

multidisciplinary teams. In doing so, the person in this role dissolves traditional boundaries

within organizations and creates opportunities for team members to assume new roles. More of

a coach than a boss, the Collaborator instills their team with the confidence and skills needed to

complete the shared journey.

The Director has an acute understanding of the bigger picture, with a firm grasp on thepulse of their organization. Subsequently, the Director is talented at setting the stage, targeting

opportunities, bringing out the best in their players, and getting things done. Through

empowerment and inspiration, the person in this role motivates those around them to takecenter stage and embrace the unexpected.

The Building Personas

The four remaining personas are building roles that apply insights from the learning roles and

channel the empowerment from the organizing roles to make innovation happen. When people

adopt the building personas, they stamp their mark on your organization. People in these roles

are highly visible, so youll often find them right at the heart of the action.

The Experience Architectis that person relentlessly focused on creating remarkableindividual experiences. This person facilitates positive encounters with your organizationthrough products, services, digital interactions, spaces, or events. Whether an architect or a

sushi chef, the Experience Architect maps out how to turn something ordinary into something

distinctiveeven delightfulevery chance they get.

The Set Designer looks at every day as a chance to liven up their workspace. They promoteenergetic, inspired cultures by creating work environments that celebrate the individual and


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stimulate creativity. To keep up with shifting needs and foster continuous innovation, the Set

Designer makes adjustments to a physical space to balance private and collaborative work

opportunities. In doing so, this person makes space itself one of an organization's most versatile

and powerful tools.

The Storyteller captures our imagination with compelling narratives of initiative, hard work,and innovation. This person goes beyond oral tradition to work in whatever medium best fits

their skills and message: video, narrative, animation, even comic strips. By rooting their stories

in authenticity, the Storyteller can spark emotion and action, transmit values and objectives,

foster collaboration, create heroes, and lead people and organizations into the future.

The Caregiver is the foundation of human-powered innovation. Through empathy, they workto understand each individual customer and create a relationship. Whether a nurse in a hospital,

a salesperson in a retail shop, or a teller at an international financial institution, the Caregiver

guides the client through the process to provide them with a comfortable, human-centered

experience.

We've all been there: the pivotal meeting in which you push forward a new

idea or proposal you're passionate about. A fast-paced discussion leads to an

upwelling of support that seems about to reach critical mass. And then in one

disastrous moment, your hopes are dashed when someone weighs in with

those fateful words: "Let me just play devil's advocate for a minute. . . ."

Having invoked the awesome protective power of that seemingly innocuous

phrase, the speaker now feels entirely free to take potshots at your idea and

does so with impunity. Because he's not really your harshest critic. Instead,

he's essentially saying, "The devil made me do it." Devil's advocates remove

themselves from the equation and sidestep individual responsibility for the

verbal attack. But before they're done, they've torched your fledgling concept.

The devil's-advocate gambit is extraordinary but certainly not uncommon

since it strikes so regularly in the project rooms and boardrooms of corporate

America. What's truly astonishing is how much punch is packed into that

simple phrase. In fact, the devil's advocate may be the biggest innovation

killer in America today. What makes this negative persona so dangerous is


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that it is such a subtle threat. Every day, thousands of great new ideas,

concepts, and plans are nipped in the bud by devil's advocates.

Why is this persona so damning? Because a devil's advocate encourages idea

wreckers to assume the most negative possible perspective, one that sees onlythe downside, the problems, the disasters-in-waiting. Once those floodgates

open, they can drown a new initiative in negativity.

Why should you care? And why do I believe this problem is so important?

Because innovation is the lifeblood of all organizations, and the devil's

advocate is toxic to your cause. This is no trivial matter. There is no longer

any serious debate about the primacy of innovation in the health and future

strength of an organization.

As the general manager of Ideo, I have worked with clients from Singapore

to San Francisco to So Paulo, and witnessed firsthand how innovation has

become recognized as a pivotal management tool across virtually all

industries and market segments. And while we at Ideo used to spend the

majority of our time in the world of product-based innovation, we have more

recently come around to seeing innovation as a tool for transforming the

entire culture of organizations. Sure, a great product can be one important

element in the formula for business success, but companies that want to

succeed today need much more. They need innovation at every point of the

compass, in all aspects of the business, and in every team member.

Building an environment fully engaged in positive change, and a culture rich

in creativity and renewal, means creating a company with 360 degrees of

innovation. And companies that want to succeed at innovation will need new

insights, new viewpoints, and new roles.

All good working definitions of innovation pair ideas with action, the sparkwith the fire. Innovators don't just have their heads in the clouds. They also

have their feet on the ground. The company 3M, one of the first to fully

embrace innovation as the essence of its corporate brand, defines it as "new

ideas--plus action or implementation--which result in an improvement, a


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Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology

(Hardcover)

I was very disappointed in this book. The title and the buzz about the

book lead me to believe that this book was about the revolutionary idea of

"open innovation". Open Source, the approach that developed Linux

operating system and other software modules and applications, has

demonstrated the power of a loose collaboration that operates in an open

environment. This book is not about the "open innovation" that is a

generalization of the unique approach that worked in Open Source. Instead

this book is about running R&D organizations in a more open way - that is

balancing internal R&D with the acquisition of the results of external R&D,

and the commercialization of internal R&D internally and externally to the

company.

I also think that the book could be misleading for at times the author

intermixes the words innovation and technology. Yet, we know that there is

a lot of capital to be created with innovations that are not based on

technology but exploit the changes caused by technology.

And, as a thirty-year veteran of IBM, it was hard to read that the first time

that IBM invented "open innovation" was with the advent of the Internet in

the mid 1990s. In reality, there were many "open innovation" efforts within

IBM as early as 1970 that produced significant revenue.

The author points to the failure of PARC as an R&D failure. I would argue

just the opposite. PARC was extraordinarily successful as an R&D effort.

Look at how many fundamental innovations relative to personal computers

that got developed. It was operational and executive failure that resulting in

Xerox's inability to commercialize on what they had. This is not the fault of a

"closed innovation" model. The "closed innovation" model created what it

was supposed to create.

I also think kit is misleading in a study of this type to lump research anddevelopment together into one - R&D. In reality that are four fundamental

functions required:

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Technology Development

Technology Management

Product Development

In a good "open R&D" environment, product developers should be free to

use the best technologies, subassemblies or even complete products

necessary to meet customer needs, stay competitive and return profit to the

company. It's the role of technology management to forecast what

technologies are going to be needed for what products and acquire or see

that the technologies are developed internally to meet the needs of future

products. Technology development's role is to identify promising

technologies from research regardless of where the research is done and

develop that research into useful technologies. Those technologies not used

by the company should be sold or exploited in some way outside the

company. And, research's role is to identify promising areas of research,

conduct that research and communicate the results widely inside and outside

the company.

Now this is a giant simplification I know, but this book doesn't offer a

completely satisfactory explanation for how R&D should be managed in

today's environment either.

Chesbrough begins the book with "Most innovations fail. And, companies

that don't innovate die." Later he states, "...innovation is vital for companies

of every size in every industry. Innovation is vital to sustain and advance

companies' current businesses; it is critical to growing new businesses. It is

also a very difficult process to manage." These statements set up the real

conundrum of innovation. Pure internal innovation can result in wasted effort

and myopia. Pure external innovation can result in the loss of freedom of

action with customers. A company should be able to meet their customers

needs in the best possible way, and an external innovation strategy can

result in access being denied to innovations or innovations just not available.

Chesbrough rightly concludes that what is required is a balance of internal

and external innovation, and internal and external commercialization.


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The author makes an extremely important point when he writes, "The value

of an idea or technology depends upon the business model. There is no

inherent value in technology per se. The value is determined instead by the

business model used to bring it to market. The same technology taken to

market through two different business models will yield different amounts ofvalue."

Chesbrough rightly concludes that what is required is a balance of internal

and external innovation, and internal and external commercialization.

The author makes an extremely important point when he writes, "The value

of an idea or technology depends upon the business model. There is no

inherent value in technology per se. The value is determined instead by the

business model used to bring it to market. The same technology taken to

market through two different business models will yield different amounts of

value."

One of the most valuable portions of the book deals with the concept of a

"business model", an often used term, but infrequently defined. "The

functions of a business model are as follows:

1. To articulate the value proposition, that is, the value created for users by

offering based on the technology

2. To identify market segments, that is, the users to whom the technology is

useful and the purpose for which it is used

3. To define the structure of the firm's value chain, which is required to

create and distribute the offering, and to determine the complementary

assets needed to support the firm's position in this chain

4. To specify the revenue generation mechanisms for the firm, and estimate

the cost structure and target margins of producing the offering, given the

value proposition and value chain structure chosen

5. To describe the position of the firm within the value network linking

suppliers and customers, including identification of potential complementary

firms and competitors


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6. To formulate the competitive strategy by which the innovating firm will

gain and old advantage over rivals."

Chesborough points out that, "An inferior technology with a better businessmodel will often trump a better technology commercialized through an

inferior business model." I agree with this completely. It means that

technologists have to learn a new language, the language of the business

model, to introduce their technology to a company. "Constructing a business

model requires managers to deal with a significant amount of complexity

and ambiguity", something most managers and technologists don't handle

vary well.

To be a company that successfully innovates requires new levels of skills and

abilities from its innovators and an open approach to innovation.

Documents

The Ten Faces of Innovation