Gregg Fraley

Copyright 2008 Gregg Fraley

InnovationFoundations

A keynote bythe Author of Jack’s Notebook

Finnovation2008November 20th, 2008

Buy this book Now


Disclaimer• I’m not going to be politically correct

• I apologize in advance if I offend any person ororganization, there is no malice intended

• This is my truth, and, there is more than oneright answer


Innovation• If it were easy

everybody would do it

• Innovation is holistic,we must “be” it, not“do” it

• Best viewed as acomplex challenge

• Best process would bedesigned for complexproblem solving


One Big Difference BetweenMotorola and Apple.

Visionary Leadership. There is no substitute


Under Past LeadershipApple looked like Motorola does now


Once Upon a Time

Now a visionary company without a visionary leader


RAZR SuccessNot Sustained

Incidental innovation is an indication thatsomething is right -- and something is wrong.


Coping With Complexity

• The “Four P’s”

• Working adeliberateinnovationprocesscontinuously

• A HolisticApproach


TheFour “P’s”

Mel Rhodes, 1957


People• Talent matters

– Who is Jonathan Ive?

• Diversitymatters– Who is Michael Kirton?

– Includes Consumers &Outside Experts

• Training matters– What is CPS?

• Practice matters– What is “IO?”


Jonathan Ive is. . .

A designer who makes a big difference


Michael Kirtontheorist of creativity

Created a measure ofcreative style, theKAI (Kirton Adaptor-Innovator Inventory)

• Adaptors thinkbetter

• Innovators thinkdifferent

• You need bothstyles on Innovationteams

• Myth: out-of-the-box thinking is allyou need


Suggestion

• Assess your teams usingmeasures like the KAI or theFourSight Online Measure

• This will tell you if you have theright balance of:

– Clarifiers

– Ideators

– Developers

– Implementors


CPS is. . .

The Osborn-Parnes Model ofCreative Problem Solving


IO is. . .

• Improv Olympics

– Based in Chicago

– Founder: Del Close

• Three year journeyto trusting my ownspontaneousthought


Product• Must be novel

• Must be useful

• Design– A key toperception ofvalue

• Work withconsumers all thetime to dialogregardingproduct ideas


Press (Environment)• Leadership sets

tone

• Innovation shouldbe part of all youdo, not justproducts

• If it’s not fun --you’re not doing itright

• Impacts the threeother P’s


Process• Innovation is informal

• Innovation is “hosed” oraugmented by otherprocesses– Six Sigma!

– Old Financial models

– Toyota “kaizen”

• CPS is designed forcomplexity

• Idea Management isappropriate as the glue --

– gathering, recording,sorting, evaluating,preserving


Idea ManagementOr Idea Pipeline Management

• IPM Systems:

– Save money

– Make processcontinuous

– Invite broaderparticipation

– Make effortsmeasurable

– Work well withstructured problemsolving process


BrightIdea.com• Enabled Cisco toimplement I-Prizecompetition

• Experian growsrevenue from 500Mto 1B

• Value of IPM is notjust idea tracking --it’s project mgmt.and financialtracking


Overview of CPSThe Osborn-Parnes model


Overview of CPSThe Osborn-Parnes model

• Withoutstructureproblem solvingtends to “spin”

• CPS providesa structureto bespontaneouswithin

• Serves well as acommunicationtool/commonlanguage


Mel Rhodes, 1957


Summation

• Somebody needs to be in charge ofInnovation and needs to tend to all4 “p’s”

• It needs to be a continuous,deliberate, holistic effort

– Informal efforts beget inconsistency

• If you need process help, by allmeans get it!


Deliberate InnovationProcessFly

Through


Step One:Objectives

• You’ve got tohave a dream

• It’s not all aboutmoney

• A businesswithout soul dies

• Innovation needsto be integralwith allorganizationalgoals


Step Two:Facts

• There is no substitute for knowing yourmarket, consumers, customers inside out

• And, you must be able to think for them, aheadof them, with them for breakthrough’s

• Take facts and ask what they mean for thefuture…

• Insights are more meaningful when projectedinto scenarios


Step Three:Challenges

• Framing the consumer need infresh ways is a path to innovation

• Researchers need to challengeassumptions to do moremeaningful work


Step Four:Ideation

• Is not an event

• It’s a way ofliving, breathing,thinking, being

• EVERYONEinside, and manypeople outside,should beinvolved

• And why notvirtual?


Open InnovationMeans Open Ideation

• P&G has beentransformed byinnovation glasnost

• Cisco is doing openideation, annually$250,000 prize, I-Prize

• Adobe “ChampionShowcase”

• Ideation sessions arealmost always betterwhen outsidersparticipate



Step Five:Solutions

• Gets back to research

• Refine ideas with consumers,iteratively, continuously

• Requires its own round ofideation/problem solving

• It’s about a complete solution


Step Six:Action

• Time waits for no man(or woman)

• Failure is a good thing

• Excitement internallyfirst

• InternalOperations/Logistics ofproduct deployment isan opportunity area forresearchers


The Bottom Line• Innovation springs from creativity

• Creativity happens with talented peoplewho are empowered

• Leaders do the empowering

• Diversity of thinking and marketknowledge are pre-requisites

• Structured process and idea managementare essential

• Passion and motivation can overcome alot of other challenges



InnovationFoundations

A keynote bythe Author of Jack’s Notebook

Finnovation2008November 20th, 2008

Buy this book Now

Economy & Finance

Gregg Fraley