On Wednesday, the Harvard Business Review posted a video interview with Brigham Young University (BYU) Professor Jeff Dyer about learnings from his upcoming book, The Innovator’s DNA. In the video, Dyer discusses the ways people innovate. He and his co-authors, Clayton Christensen, of Harvard Business School, and Hal Gregerson, of INSEAD, found five “discovery skills” innovators use to develop their ideas:

1. Questioning
2. Observing
3. Networking
4. Experimenting
5. Associating

The first four techniques, Dyer said, trigger associational thinking, the cognitive skills that people need to connect things together in order to innovate.

“Those behaviors,” he said, “if mastered, can help anyone to improve their creativity and their ability to be innovative.”

Dyer then offered some great suggestions to help people expand their thinking, or that of their teams.

But a comment from a reader posted below the video got me thinking. This reader, called “Reeree,” said:

“I wonder if this is a skill that can be learned. The idea that it is part of DNA kind of suggest (sic) that it can’t. How a person processes and perceives things does not happen in some step by step process. It’s an embrosia (sic) of processes happening at light speed producing thoughts as a byproduct. Not everyone’s DNA has the same program running the same way. Look at the mind of Michael Angelo, do you think anyone can train to produce a quality of work like his? We need to just respect people for their gifts and not emulate them. At the same time, we should appreciate our individual gifts and all the gifts others bring to the table.”

I think Reeree brings up an interesting point: The title of Dyer’s book suggests that innovation capacity is inherent, yet his interview suggests it can be learned. And, praise for the book on its website indicates this acts as a “how to” manual for innovative thinking.

What I think Dyer is saying that, perhaps, wasn’t clear in his interview, is that the most innovative people naturally practice all these skills more than their less creative counterparts. But, that doesn’t mean that innovation can’t be taught. In fact, I believe it can absolutely be taught. With the right tools and exercises, people can learn to think in different ways.

As Dyer said in a BYU news release, “contrary to conventional wisdom, innovation isn’t a genetic endowment magically given to some and not others; it’s a set of skills that can be developed with practice.”

We can all practice the skills that the experts possess. By doing so, we can all become better innovators.

The Innovator’s DNA comes out July 19. I look forward to reading it and applying the lessons to my thinking.

Do you agree? Is innovation entirely inherent, or can it be learned?

– Kathie

July 8th, 2011 by Kathie Thomas | Comment on this. Share |
Tags: Clayton Christensen · Hal Gregerson · innovation learning · innovation thinking · innovative learning · Jeffrey Dyer · The Innovator's DNA

On July 4, 1776, our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence. On July 4 this year, we ask that you sign the Declaration of Innovation.

Sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association’s Innovation Movement (CEA), the Declaration of Innovation is an online pledge, open to Americans, in “support of policies that ensure innovation remains the strategic advantage of the United States of America,” according to CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro.

“The policies supported by the Declaration of Innovation cover four critical areas of economic policy: Free trade, immigration, wireless broadband and government spending,” Shapiro said on Forbes.com Wednesday. “Pursued together, these areas define an innovative nation – one that rewards risk, encourages entrepreneurism and establishes a secure economic foundation for the rest of our economy.”

Reestablishing the United States as a top Innovation Nation should be a priority for all of us. Our elected officials say they work on our behalf. Let’s show them we care about our future by signing the Declaration of Innovation. Ask them to put aside partisanship and make the sacrifices and support the policies necessary for restoring the American Dream.

As Shelly Palmer, host of NBC Universal’s Live Digital with Shelly Palmer, said on his blog today, “historically, good old-fashioned American innovation has been responsible for everything from the automobile to the light bulb to the first man on the moon.” We can make that our future too. Signing the Declaration of Innovation is step in the right direction. Make your voice heard.

– Stephanie

July 1st, 2011 by Stephanie Susman | Comment on this. Share |
Tags: CEA · Consumer Electronics Association · Declaration of Innovation · innovation in the United States · Innovation Movement · US Innovation

When the Federal Highway Administration solicited proposals for a new pavement system that could generate power and pay for itself over its lifetime, Scott and Julie Brusaw stepped up to the challenge with their Solar Roadways™, a road made entirely of solar panels, and received a $100,000 grant.

According to SolarRoadways.com, “the Solar Roadway is a series of structurally-engineered solar panels that are driven upon. The idea is to replace all current petroleum-based asphalt roads, parking lots and driveways with solar road panels that collect energy to be used by our homes and business.  (The) ultimate goal is to be able to store excess energy in or alongside the Solar Roadways. This renewable energy replaces the need for the current fossil fuels used for the generation of electricity. This, in turn, cuts greenhouse gases literally in half.”

The solar panel road will have a glass surface that is thick enough to withstand heavy traffic while still allowing sunlight to enter. It will also have a textured surface similar to that of asphalt; LED lighting to display road lines and signs like “slow down;” and heating elements to melt snow and ice. And it will be waterproof.

According to SmartPlanet.com, Brusaw said “solar panels, operating at just 15 percent efficiency, installed as roadway surfaces with the 25,000 square miles of existing roads in the lower 48 states” would produce three times as much electricity as we produce on an annual basis now. That’s enough electricity to power the entire world.

This ambitious idea has received a great deal of praise. In fact, last fall, Solar Roadways won the first Challenge Award in GE’s Ecomagination Challenge. The first phase of this challenge was to find ideas for “Powering the Grid.” Five ideas, not including Solar Roadways, each won $100,000 to further develop technology. Solar Roadways, however, won the $50,000 Challenge Award for receiving the highest number of votes.

Voting in the second phase of the Ecomagination Challenge, “Powering your Home,” recently closed but the winners have not been announced yet. Solar Roadways again received the highest number of votes.

Still, there are some who question its validity. Brusaw says the road pays for itself, but the cost to install the solar panels on the roads today is about 50 percent more expensive than paving highway-strength asphalt, according to Aaron Saenz of SingularityHub.com in August 2010. Saenz also doubted the panels’ ability to generate the amount of electricity we need.

Regardless of whether we are all driving on solar panels in 10 years, in 50 years or never, I think Solar Roadways offer many great lessons in innovation.

1. Clearly define problems you’re trying to solve: We define innovation as people working together to develop and implement new ideas that create value. The Brusaws have developed something that has the potential to solve a lot of problems, including dependence of foreign oil.
2. Look in unusual places for ideas: The Brusaws say the Solar Roadway combines an idea of Julie’s with Scott’s favorite childhood toy: Slot cars that travel around a track powered by electricity.
3. Explore and build partnerships: Solar Roadways will require significant collaboration to make it happen. The Brusaws realized early on that they faced obstacles they couldn’t overcome alone, so they reached out to various organizations for help. For instance, Scott met with scientists from multiple universities to develop the appropriate glass for the panels.
4. Prototype (early and often, if possible): On SingularityHub.com, Saenz said he needed to see a sample in order to believe in the concept. Others, especially potential investors, will surely feel the same.
5. Gather fans: Entering the Ecomagination Challenge was a good move for the Brusaws for a reason other than prize money. According to TechCrunch.com, buzz around the contest and their award win brought five times more views to their website and Facebook and MySpace pages. They’ve now exposed Solar Roadways to a whole slew of people who can offer additional ideas, invest in the project, and talk about it with their friends and family.

What do you think of Solar Roadways? Is driving on solar panels a feasible idea? What other innovation lessons can we learn from this project?

– Kathie

June 15th, 2011 by Kathie Thomas | 1 Comment Share |
Tags: GE Ecomagination Challenge · Julie Brusaw · Scott Brusaw · solar panel roads · solar panels · Solar Roadway

On Tuesday, Neal Conan of NPR’s “Talk of the Nation” interviewed the leaders of two different institutions about the challenges they faced while undergoing recent organizational change. The first was Alan Merten, president of George Mason University (GMU) in Northern Virginia for the last 16 years, and the second was Wright Lassiter III, CEO of the Alameda County Medical Center (ACMC) in Oakland, Calif., since 2005.

Based on their interview, I’ve compiled nine tips for organizational change management. What are your tips for organizational change management?

1. Get out and meet people. No matter what your organization is, you fill a void in your community. Whether it’s community based on location or based on similar interests, you have an obligation to fulfill its needs in a fiscally responsible way. Get out and talk to your community members about their interests, desires and beliefs.
2. Get things done. At GMU, Merten found a target of opportunity in information technology and acted on it by hiring the right faculty to support that niche. Then he built a culture of making things happen. This attracted faculty who were frustrated at other slow-moving institutions and encouraged both students and faculty to “succeed beyond their wildest expectations.”
3. Set goals and develop a vision. Every day is an opportunity. Get clear on your vision by talking with your stakeholders. Find out their jobs and their needs. Then develop goals together.
4. Meet with organizational leaders. Lassiter said he sat down with leaders from the start to explore ACMC’s problems and determine solutions.
5. Remember that change is often necessary even if you’re not in crisis. When Merten joined GMU, the university was doing well. It was his job to make it better.
6. Bring along your current staff. At least try to. You will often have to hire new people to fill new rolls at your organization, but don’t forgot about the current staff. Some may not want to change, and, therefore, may not stay with you. But others are invested in the organization and eager for change. And they can help you embed your change initiatives into the current culture. Or vice versa.
7. Build trust with your leadership, board and stakeholders. Lassiter said a lot of trust is built around transparency. So he maintained open communications with his staff, physicians and key constituents. And he kept no secrets.
8. Listen to naysayers. It’s good to hear what your opponents are saying. You’ll find out if any of them are willing to change and you’ll learn what people think of your change initiatives and if you need to make any edits to your plans.
9. Empower your staff. Allowing all your staff, from the top to the bottom, to make decisions and necessary changes helps them take responsibility for their own careers and happiness. As a result, employee satisfaction and confidence go up, while waste goes down. Lassiter said ACMC “would be the ideal organization if every one of our 3,000 or so employees felt that they were the CEO of their 20-square feet.”

Share your tips for organizational change below.

– Kathie

June 3rd, 2011 by Kathie Thomas | Comment on this. Share |
Tags: "Talk of the Nation" · change management · management of change · NPR · organizational change · organizational change management