The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Innovation Dr. Richard Brynteson HRD Press Y Amherst, MA Copyright © 2010 by HRD Press, Inc. 22 Amherst Road Amherst, Massachusetts 01002 1-800-822-2801 (U.S. and Canada) (413) 253-3488 (413) 253-3490 (fax) http://www.hrdpress.com No part of the material should be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval systems without written permission from the publisher. Production services by Jean Miller Cover design by Eileen Klockars Editorial services by ISBN Dedication This book is dedicated to Dr. Rev. Robert DeWerff, excellent scholar, compassionate administrator, and wonderful human being. The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Innovation Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: Why Innovate.......................................... 5 The Innovation Imperative.................................. 5 World Challenges That Need Solutions .......... 8 What is Innovation?................................................ 15 A Brief History of Innovation.............................. 18 Darker Sides of Innovation.................................. 20 Innovation by Accident ......................................... 23 Innovation by Getting Into Another Box........ 26 Innovation by Those Outside the Field........... 30 The First Step in Innovation ............................... 31 Key Points................................................................... 35 Chapter 2: The Innovative Mind........................... 37 Innovative Traits ..................................................... 38 Thinking Skills for Innovators............................ 44 Key Points................................................................... 60 Chapter 3: The Innovative Culture...................... 61 Attributes of an Innovative Culture ................. 61 Open Source Innovation ....................................... 72 Leadership and the Innovative Culture.......... 75 Examples of Innovative Leadership................. 77 The Concept of Scaffolding .................................. 79 On Becoming an Innovative Culture................ 87 Chapter 4: Customer Focus ..................................... 91 Understanding the Consumer ............................ 92 The Basics ................................................................... 92 Getting Closer to the Consumer......................... 96 Value Chain Innovation......................................... 106 Pathways to the Consumer.................................. 107 Chapter 5: The Process of Innovation ............... 111 New Product Development ................................. 111 Fast Prototyping ...................................................... 117 Other Innovation Processes ................................ 119 Creative Problem Solving Institute Process . 125 The Process, Summarized.................................... 130 Key Points................................................................... 131 Chapter 6: Creative Collaboration....................... 135 Systems Approach................................................... 136 Principles of Creative Collaboration................ 138 Action Learning Groups ........................................ 141 Communities of Practice....................................... 142 Examples of Creative Collaboration................. 143 Key Points................................................................... 145 Chapter 7: Innovation: The Future ..................... 147 Getting Started.......................................................... 148 A Scenario................................................................... 151 Bibliography.................................................................... 155 Introduction The journey of innovation is necessary for survival. This statement is true for individuals and for organizations. In order for us to be competitive as individuals, as organizations, and indeed, as a nation, we need to constantly add more value for our clients, customers and constituencies. We do this by innovation. The innovation journey is fraught with obsta‐ cles. Naysayers line the route with catcalls like “we tried that before” and “that would never work here.” Organizational potholes and boulders are strewn across the road. False starts and market shifts lead down the wrong paths. Weariness from steep learning curves slows the process down. The mountaintop is often enshrouded in the clouds of unending details, stops and starts. Distractions of the trees that are part of the day‐to‐day job shift our focus over and over again. Besides the necessity of the journey, some prac‐ tices of innovation keep us going. Keeping close to the customer is central in this journey. Creating an open culture is important for ongoing innovation efforts. Holding a mindset of openness and inquiry is helpful for developing and building on ideas. Creative collaboration is essential for moving teams forward toward market introduction. 1 The Manager’s Pocket Guide to Project Management Each chapter of this book examines one of the important arenas of innovation: Chapter 1: “Background” examines the defini‐ tion and importance of innovation. Chapter 2: “Innovative Mind” discusses varies mindsets which facilitate innovative thinking. Chapter 3: “Building a Culture for Innovation” shows how to create an organizational envi‐ ronment that moves innovation forward. Chapter 4: “Customer Focus” looks at the cus‐ tomer as the center of innovation efforts. Chapter 5: “Process of Innovation” examines processes through which ideas become market‐ able products and services. Chapter 6: “Creative Collaboration” lays out ideas which will aid groups in making innova‐ tion happen. Chapter 7: “Future of Innovation” predicts new arenas in innovation. Besides the texts, examples, and concepts of innovation, each chapter has these four additional sections: • “Try This”: Gives you homework you can try to create innovation. 2 Introduction • “Resource”: Gives you the names of addi‐ tional books or videos that explore the chap‐ ter’s central concept. • “Key Points”: Summarizes five to ten key points from the chapter. • “How Do You Rate”: Provides a series of questions to ask yourself in order to evalu‐ ate your own or your organization’s per‐ formance around the central concept of the chapter. May you improve your own life and the lives of others with the ideas in this book! 3