“How” of InnovationHow to Hire for innovation and help teams Become more

Innovative

Innovation – how to hire for it?

“Dynamic range of what average person can accomplish and what the best person can

accomplish is 50 to 100:1. That’s why we go for A+ players.”~Steve Jobs

3 things to look for when hiring:•Track record of invention

•T shaped expertise

•Passion to change status quo

Track record of invention

Virgin hires people with these traits:•Cheeky•Honest•Amusing•Questioning•Disruptive•Intelligent•Restless

Google asks: “What is the most beautiful math equation for you?”

Look for T-shaped expertise

Passion for changing

status quo

This is passion!

Billion dollar question - how can I become more innovative myself?

5 behaviors•Questioning

•Observing

•Networking

•Associating

•Experimenting

6 years3000 innovative executives studied

15%most innovative companies – the ones

in which senior execs believe that innovation is their job also

Skill 1: Questioning

“The important and difficult job is never to find the right answer, it is to find the right

questions.”~Peter Drucker

US

“Why a computer costs the 5 times the

sum of its parts?”

“Start-up is a human institution designed to create a new product or service under

conditions of extreme uncertainty” ~Eric Ries

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

And why not?

?

What if?

Tip: hold qst brainstorming session to come up with 50 questions; use whiteboard or post-it notes

Exercise time!

5 Whys?

-Find a partner

-Pick one challenge (commercial risk, V&AT issue etc) and share it

-Partner will ask you “Why” until you got to the core of the issue

-Switch!

Exercise time!

Yes, but….

–everyone stand up & find partner

-ask them about one thing that he/she wants to do

-than say “Yes, but”…

- change partner!

-do it fast, be provocative, play! Change partner and ask a different question, in a constructive way:

…and what if?

Skill 2: Observing

Insights can seduce

Insights break barriers and overcome authority

“Not understanding well external environment is a key to innovation strategy failure”

~Innovation study PWC 2011

Scott Adams,inventor of Dilbert

Can there be a better cubicle for Dilbert?

IDEO created cubicle-based work-space and worked in it for 5 weeks

Result – modular, human-centered, friendly, functional cubicle

“IDEO teams go out to the four corners of the earth and come back with golden keys of

innovation.”~Peter Killman, IDEO

How can we ensure that we spend more time outside of the office with people who’s problems we

are solving ?

How can we learn to capture better insights?

Skill 3: Networking

Internal: Formal Innovation challenges

Internal: Informal lunch or coffee meetings

Visual trumps all senses!

External: entrepreneurs & other companies

How can we connect to & learn from other industries/entrepreneurs?

Skill 4: Associating

Brain is not linear

M for “Music”?

Brain works by creating new connections between neurons (new networks)

Explore!

Be Fascinated, not interested!

Some ideas for feeding your mind

with ideas

IDEO Deep Dives

Skill 5: Experiment

A/B test Pilot/prototypes

Test fast. Fail. Improve

“If you build a prototype, other people will help you”

How can we do more pilots quickly ?

Dropbox prototype was a video!

5 behaviors•Questioning (5 Why, Why not, What if)

•Observing (go out)

•Networking (internal formal and informal & external)

•Associating (team deep dive after first 3 phases, other industries)

•Experimenting (pilots, testing key hypothesis quickly)

What are some of the things you

can do to start innovating more? Top 3?