You are on page 1of 12

Running Head: INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 1

Innovation in the Workplace (Script)

Capella University

Introduction
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 2

I want to thank you all for this opportunity to discuss innovation in the workplace. My

name is Casey McFall, I am a scrum master at Wal-Mart, and I have a passion for innovation.

This presentation will consist of 4 segments. The first, will be used to share the 5 discovery skills

that are so vital for any innovative leader to possess. In the second segment, I’ll share 3

leadership practices that are important for encouraging innovation. In the third section, we will

analyze how those practices and skills contributed to the success of some of the most innovative

products and services available today. In the final segment, we will discuss some global issues

and opportunities that demand innovation.

Five Discovery Skills

One of the keys to being able to change a company for better is being able to innovate

and encourage others in the company to innovate. Some people seem to naturally be innovative

while others must work on it. Either way, researchers have identified 5 skills which enable

innovation. The skills of associating, questioning, observing, experimenting, and networking

have been termed the “DNA of disruptive innovators” by Jeff Dyer, Hal Gregersen, and Clayton

Christensen who researched the behaviors of men such as Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos. This

research found that businesses which are highly innovative are also led by men who score

significantly higher in these 5 skills and who often engage in this behavior (Dyer, Gregersen, &

Christensen, 2009).

Associating

Of these 5 skills, perhaps the most important is that of associating. Dyer, Gregersen, and

Christensen declared associating to be the backbone of the DNA with the other 4 skills building

on it. This is due to the face that associating enables one to link two seemingly unconnected
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 3

ideas or concepts in uniquely new ways. Innovation is making changes to something that is

already established, so this associating provides a shortcut or “cheat code” to innovation (Dyer,

Gregersen, & Christensen, 2009).

Building on the Association

While associating provides the backbone of the discovery skills, the other 4 are also

essential for supporting innovation in organizations. Asking questions such as why people

should think outside the box and push the envelope instead of thinking outside the envelope and

push box is important not only for the illuminating answers that they may produce, but also

because of the habit that it forms. When employees see a leader challenging the current process,

it emboldens them to do the same and provides an example of innovative behavior which the

entire company can emulate (Dyer, Gregersen, & Christensen, 2009).

This multitude of questions will bring light to many new corners of the company, and it is

here that the skill of observation will become useful. Observing is more than just seeing, it is

seeing with a purpose and understanding what is being seen. These observations lead naturally to

experimentation, as what has been observed is tested and spawn new associations, questions,

observations, and experiments (Dyer, Gregersen, & Christensen, 2009).

Sparking and Scaling

The last of the discover skills can be viewed as the secret ingredient in the mixture.

While the other 4 seem to lead naturally from one to the other, networking doesn’t seem to fit

quite as intuitively. In fact, networking can actually provide the spark that is needed to generate

amazing ideas. It can provide the missing pieces, the subtle hint, that little nudge that is required
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 4

for the brain to leap from out of its circling thoughts and on to new pathways. Innovation with

only the other 4 skills is possible, but innovation with all 5 discovery skills will always be faster

and more successful (Dyer, Gregersen, & Christensen, 2009).

In addition to providing the spark necessary for innovation, networking also increases the

scalability of innovation. A single person will find it nearly impossible to bring an innovative

idea to fruition, and a single innovative team won’t create a culture of innovation within the

average company. It’s the free flow of ideas across the organization that scales innovation and

creates successfully innovative companies (Charan & Lafley, 2008).

Leadership Practices

This leads us to the second segment, leadership practices. While there is a vast array of

beneficial leadership practices that encourage innovation within the workplace, only three will be

examined here. Two of these three come from the 7 “deficit” leadership skills which were

identified by Jean B. Leslie in “The Leadership Gap” (2009). These are leading people and

managing change.

Leading People

Leading people is defined as understanding how to communicate with people effectively

in order to direct and motivate them. This skill is vitally important for leaders seeking to promote

innovation within a company for several reasons. For example, most people have been punished

for innovating; not directly necessarily, but the actions which lead to innovation have been

discouraged. Innovation requires one to question the norm, make mistakes, and spend time on

something other than immediate production. Since these behaviors have traditionally been
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 5

discouraged or even outright punished, current leaders must now direct innovative behavior and

motivate employees to fail. It sounds counter intuitive, but so much more can be learned through

failure than success, and discovering what doesn’t work can lead to better ways of making things

work.

Managing Change

The leadership practice of managing change is fairly self-explanatory; how it relates to

increasing innovation within a company is perhaps a bit less so. The simple truth of the matter is

that innovation brings change, and really great innovation brings very disruptive change. This

change will not always be readily embraced; and if there are too many within an organization

who resist that change, it may not be fully implemented and may fail. It is the leader’s

responsibility then to adjust plans, remove resistance, and enable a positive view of that change.

Often, this can most easily be accomplished by removing the appearance of uncertainty that is

inherent in change. After all, people aren’t really afraid of change. They are afraid of

uncertainty (McFall, 2016).

Say “Yes”

The final leadership practice is that of saying “yes”. Anyone who questions the current

process, wonders what would happen if things were changed, or engages in similar innovative

behavior will very quickly encounter a multitude of “no’s”. “No, that won’t every work”. “No,

that isn’t the way it’s done”. “No, we don’t have the funding for that kind of idea”. True

innovators will rise to the challenge and seek to prove those no’s wrong; but if the environment

is one which has just started to cultivate innovation, the overwhelming negative feedback can
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 6

crush the fragile growth and stop innovation dead in its tracks. So embrace the practice of

focusing on the possibilities, not the difficulties. When someone comes to you with an innovative

idea, say “yes” and encourage that person to overcome the hurdles and biases (McCarthy, 2015).

Word of Warning

At this I would like to give you all a word of warning. Everyone here understands the

need for innovation, but I am going to emphasize this importance in the hopes of encouraging

everyone to embrace these practices and skills. The Eastman Kodak Company was an enormous

success in its time. In fact, it was so successful that it even popularized in society the phrase “a

Kodak moment”. As time moved on however, Eastman Kodak got so caught up in its own

success that it ceased to be innovative and finally had to file for bankruptcy in 2012. Ironically,

Kodak employees shared the idea of a digital camera as far back as the early 1970s, but the

company didn’t capitalize on this idea. This a direct reflection on the lack of support leadership

within Kodak gave to innovation and what the result of that apathy is (Thangavelu, 2015).

Innovative Products and Services

Moving on from the doom and gloom, let’s examine some examples of what happens

when these practices and skills are successfully applied.

Transforming Uno

What connection is there between this motorcycle and this hoverboard? At face value,

there would seem to be little connection other than the fact that they both have two wheels and

your liable to get hurt riding them. Employing the discovery skill of association however, these
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 7

two can be combined into a completely new product that is practically dripping with innovation.

This is the transforming Uno. At low speeds, this dicycle balances itself to enable incredible 360

degree mobility. At high speeds, the front wheel slides forward to allow for a smoother, safer

ride. Created initially to provide an environmentally friendly alternative to China’s many moped,

dirt bikes, and motor bikes, its inventor Ben Gulak faced many challenges in its creation and had

to continually cycle through the 5 discovery skills (Coxworth, 2010).

MM. LaFleur

Tired of sorting through racks and racks of clothes to find something that she liked, and

pressed for time due to her career in finance, Sarah LaFleur began to question the traditional

clothes buying process. Sarah sought some way to allow women to buy and wear clothes that

they liked and that made them feel beautiful, without having to work too hard to achieve that.

Her innovative solution came through one of the unlikeliest associations; a connection between

fashion and the bento box. Sarah’s company MM. LaFleur allows women to set clothing style

preferences and sizes and receive a bento box of options. The woman pays for what she likes,

sends the rest back, and enjoys her new attire with the least amount of stress (MM.LaFleur,

N.D.).

MM. LaFleur is now a successful online fashion design and retail company. It would not

be in existence today however if Sarah LaFleur had not embraced the leadership practice of

managing change. Breaking into the fashion world is incredibly difficult, and both Sarah and her

company had to go through many changes before achieving success. While not changing is

guaranteed to bring a company to loss, change also comes with many risks. At any point in her
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 8

path to innovation, Sarah could have misstepped, failed, or given up in despair (MM.LaFleur,

N.D.).

Vina

As all of you doubtless know, one of the worst aspects of moving is the difficulty

associated with once again finding like-minded people and establishing friendships. This is

exactly what Olivia June Poole felt when she moved to San Francisco. Approaching the problem

in an innovative manner, she joined the dating app OKCupid. She didn’t join to find a boyfriend

however, but to find women with whom she could create a platonic relationship. After observing

her own success with this method, she began experimenting and created the friend finder app

Vina, Tinder for female friendships (Farr and Segran, 2016).

Challenges and Opportunities

For this final segment, I’d like to share with everyone some global business challenges

and opportunities that demand innovation for corporate leadership.

Staying Competitive

Approximately 543,000 new businesses open every month in the US alone (Nazar, 2013).

This brings in an incredible amount of competition into the market and companies are feeling the

pressure. According to the SBA, around 550,000 companies close every year (SBA, 2013).

Companies like Sears that once pushed the boundaries of their fields are closing more stores

every year and cutting costs at every corner in a desperate effort to stay afloat. The competition

in the current market is intense, and any company wishing to rise to the challenge must first
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 9

succeed at innovation. Alan Kay coined the phrase, “The best way to predict the future, is to

invent it”; and he couldn’t have more been more correct. There is no crystal ball that can foretell

what products or services will become the next big thing, but innovation can allow companies to

create those very products and services anyway.

Big Data

A great opportunity for innovation is that of big data. Big data is the vast amounts of data

that is currently available to businesses that can be analyzed for trends and other such useful

information that can enable business leaders to make better decisions. There are many who

predict that effective big data utilization will be the key competitive advantage of companies in

the future. The problem, is that corporations now have access to more data than it is humanly

possible to completely analyze thoroughly, and companies are scrambling for solutions. An

example of such a solution is IBM’s Watson, but it is still under development and has narrowly

focused fields for use. All of this means that big data is really a big frontier of unexplored land

that is just waiting for innovation to probe its depths (McGuire, Manyika, Chui, Manyika, &

Chui, 2012).

Innovation

The final opportunity for innovation is that of innovation itself. There is no set process

for innovating, encouraging others to innovate, or creating a culture of innovation within a

company. With effective innovation being so important for success, and no set process to achieve

that innovation, every company should make it a priority to constantly examine its own

innovation processes, practices, and procedures in an effort to constantly improve and innovate
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 10

more effectively. Those that become comfortable with their current innovation run the risk of

losing their competitive edge from the pedestal of business glory.

Call to Action

I want to end this presentation with a call to action. It is not enough to understand the

practices and skills that lead to innovation, nor it is enough to simply understand the importance

of innovation. I would like to challenge each of you here to examine yourselves and ask some

key questions. First, “Am I practicing the 5 discovery skills and exemplifying innovative

behavior for others to emulate?” Second, “What can I do to encourage innovation in my area?”

And lastly, “How can I introduce successful innovative practices and skills into my own

company?” Thank you for your time and attention. Are there any questions?

References
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 11

Charan, R., & Lafley, A. G. (2008). P&G’s Innovation Culture. Retrieved December 15, 2016,

from http://www.strategy-business.com/article/08304?gko=b5105

Coxworth, B. (2010). Uno motorcycle reconfigures itself on the fly. Retrieved December 15,

2016, from http://newatlas.com/uno-unicycle-transforming-motorcycle/16722/

Dyer, J. H., Gregersen, H. B., & Christensen, C. M. (2009). The innovator's DNA. Harvard

Business Review, 87(12), 60–67.

Farr, C., & Segran, E. (2016). The top 10 innovations that made women's lives better in 2016.

Retrieved December 15, 2016 from https://www.fastcompany.com/3066036/startup-

report/the-top-10-innovations-that-made-womens-lives-better-in-2016

Leslie, J. B. (2009). The leadership gap: What you need, and don't have, when it comes to

leadership talent. Retrieved December 15, 2016, from

http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/leadershipGap.pdf

McCarthy, D. (2015). 11 Ways for leaders to encourage innovation from their employees.

Retrieved December 15, 2016, from https://www.thebalance.com/encourage-innovation-

from-employees-2275816

McFall, C. A. (2016). Fearful Change. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/fearful-

change-casey-mcfall-sa?trk=prof-post

McGuire, T., Manyika, J., Chui, M., Manyika, J., & Chui, M., (2012). Why big data is the new

competitive advantage. Retrieved December 15, 2016, from

http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/why-big-data-is-the-new-competitive-advantage/
INNOVATION IN THE WORKPLACE (SCRIPT) 12

MM. LaFleur (N.D.). The story of a startup. Retrieved December 15, 2016 from

https://mmlafleur.com/mdash/the-story-of-a-startup

Nazar, J. (2013). 16 Surprising statistics about small businesses. Retrieved December 15, 2016,

from http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/09/09/16-surprising-statistics-about-

small-businesses/#16d715ee3078

SBA (2013). Firm size data. Retrieved December 15, 2016, from

https://www.sba.gov/advocacy/firm-size-data

Thangavelu, P. (2015). Companies that went bankrupt from innovation lag. Retrieved December

15, 2016, from http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/072115/companies-went-

bankrupt-innovation-lag.asp

You might also like