Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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
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
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
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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,
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
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,
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
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
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
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
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
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).
Moving on from the doom and gloom, let’s examine some examples of what happens
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
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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
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
For this final segment, I’d like to share with everyone some global business challenges
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
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
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
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,
Dyer, J. H., Gregersen, H. B., & Christensen, C. M. (2009). The innovator's DNA. Harvard
Farr, C., & Segran, E. (2016). The top 10 innovations that made women's lives better in 2016.
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
http://www.ccl.org/leadership/pdf/research/leadershipGap.pdf
McCarthy, D. (2015). 11 Ways for leaders to encourage innovation from their employees.
from-employees-2275816
change-casey-mcfall-sa?trk=prof-post
McGuire, T., Manyika, J., Chui, M., Manyika, J., & Chui, M., (2012). Why big data is the new
http://iveybusinessjournal.com/publication/why-big-data-is-the-new-competitive-advantage/
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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
bankrupt-innovation-lag.asp