Innovation – so good it hurts!

Joe Saxton

Tel: 020 7426 8888Email: joe.saxton@nfpsynergy.netWeb: www.nfpsynergy.net

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How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

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The answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door.

This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

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2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

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Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator.

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door.

This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.

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3.The Lion King is hosting a strategic away day for the animals. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

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Answer: The Elephant.

The Elephant is in the refrigerator, remember.

This tests your memory.

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4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles.

How do you manage it?

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Answer: You swim across. Why? All the Crocodiles are attending the away day.

This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

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Five big things to talk about

• What is this thing called innovation?• Why you need innovation?• Driving innovation • Some things for you to do at home• What stops innovation?

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Innovation or creativity

• Creativity is the new ideas• Innovation is the management of putting them into practice

• You can have fantastic creativity – but without putting them into practice it is wasted

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Some classic innovations

• Text messaging• Post-it notes• Face to face fundraising• EBay• Amazon• Starbucks• Round teabags• Tesco’s loyalty card

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But innovation is more than just new ideas

• Great ideas….• Turned into tests and learning….• Turned into commercial reality…..• Railed against by the mainstream….• And then accepted as the norm

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How you can tell when a market is ready for innovation

• Nobody dares to be different• Or nobody is different• Nobody knows why they do what they do• Its just the way it was when you were a child• All the competitors feel very similar• Margins are slim and volatile• When internally people spend their time saying ‘you don’t

understand how things are done’

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Exercise 1: Draw Humpty Dumpty

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• Did he look a bit like this?

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Who Says He Is Egg Shaped?

• Could be a person• Or a china doll• Or made of cloth / wood / metal etc.

Where in the nursery rhyme does it mention eggs!

If we do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always got!

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Exercise 2: What’s In A Name?

• Get into small groups (A’s & B’s)

• You have a few minutes to…• Invent a new name for this…

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Some ideas

• Capturingo Find the right place and time to

thinko Use daydreaming and sleepo Carry a notebook

• Challengingo Use open-ended problems for new

ideaso Really learn from failure

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Exercise 3: Hair raising

• Some volunteers please• List as many new hairstyles as

you can in 5 minutes• For each style, write a name and

a brief description or sketch of the style

• Raise your hand each time you have one

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Some ideas

• Broadeningo Get training in new fieldso Read, listen, engage outside what

you already knowo Commit to a day a month in

foreign territory

• Surroundingo Relocateo Redecorateo Use people from outside your

teamo New magazines / newspapers /

websites

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Exercise 4 and 5

• In small groups make a list of the way you have seen innovation encouraged or how you think it could be encouraged

• In small groups make a list of the way you have seen innovation stifled or discouraged.

• If you have finished one exercise do the other

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Creating a culture where innovation can thrive

• Lead from the top• Make clear that the status quo isn’t sufficient• Create budgets for innovation• Make sure new ideas happen• Constantly look for new ideas from existing staff and

volunteers – and act on them• Praise and reward the innovators

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Innovation is stopped very easily:

• Budgets set 18 months ahead• People blamed for failing after trying• Grassroots ideas ignored• Slow ponderous nitpicky decision making• Culture of conformity• Incremental targets• Get trustees or committees involved

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"Creativity is just having enough dots to connect.” (Steve Jobs, Apple)

“Just as energy is the basis of life itself, and ideas the source of innovation, so is innovation the vital spark of all human change, improvement and progress.”

(Theodore Levitt)

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If you would like a copy of:

• My slides• Our free report ‘Innovation rules’• Email me on joe.saxton@nfpsynergy.net • Or go to www.nfpsynergy.net