Presented at InnoTech Oregon 2013. All rights reserved.

1. Building Teams for Growth and Innovation
Katherine Golden
Vice President of Engineering & Enterprise Architecture
Corbis
Technology advancements continue to bring disruptive change to
many of our industries. These demanding times carry an even
greater importance for Technology Leaders to identify new
opportunities for business growth.
This session will highlight approaches for building a highly
engaged technology team and fostering a culture of growth and
innovation.

2. 2
Introduction

3. 3
My Background
Analog Digital
Canvassing neighborhoods
door to door
Adept use of social media
and web
Paper greeting cards
Digital expression - E-cards,
IM, Facebook posts
Printed books, magazines,
newspapers
E-readers, blogs, online
advertising
Technology advancements continue to bring disruptive change
Tangled Web
Technologies

4. 4
Necessity of Growth & Innovation
To maintain competitive advantage, companies need to innovate
cloud
mobile
big data
social media
online communication
web of things security 3D printing
smart TVs augmented reality
Technology advancements
continue to bring disruptive change

5. 5
Innovation is Doing New Things
“Innovation is
1% inspiration and
99% perspiration”
- Thomas Edison
© Schenectady Museum; Hall of Electrical History Foundation/CORBIS

6. 6
Building Teams for Growth & Innovation
1. Hiring great talent
2. Building culture of engaged employees
3. Programs targeted at growth & innovation

7. 7
Building Teams for Growth & Innovation
1. Hiring great talent
2. Building culture of engaged employees
3. Programs targeted at growth & innovation

8. 8
Modern Recruiting
• Invest in your employee brand
• Have fun with the job description
• Utilize non-traditional recruiting methods

9. 9
Modern Recruiting
• Invest in your employee brand
• Have fun with the job description
• Utilize non-traditional recruiting methods
About the Position
In short, we are a little bit scrappy and nerdy, we
love sharpies, and we fear boredom, so we work
quickly and balance multiple complex projects. Our
projects are not “easy”, and you will learn the joy
of being thorough and multi-talented.

10. 10
Modern Recruiting
• Invest in your employee brand
• Have fun with the job description
• Utilize non-traditional recruiting methods
• Employee Referral Programs
• LinkedIn
Since January 2013, LinkedIn has 200
million members worldwide
3 out of 4 users want to be approached
for other job opportunities
http://www.globalrecruitingroundtable.com

11. 11
Hire Diversity
Diversity helps in collaborative innovation
© Schenectady Museum; Hall of Electrical History Foundation/CORBIS

12. 12
Explore Internship Programs
• Relationships with local universities
• Provide hands-on experience
• Pipeline full-time positions
© Michele Constantini/ZenShui/CORBIS

13. 13
Building Teams for Growth & Innovation
1. Hiring great talent
2. Building culture of engaged employees
3. Programs targeted at growth & innovation

14. 14
Engage Employees
His secret - Believe in
employees and engage them
on a higher level
His secret - Asking
employees to look for
purpose in their jobs
© Kimberly White/CORBIS
© http://chipconley.com/

15. 15
Support Risk Taking
The role of a leader
is not to have all the
right answers,
but rather to
create an atmosphere
that fosters
the ideas of others
© John Lund/Sam Diephuis/Blend Images/CORBIS

16. 16
Challenge the Status Quo
Be willing to keep re-defining absolutely everything

17. 17
Evolve Ideas
© ImageZoo/CORBIS
Recognize the
ongoing need for
continued
improvement

18. 18
Building Teams for Growth & Innovation
1. Hiring great talent
2. Building culture of engaged employees
3. Programs targeted at growth & innovation

19. 19
Happiness Matters

20. 20
Connection to Customers
On-site customer visits
Customer service
© Ansgar Photography/CORBIS
© Eric Audras/Onoky/Corbis
© Helen King/CORBIS
Usability studiesSurveys
Metrics
© Ocean/Corbis
© Gregor Schuster/Corbis

21. 21
Patent Program
Monetary award for inventors of patents
© Ben Hupfer/CORBIS

22. 22
Hack Day
What can YOU
do in 24 hours?
What in the world is Hack Day?
In a nutshell, it’s a 24-hour period for developers
and other creative minds to build a prototype for
new ideas for Corbis, either individually or in teams,
and present those ideas to the Executive Team.

23. 23
Regularly Tend the Garden
© Max Wagner/CORBIS
Water plants… pull weeds

24. 24
Summary

25. 25
Questions
© Colin Anderson/CORBIS