The document discusses fostering innovation to achieve mission critical goals. It provides an agenda for the discussion, including introducing innovation in government contexts, how team leaders and members can foster and engage in innovation, and how to use technology to drive innovation. The discussion emphasizes creating a culture that supports new ideas, using frameworks to guide the innovation process, identifying problems to solve, gaining approval for solutions, and leveraging tools like project management and collaboration software. The goal is to encourage innovation as a means of improving processes and outcomes in pursuit of important objectives.
Fostering innovation to achieve mission critical goals
1. Fostering innovation to
achieve mission critical goals
April 12, 2017
Deanna Grady, Sr. Manager, Government Sales - LinkedIn
Robin E Hunt, CoFounder and Partner - ThinkData Solutions, Inc.
2. 2
Deanna Grady
Sr. Manager, Government Sales
Lynda.com from LinkedIn
Fostering innovation to achieve
mission critical goals
3. Agenda
• Introduction: Robin Hunt
• Innovation in the context of government
• How to foster innovation as a team leader
• How to innovate as a team member
• How to use technology to drive innovation
• Takeaways
• Resources
• Q&A
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4. 4
Robin E. Hunt
Co-Founder and Partner, ThinkData Solutions, Inc.
Lynda.com author, developer and educator
Fostering innovation to achieve
mission critical goals
5. inəˈvāSH(ə)n/
1: the introduction of
something new
2: a new idea, method, or
device
Innovation can happen
anywhere
5https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innovation
6. Why is innovation important?
“By putting innovation at the center of the organization, from top to bottom, you can
improve the numbers; at the same time, you will discover a much better way of
doing things — more productive, more responsive, more inclusive, even more fun.”
- Fast Company
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https://www.fastcompany.com/874798/why-innovation-matters&sa=D&ust=1490389486253000&usg=AFQjCNHhEcYmAGrDrz2ZqWeDITz60vMy3A
7. Achieving mission critical goals
● Requires alignment across the team and agency
● Works best when goals are clear
● Benefits from advance planning
● Succeeds with disciplined project management
“Customers are wrestling with
mission-critical decisions,
evaluating solutions that all
sound the same, and
struggling to achieve the
value they expect, when
experience has shown them
that far too many solutions
come packaged with a high
degree of risk and a low
probability of success.”
- Jeff Thull
Prime Resource Group
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10. Innovation arises from invention
Light bulb
Energy efficient
GPS navigation
Dedicated devices
Toilet
Water saving
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11. 1. How do governments innovate?
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“Incremental innovations occur everywhere, but breakthrough innovations—
the kind that leverage new technologies and business models to drive down
costs, increase accessibility, and improve services—have tended to remain
the province of the private sector.
“Fortunately, that type of innovation is beginning to trickle into
government as well. Leaders inside the public sector are learning to pursue
these major breakthroughs without the benefit of the profit motives that drive
entrepreneurs elsewhere.” - Stanford Social Innovation Review
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/unleashing_breakthrough_innovation_in_government
12. Innovate when:
● There’s a better solution
● You’re required to work differently
● The timing is right for change
● Task is done the same way for many years
● You need a better way to measure outcomes
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14. Controlled processes
Often entail:
●More paperwork and documentation
●An act of Congress (literally)
●Typical risks of change
However, a framework and
documentation can provide guidance
that makes projects easier.
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15. Legal requirements include:
● Document archiving policies and laws
● Information and privacy policies
● Review board for contracts etc.
● Compliance standards and policies
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16. How to move past objections
●“We already have a way to do this.”
○ How is your idea better?
●“It’s too hard to change.”
○ How can you make it easier?
●“There’s too much of a learning curve.”
○ What training is needed?
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18. 2. How to foster innovation as a team leader.
“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other
things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
- John F. Kennedy
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19. Do an innovation assessment
● What are you doing to foster innovation
within your team?
● When your team comes up with an idea,
how often does it come to fruition?
● What is your reaction when the same
person suggests new ideas frequently?
● How often do you think about innovation?
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Building Creative Organizations
20. Motivate others to innovate
Create a culture that supports innovation and ideas
● Brainstorm solutions as a team
● Encourage the team to embrace new ideas
● Use training to help reduce skill gaps
“You've got to think
about big things while
you're doing small
things, so that all the
small things go in the
right direction.”
- Alvin Toffler, Futurist
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21. Use an innovation framework
● Provides a safe process for the ongoing
elimination and creation of ideas
● Ensures your team knows how to handle
each step of the process
● Keeps the process of innovation moving
forward
“Having an innovation
framework to support
the development of
new ideas provides
companies with a
strategic approach to
innovation from the
inside out.”
- Heidi Hattendorf
Dir. Business
Strategy, Motorola
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22. Walk ideas through the process
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“Just because
something doesn’t do
what you planned it to
do doesn’t mean it’s
useless.”
-Thomas Edison,
Inventor
23. Learn to spot innovators
●Always discussing a new way
●Seeing problems and suggesting solutions
●Learning something new
●Trying to do things differently
Innovators often don’t realize it.
Leaders often miss the signs. They are:
Innovative Characteristics
Strategic Thinker...
Curious...
Passionate ...
Problem solver ...
Flexible...
Handles objections...
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24. 3. How to innovate as a team member
"If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself."
-Henry Ford, Inventor
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25. 3 Steps to innovate
● Find a real problem to solve
● Identify potential solutions
● Gain buy-in from leadership
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“Creative thinking is not a
talent, it is a skill that can be
learnt. It empowers people
by adding strength to their
natural abilities which
improves teamwork,
productivity and where
appropriate profits.”
- Edward deBono, Brain
Training And Lateral Thinking
Pioneer
Breaking Out of a Rut
26. Find a real problem to solve
● One problem can be a byproduct of another
○ Break it down to isolate the real issue
● List problems and create a hierarchy
○ Main problem → underlying problems
● Agree on which problem you’ll be solving
● Make a plan
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27. Identify potential solutions
●Research how others may have solved it
● Evaluate data
●Whiteboard ideas
●Leverage existing technology
●Discuss proposed solution with others
to preempt obstacles
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28. Gain buy-in from leadership
1.Present the real issue and objective
2.Communicate your vision
3.Evaluate the risks and rewards
4.Estimate pre and post time and effort
5.Develop an implementation plan and projected
timeline “You can’t inspire
people if you are
going to be
uninspiring.”
- Robert Reich,
Commentator and
Professor
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29. 5. How to use technology to drive innovation
“The great myth of our times is that technology is communication.”
- Libby Larsen, Composer
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30. Technology supports innovation
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“What you get by
achieving your goals
is not as important as
what you become by
achieving your goals.”
- Zig Ziglar, Author
● Capture and enhance ideas
● Reduce inefficiencies
● Access information faster
● Facilitate iteration
● Gain buy-in and approvals
31. Technology enables project success
● Target a completion date
● Manage timelines and milestones
● Identify dependencies
●Keep stakeholders informed
● Provide high-level overview
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Project Management Fundamentals
32. Online collaboration
Create documents and easily share them
online. Share within a project file rather
than email attachments.
● OneDrive
● SharePoint
● Dropbox
● Confluence
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SharePoint Online Essential Training
33. Project management
Stay on track, improve time
management, and facilitate team
communication.
● Microsoft Project
● Trello
● Basecamp
● Visual Studio Team Services
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Microsoft® Project 2016: Essential Training
34. Diagram tools and workflow
Identify detailed flows and tasks
within each phase of the project and
across functional areas.
● Microsoft Visio
● Microsoft SharePoint Approval Workflows
● Windows Problem Steps Recorder
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The Basics of Data for Analytics
35. Takeaways
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● Innovation doesn’t mean a new invention
● Create a shared understanding of innovation
● Encourage a culture, leadership approach, hiring
processes, incentives, role expectations and
training that facilitates and breeds innovation
● Develop processes to generate ideas
● Ensure you have the technology tools to turn
ideas into completed projects
● Share best practices and successes
36. Resources
● Fostering Innovation - Learning Path
● Building Creative Organizations - unlocked course
● Breaking Out of a Rut
● The Basics of Data for Analytics
● SharePoint Online Essential Training
● Microsoft® Project 2016: Essential Training
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37. Connect
with us
Robin E. Hunt
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinehunt/
Deanna Grady
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannagrady/
For more learning on innovation, visit
https://www.lynda.com/
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