CHAPTER 14: INNOVATION MOTIVATORS
Curt Carlson, Ph.D.
Professor of Practice, Northeastern University and Distinguished Executive in Residence, WPI
SAVING LARRY'S LIFE
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt
Vision
Human tragedy can be a strong motivator for innovation. Our colleague Peter Burt and his team were inspired by the illness of a friend to take their work in computerized vision to a higher level. Human vision is one of nature's most complex and impressive sensory systems. The amount of computer processing needed to perform even the simplest vision tasks, which humans do effortlessly, exceeds the power of the world's biggest computers. For twenty years, Burt and his remarkable team have led advances in developing real-time computer vision systems that rival aspects of human vision. They have created many significant innovations, from automobile traffic monitors to biometric identification systems, airport security systems, broadcasting equipment, and medical diagnostic systems. Each innovation was motivated by an important need.
One medical innovation was inspired by the team's desire to help save the life of Larry, who had an inoperable tumor next to the nerve in his spinal column. Conventional radiation therapy was not an option because even small changes in Larry's position on the X-ray table would cause spinal nerve damage that might render him paraplegic. The only viable approach was Stanford University's newest development, the CyberKnife, which had a robotic arm that adjusted the aim of an X-ray source to compensate for patient movements. This system tracks the patient's movement using a vision system based on CT images and adjusts the position of the X-ray accordingly. It was determined, however, that Stanford's vision system was not accurte enough. It needed to include both CT and MRI imaging to have the precision for treating Larry's tumor. This new precision vision system even had to consider the spine's articulation.
Larry had heard a talk, "The Age of Innovation," by one of our team and learned of the precise targeting technology developed at Sarnoff by Burt's team. They were friends of Larry and decided this was a critical need and swung into action.
As in every project, there were endless issues to be addressed, from the practical to the political. The team worked long hours for weeks to implement the solution in time to help save Larry's life. Championed by Teddy Kumar, Jim Bergen, and Norman Winarsky, the team was able to precisely locate the tumor for the Stanford CyberKnife team, which then successfully extended Larry's life without leaving him paralyzed.
Why do people work this hard? It's usually not for the money. We want to address higher needs in our professional lives, and Larry's situation was a compelling example. For most, the opportunity to help extend someone's life was a rare, unique, and meaningful opportunity. All good employees share the need to make a meaningful impact through their work.
The Motivation Mantra
Innovation is inspired by fundamental needs that motivate. Without the motivation to "stay the course," disruptions occur that prevent innovations from reaching fruition. We call these three essential human needs the Motivation Mantra:
Burt's team has always satisfied these motivators, which is why their impressive list of innovations continues to grow.
Achievement
People want to make a positive contribution during their careers. They want to make an impact and achieve meaningful goals. By focusing on important customer and market needs, your team can contribute and make a difference.
Paul Cook is an unrelenting serial entrepreneur. His first multibillion-dollar company was Raychem, where he developed a family of novel plastic materials. Cook has won many honors, including the National Medal of Technology. When he retired from Raychem, he formed CellNet, and after CellNet, Diva Systems. At seventy-five, he started another new company, AgileTV. Why do people, who no longer need to keep working, work so hard? They want to continue to use their skills to achieve goals that are important to them — to make a difference. Achievement is an enormously powerful human motivator.
Consider our friend Carla, who works as a volunteer in a hospital for severely handicapped children. The children she works with are all born deaf and blind. To communicate, they tap out a form of Morse code on another's hand. Progress is often painfully slow. Sometimes, it takes years of training for a child to learn even elementary messages. We asked Carla why she did this work, and she said, "Oh, I love it. You can't imagine the satisfaction when a child, after years of work, first taps out a simple message on your hand." This is a significant, meaningful achievement.
Similarly, we have a family member, Donna, a nurse. She works in a state psychiatric ward, where patients with extreme emotional and mental health issues are confined. The patients include schizophrenics and sociopaths. To an outsider, it seems like the most dangerous and demanding work. When asked why she does this when she could work in any hospital, she said, "They truly appreciate what I do. It's important."
Most people do not want to work just for money, stability, or enjoyable friends. We want to learn new skills, become more valuable, and be recognized and appreciated. We want to contribute by doing meaningful work and by making an impact. These objectives are, of course, especially possible when working on an important innovation.
Empowerment
We want the freedom to do our jobs. If your manager gets in your way, throws up roadblocks, and doesn't give you latitude to perform, you won't. One of the most common complaints of employees is that they are "micromanaged" and not empowered to act.
Even when the Three-Legged Stool of Collaboration (shared vision, unique complementary skills, and shared rewards) is satisfied, the individuals involved must still be empowered to do their jobs. They want to be respected and contribute without being told how to perform each step. They want to be turned loose to experience the surge of creativity that leads to success. Talk to folks who do not feel empowered, and you hear the cry for help: "All I do is go to meetings," or "It is just impossible to get work done around here with my boss looking over my shoulder." Just as the economy works better when markets are free, people work more creatively when free and empowered to do their jobs.
Champions work with their enterprises and innovation teams to define the "what" that must be done and then empowered to figure out the "how." Support them and hold them accountable, but do not tell them how to do their jobs. Do more of the "what" and less of the "how." Empowerment means assuring the independence and respect for others that allow them to do their professional jobs.
Giving people the respect and freedom to do their jobs does not mean everyone is a free agent. Each person needs to be reviewed regularly to ensure that that individual's project is on schedule and that all the elements necessary for success are in place. Regularly presenting at Value Creation Forums makes this happen. Too often, we see employees in companies with the responsibility for an important project but without the authority. Champions must, at a minimum,?
1) Pick the team
2) Review the team?
3) Reward the team
As management guru Peter Drucker points out, these are the minimum responsibilities for someone responsible for a project.
The review function is not only an opportunity to check on progress, which is essential, but it is also a significant opportunity for improvement and additional value creation. Regular constructive reviews are necessary to realign the team's vision, collect new ideas, and provide support and acknowledgment for progress made. When we are stuck and cannot figure out how to progress, these regular reviews provide a mechanism to support empowerment and move us forward.
Involvement
If you are leading any innovation, you are a change agent responsible for many decisions. We have an intense need to be involved in decisions that affect us. Not including members of your innovation team in decisions that affect them is extremely dangerous. Resistance to new initiatives may go underground for months or years, but eventually, it will rear its head and impact the team's productivity. When people are not involved, they become angry and irrational because exclusion directly threatens their ability to contribute — one of their most important needs.
In our intervention work in organizations experiencing severe disputes, it is almost always the case that the person causing the ruckus felt left out of an important decision: what work to perform, that person's role in it, or the new direction for the organization [3]. Because achievement and empowerment are crucial to us, not being involved threatens our identity. Professionals, especially if they are not involved, will stop being solid contributors or even leave the company. Involve them or suffer.
In the early years of safety practices, it was thought that you could decree perfect safety practices, and employees would follow them. Then, it was found that, if asked, employees developed the same safety practices as the experts. The difference is that if you take the time to let employees establish the standards, they follow them rather than sabotage them. To get results for your innovation, trust your people and involve them.
Involving others in important decisions also indicates your respect for them and your belief that they have important insights that will contribute to better solutions. In our experience, that is almost always the result — a better solution.
There are situations where decisions must be made that individuals will not like. Nevertheless, when people are properly involved, they will generally accept decisions that are in the best interest of their enterprise. We can guarantee that if people are not involved, even if the decision is correct, you will do remedial work to get the organization back on track. If you involve them, even if the decision differs from what they would like, you can gain their support.
There are exceptions. Some organizations need to be more functional and less collaborative. Occasionally, people will refuse to change. Others need to gain core skills and will consistently make terrible decisions for various reasons. In these cases, it may be impossible to implement the necessary actions. Fortunately, we have found these hopeless situations to be rare. The major problem is that no one is continuously working to address the Motivation Mantra. Overwhelmingly, in cases where we have been called in to mediate an organizational conflict, from people screaming at one another to entire departments signing petitions to have the manager fired, someone needs to be addressed or included in significant decisions.
A situation that is particularly demanding is mergers and acquisitions. In these situations, one company is combined with another while parts are closed down or sold off. Even here, involving all the staff fairly and honestly makes a significant difference. When GE bought RCA, we went through this process. Fortunately, GE and did a good job [5].
As a champion leading an innovation team, your job is to align all the elements of your team, keep them focused, and constantly work in the direction of change while valuing what you already have. If you rush in with change, pretending that employees are not the most crucial part of the organization, you will fail. Instead of coercing others, let them join with you to create additional value.
The involvement of others is so fundamental that if you violate it, you will almost guarantee failure. Time after time, change agents' failure can be predicted by seeing how they involve others. This is highlighted by the Failure Formula—a checklist of what change agents often do that brings disaster.
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THE FAILURE FORMULA? ? ?
A large international organization we worked with underwent a significant reorganization and layoff. The new president put together his plan and was about to announce his decisions. It was suggested that he might involve the members of his extended management team because they would have to implement the plan. At first, he demurred. Fortunately, he agreed, and a session was held where he first described the need for change, his vision, and his proposed plan. He then sincerely asked for suggestions. He broke his management team into working groups around specific topics. The groups then reported their thoughts. They, too, came to most of his conclusions, but they also had ideas that he agreed were better.
In some cases, he still needed to make hard decisions in opposition to his management team. Nevertheless, the reaction by the management team to his involvement was overwhelmingly positive. As a result of the meeting, he had gone a long way toward getting his team aligned with the new needs of the enterprise.
Successful Champions simultaneously listen to and lead their innovation teams. Since change is constant, Champions must be alert to the sounds of discontent and air issues and work them through.
Few innovation guarantees are as ironclad as this one. As a Champion, to be successful, involve all your team members, collect their ideas, and gain their support. Involvement also includes having a supportive community. Work in the exponential economy takes effort. We all need others to hold out their hands, giving encouragement and helping a project move forward.
Regardless of our profession, we work with colleagues and other professional groups. These groups are sources of inspiration and friendly competition that help us strive for greater achievement. Community is the gathering of others around us, giving us a sense of place and importance. If you are working on an innovation, convene a community of fellow innovators. It is a great feeling when you have a difficult problem and a solution arises after a colleague engages you in conversation.
Involvement in communities at work creates value. Regular group meetings, parties, and award ceremonies are all essential for creating a sense of community, recognition, and personal worth. In a healthy community, team members take care of one another. We have social scientists at SRI who are particularly good at this. They bring food to share for breakfast, give out funny awards on special occasions, and have events like an annual chili competition, where everyone comes and celebrates. Softball teams, bike clubs, and other after-hours activities all help too.
Money is not on our list of key motivators. As long as compensation is fair and reasonable, failure to satisfy the Motivation Mantra is what often troubles employers. Interestingly, when surveys are done, 80 percent of managers believe their employees leave because of pay. When asked, 80 percent of employees said they left because some element of the Motivation Mantra was missing [6]. That is our experience, too.
We have described three primary human motivators: achievement, empowerment, and involvement. Check with your team and see how you are doing, and like Burt's team, they are on the path to becoming top performers, too.
Steps of Personal and Team Transformation
Most of us get paralyzed in the face of change. The movement to something new requires crossing a deep void — a subconscious barrier. We perceive a gap between the old and new visions, a bottomless pit into which we might fall. We are not sure we will be successful and valued in the new vision or assignment.
At different times, we all need someone to help motivate us to make a change. Even in the case of Burt's group tackling Larry's need, the team needed to cross the void. It was not apparent at the start that they would be successful, but it was obvious that it would take a prodigious effort.
The secret of crossing the void is deceptively simple. The secret: We must see a way to leverage our current strengths in the innovation's vision. Some of us will be able to make this transformation on our own, but most of us need help from our significant others, colleagues, and other champions. As Champion of an innovation project, helping all your team members to cross the void is your responsibility and one of your first priorities. You can only get up to speed once everyone is across the gap and on the team.
Helping others means addressing the DNA of Change, satisfying the Three-Legged Stool of Collaboration, fulfilling the Motivation Mantra, and employing Personal Transformation to help them fully engage in the new vision.
Helping each team member move to the new vision follows a predictable sequence:
At some point, elements of the old vision must be left behind if the new vision succeeds.
We see examples of the need to help others vault the void daily. Take, for example, the case of Kevin. Kevin comes from Ireland and is a lively, exuberant talker who manages a significant new contract with a Japanese firm. He is the kind of fellow one would enjoy talking to in an Irish pub. But he is just the opposite of his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi, who is quiet. Kevin and Takeshi were about one year into a complex business relationship when Takeshi sent an e-mail to Kevin saying, "The contract is canceled." Kevin was surprised and constructed a long, negative e-mail in reply. But before clicking the send button, he decided to call a colleague and tell her the contract was jeopardized. The colleague recommended that Kevin:
Kevin said, "But I don't know how to get him to tell me his real issues. He doesn't talk much." "Kevin," his colleague said, "imagine that you are in an Irish pub, drinking with Takeshi. Pretend you are talking to another Irishman like you did for years. The key is to listen to Takeshi and get him to talk to you. Ensure he talks at least ten times as much as you do. You have all the skills and need to move them into the new environment."
Kevin practiced with another colleague to prepare appropriate questions for Takeshi. During their meeting and after a few bottles of sake, Takeshi finally described his real problems, which were mostly about politics in his own company rather than the substance of the contract. Once Kevin understood Takeshi's needs, they solved them together. The relationship was saved, and the contract was preserved.
Kevin leveraged his strengths. He had the necessary conversational skills, which he used in a pub. They needed to be identified and applied to his new situation with Takeshi. Our strengths can be leveraged to vault the void that separates us from the new vision.
Crossing the void is also problematic because it challenges our identity. Innovations often require that we perform different jobs as the innovation progresses, which requires changes in our professional identity. One day, we will be basic researchers, a champion leading an innovation team, and then part of a business development activity. Changing our identity is one of the most challenging things we can do. If a situation involves a significant change in the identity of an individual, team, or organization, you are embarking on a multiyear endeavor. It is a significant project. You should treat it as such.
A typical example directly affects many professionals: If you get an advanced degree at a university, you are expected to do original research yourself. Collaborating with others is discouraged and treated like cheating on an exam. When you leave the university, however, the most powerful way to work is with others in innovation teams. This team identity is different from the university individual-contributor identity. Working on an innovation that necessitates collaboration will challenge this individual-contributor identity you bring. When applied step-by-step, personal transformation is the key to addressing this identity change.
Another typical example is someone asked to Champion a project for the first time. This new Champion's identity differs from the previous team members. It is also scary because the necessary skills are different. And the rewards that come from helping others succeed are uncertain at first.
One of us can remember the first time we were asked to lead a new program, and we walked past the vice president's office two dozen times — trying to decide — before we accepted the assignment. These transitions can seem incredibly hard while they are going on. But once the change is accomplished, it is difficult, in retrospect, to remember why they were such a big deal.
Once you cross the void to the new vision, you can coach and assist other team members who are just joining the initiative. Pretty soon, the entire team is centered on the new vision, talking about being part of "a world-class team," "one of the best departments of communication in the country," or "the finest custom boat builder in the industry."
Great teachers intuitively understand Personal Transformation. We all experienced such transformations throughout grade school but probably ignored the process. If we were good at spelling in elementary school, the teacher leveraged that to help us understand sentence structure. If we could add numbers, that was the bridge to excite us about multiplication. If we enjoyed a good story, that became the springboard for writing literature. If we were quick-witted, we became debaters and public speakers. If we enjoyed drawing, that transformed into a commercial artist career.
Examine your situation. First, see if your team satisfies the Motivational Mantra: achievement, empowerment, and involvement [7]. Then, if your team is not aligned with the new vision for your innovation, employ the steps of Personal Transformation to help them with the journey by leveraging their strengths.?
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