How Innovative Are You?

Last week, I had the opportunity to facilitate a workshop with a group of 35 leaders. The topic was Change and Innovation.

Partway through the workshop, I asked the Leaders to self-assess (based on a scale of 1 to 10), how innovative they believed they were?

Most participants rated themselves six or lower.

In asking the participants to share why they gave themselves the score, they described varying definitions of what being innovative meant to them and this sparked a conversation about the "meaning" of innovation.

Some of the comments included:

Innovation is risky, so I am only innovative in areas of work where I am very comfortable

I am not innovative at all, but I make sure to surround myself with others that are

Finding better ways to do things is a big part of how I approach life; it can be a process or strategy at work or finding different ways to do laundry or cook.?

One participant asked,

If one company creates a product or service and another adopts a similar product or service, is the second company innovative?

Participants had very strong perspectives on this question.

Several heads were shaking ‘no’; while others jumped in verbally. Other participants questioned why not? If I were the second company, it would be innovative for me.?

Innovation is often described as a "disruptive advance" such as the wheel, airplane, personal computer, or artificial intelligence.?

However, there are various types of innovation. During the workshop, we discussed three types of innovation: Incremental, Expansive and Disruptive.

The conversation allowed many participants to question their beliefs about innovation, but more importantly, the group had the opportunity to converse. Innovation is only one of a large number of everyday words that hold different meanings for each of us.

Creating space for conversation about what each leader believed about innovation allowed them to share their perspectives, hear what others thought, ask questions and ultimately consider shifting their beliefs.

When your beliefs are deeply held, as many of ours are, your reaction to a belief that is not the same as yours is often judgment or default thought that the other person is wrong. During the conversation, I challenged the participants to trade judgment for curiosity. Seek to understand why someone believes something different from you.

Different isn’t wrong; it can simply be different, but when you choose judgment, the difference can create conflict and distance. Curiosity can help you find a common understanding and connection.

Later in the workshop, I asked the Leaders to reflect on their original self-assessment and consider whether there had been any change. Many participants noted a shift in their self-assessment scores. More importantly, several shared that the workshop, specifically the conversation, had given them a chance to challenge their thinking and inspired them to look for opportunities to practice more innovative thinking.?

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If you need help facilitate these kinds of conversations with your team, please reach out to me directly at Lisa Blanchet on LinkedIn or lisablanchet.ca.