Speakers: Ms. Smita Affinwalla & Mr. Rahul Shah

1. Encouraging an Environment of
Innovation: The Role of
Frontline Leaders
By-
Smita Affinwalla
Rahul Shah
DDI
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2. Today’s Presenters
Smita Affinwalla Rahul Shah
Head, Consulting Senior Consultant,
DDI India Leadership
Solutions Group
DDI India
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3. INNOVATION
Everywhere

4. Today’s Agenda
Today’s Agenda
 Innovation
 Why innovation is important today
 The right type of innovation for your
organization
 Three must-have leader behaviors
 Trust me, I’m your leader
By-
 Take a risk, I’ll help
Smita Affinwalla
 Purposeful change
Rahul Shah
DDI
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5. Classic Definitions –
Creativity is the production
of original ideas that are
made useful.
Innovation is the successful
introduction of new useful
ideas.
T. Amabile, Harvard Business School
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6. Creativity Drives Innovation
Creativity Drives Innovation
“Creativity is the crucial „front-end‟
of the innovation process; before
innovation can happen, the creative
ideas must be generated by individuals
and teams so that they can be
successfully implemented.”
Amabile, Burnside & Gryskiewicz, 1999, p. 1
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7. Innovation
The process of
bringing new
solutions to the
market that drive
differentiation
and measurable
business value.
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8. Innovation: A Priority
Percentage of respondents who consider
innovation a top-three strategic priority
2010
2009 2008 2007
BCG Report: Innovation 2010
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9. Top Innovative Countries
Source: GE's Annual Global Innovation Barometer
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10. The 10 Most Innovative Companies in India –
2012
Fast Company Survey 2011
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11. “Its not lowest cost per unit of output or service that India is known
for it should be known for the lowest cost per unit of innovation
because it is people plus our ability to innovate that is India's
strength and I want our companies and business to embody that”
-Anand Mahindra
“I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas….I am
frightened of Old ones”
-John Cage
Constant reinvention is the central necessity at G.E. We’re are all
just a moment away from commodity hell.”
-CEO, G.E.
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12. Three Types of Innovation
Product Innovation
Process Innovation
Business Model Innovation
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13. Polling question
Polling Question
• Which definition best fits
your organization’s
objectives?
– Process innovation?
– Product innovation?
– Business model innovation?
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14. An Operational Vision
Develop specific,
measurable, achievable
ways to ensure everyone
in the organization knows
what is required to meet or
exceed organizational
expectations around
innovation.
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15. Innovation
Generating innovative solutions
Competency in work situations; trying
different and novel ways to
deal with work problems and
opportunities
Key Actions
Challenges paradigms
Leverages diverse
resources
Thinks expansively
Evaluates multiple
solutions
Ensures relevance
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16. Polling Question
Polling Question
• My organization has a
unique and specific
definition/description of
innovation:
– Yes
– No
– Kind of
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17. Is your organization ready for innovation?
True or False
1. Everyone in our organization (workgroup)
understands how we define innovation
2. Our customers think of us as an innovative
organization
3. Top management has a clear commitment
to innovation
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18. Top 10 Innovation Challenges
• Completely new products/processes
• Knowledge transfer among employees
• Brand recognition
• Acquiring/developing the right talent
• Improving customer relationships
• Increasing market share through new products/services
• Improvement in original products/processes
• Establishing/promoting an innovation culture
• Improving customer relationships
• Visible commitment from top leaders
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19. Top TopInnovation Challenges
10 10 Innovation Challenges
• Acquiring/developing the right talent 31.0%
• Improving customer relationships 28.4%
• Visible commitment from top leaders 24.3%
• Brand recognition 23.3%
• Establishing/promoting an innovative culture 22.0%
• Increasing market share through new 20.0%
products/services
• Knowledge transfer among employees 16.9%
• Improvement in original products/processes 15.5%
• Completely new products/processes 14.2%
• Strategic mergers and acquisitions 13.9%
CEO Challenges, Conference Board, 2007
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20. 1. Driving & managing change
Top Five 2. Identifying/developing future talent
Future 3. Fostering creativity & innovation
Critical Skills 4. Coaching & developing others
5. Executing organizational strategy

21. 1. Driving & managing change
Top Five 2. Identifying/developing future talent
Future 3. Fostering creativity & innovation
Critical Skills 4. Coaching & developing others
5. Executing organizational strategy

22. A Leader’s Role in Innovation
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23. The Leader‟s Role in
Innovation
Leader’s Role in Innovation
Innovation Challenges Driving Innovation
Failure to Understand Question
Inspire Curiosity
Stakeholders Assumptions
Challenge Current
Lackluster Ideas Think Differently
Perspectives
Aversion to Risk Taking Create Freedom Experiment
Poor Execution Drive Discipline Get Things Done
Leader Team Members
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24. Leaders Way– WAY
THE LEADER‟S
• They use context to mobilise and catalyse organizational action
• They set a clear level of ambition for the innovation effort with
appropriate permissions
• They commission cross-functional teams
• They challenge orthodoxies the industry or the company
• They refuse to think innovation is an accident or the result of a
stroke of insight
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25. Leadership Skills for Creating a Culture of
Innovation
• Maintain a high trust environment
• Encourage acceptable risk-taking
• Support on-going change
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26. 1. Three Key Leadership Skills
Maintain a High-Trust Environment
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27. Trust Breakers
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28. Poll
Which Trust Breaker is the biggest barrier to
innovation in your organization?
Breaks promises
Serves own interests
Acts inconsistently
Avoids issues
Makes assumptions
Doubts others
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29. Trust Builders
• Fosters open • Treats everyone
communication with respect and
fairness
• Is reliable and • Shows confidence
consistent in others
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30. 2. Three Key Leadership Skills
Encourage Acceptable Risk Taking
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31. Is your organization ready for innovation?
What % of your front line leaders…
1. Know how to encourage and reward
innovative behavior
2. Encourage suggestions for improvement
3. Provide proactive coaching and feedback
regularly
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32. Polling question
• When presented with a good innovation
idea, our leaders:
– Thank the person, take ownership, and do
something later.
– Provide positive feedback, coaching, and
encourage ownership.
– Something in between the above, but I’m not
exactly sure what.
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33. Polling question
• When presented with a bad innovation idea,
our leaders:
– Thank the person, dismiss the idea, and do
nothing.
– Don’t waste time, dismiss it right away.
– Provide positive feedback and seek ways to
improve the idea.
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34. Handling Good Ideas
• Provide specific and
sincere positive feedback
• Seek ideas for application
or implementation
• Provide support without
removing responsibility (to
encourage ownership)
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35. Specific
Timely
Balanced
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36. Handling Bad Ideas
• Express appreciation for the idea (i.e.,
recognize effort)
• Ask questions to explore potential problems
(i.e., seek alternative actions)
• Offer suggestions to build on, or improve,
the idea
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37. 3. Three Key Leadership Skills
On-Going Change
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38. Phases of Change:
• Disorientation
• Reorientation
• Integration
Disorientation Reorientation Integration
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39. Leaders’ Approach to Change
• View change as an opportunity
• Gather and share information
• Accept that people approach change
differently
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40. Is your Organization ready for innovation?
Would you say “Yes?”
 Our organization has an easy to use process or
system to capture and share innovation ideas
 Creativity and innovation are evaluated as part
of the individual’s performance through a
performance management system.
 Our organization has a measurement system in
place to measure progress of implementing
innovative ideas
 Our organization uses regularly scheduled staff
meetings to discuss innovation
 Our organization allows sufficient time to
develop new ideas
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41. Climate Control:
Is Your Organization Ready?
We want
to be We are
innovative Innovative
Neutral
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42. Polling question
• What is the biggest barrier to innovation in
your organization?
– Don’t have the right people for the type of
innovation.
– People not allocated to innovation.
– Have the right people, but leaders protect
innovation.
– Have the right people, but culture inhibits
progress.
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43. Inhibiting Innovation….
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44. Thank you!
For any clarification write to us
rahul.shah@ddiworld.com
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