Communicating the Innovative
Spirit
“Some men ask why? I dream dreams
and ask why not?
*Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
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1. Misconceptions
Innovation is risky.
 Innov. Is based on a big idea or grand
scheme
 Innov. Only comes from a few great minds
 Innov. Is product focused.
 Creativity is the same as innovation.

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2. What is innovation?
Stage 1:
 Stage 2:
 Stage 3:
 Stage 4:

Idea generation
Feasibility Analysis
Reality Testing
Implementation
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Implications of the model
Differing criteria at each stage
 Organizational barriers can occur at any
point
 The time line is elastic
 An overemphasis on single stage may be
problematic

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3. Success and failure
The Quadrants
 Implications (So what?)

 Results
alone do not determine success or
failure
 Present success is no guarantee of future
success
 The actual innovation is but the tip of the
iceberg
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4. Blue Ribbons & Red Tape
Not entirely novel
 Tools already available
 Rhetoric versus reality
 Paper work as enemy
 No guarantees
 “Wrong Department”
 Champion

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5. Stop & Go Signs
Corporate Policy (tied to model)
 Corporate Programs
 Everyone is an innovator
 Allow secret persistence
 Eliminate lengthy proposal
 Foster informal communication
 Reward innovation

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6. Bad ideas & tough decisions
An idea may fail, but people don’t
 Ideas are usually not fully developed
from the outset (tolerance)
 View ideas as attributes
 Reject the attribute not the idea
 Educate folks about the innovative process

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