Presenters
M.J.
D’Elia
( mdelia@uoguelph.ca
)
Learning
and
Curriculum
Support
Librarian
University
of
Guelph
Randy
Oldham
( roldham@uoguelph.ca
)
Web
Development
Librarian
University
of
Guelph
Robin
Bergart
 (in
absentia) 
( rbergart@uoguelph.ca
)
User
Experience
Librarian
University
of
Guelph
Objectives
for
this
presentation
1.
Understand
the
importance
of
innovative
practice
within
learning
 organizations
2.
Learn
simple
strategies
to
foster
more
innovative
thinking
in
your
 organization
3.
Recognize
the
value
of
play
to
productivity
Free
Association
Game
(Instructions)
•
In
small
groups,
answer
the
following
question:
 How
is
a
library
like
_______?
•
Fill
in
the
blanks
with
one
of
the
following
words:
Airport,
submarine,
gas
 station
and
garage,
spa
or
salon,
hotel,
hospital,
tattoo
parlour,
orchestra,
 research
laboratory,
ski
resort,
farmers’
market,
amusement
park,
hockey
 arena,
cargo
van,
police
station,
farm
•
In
2
minutes,
brainstorm
as
many
similarities
between
libraries
and
these
 objects/places
as
possible
Free
Association
Game
(Purpose)
•
Simple
activity
to
get
participants
to
practice
their
lateral
thinking
–
forces
 participants
to
look
for
connections
or
free
associations
between
seemingly
 unrelated
objects
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
1

•
Shifts
the
mood
and
signifies
to
the
participants
that
they
are
in
for
 something
different
(and
that’s
okay)
•
Can
reveal
a
more
interesting
picture
of
the
objects
that
are
being
free
 associated
•
Highlights
the
importance
of
looking
outside
our
industry
(libraries)
for
 solutions
to
the
problem
(too
often
we
focus
on
what
other
libraries
are
 doing
and
we
miss
broader
trends
in
other
industries)
University
of
Guelph
( http://www.uoguelph.ca/ )
•
Mid‐sized
teaching
and
research
institution
•
Undergraduate,
graduate
and
professional
programs
•
Over
22,000
students
McLaughlin
Library
( http://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/ )
•
Primary
library
on
campus
•
Sciences,
social
sciences,
humanities
and
arts
•
Busy
hub
on
campus
–
11,000+
visitors
each
day
during
the
academic
year
•
120+
staff
members,
approximately
23
librarians
McLaughlin
Library:
Organizational
Renewal
&
Innovation
•
Transitioning
from
a
liaison
librarian
model
to
a
functional
team
model
 o Need
to
be
more
flexible
and
responsive
 o Need
to
do
more
with
fewer
resources
 o To
be
more
strategic
in
the
face
of
tighter
budgets
•
Revisited
some
of
the
Library’s
defining
documents
as
part
of
the
renewal
 process
(e.g.
our
core
values,
our
mission,
our
service
philosophy,
etc.)
 o Administration
involved
staff
at
all
levels
right
from
the
beginning
as
 we
attempted
to
shape
the
future
of
the
organization
•
Recognition
that
innovation
is
one
of
the
Library’s
core
values
–
yet
too
many
 staff
members
believed
that
they
weren’t
innovative
or
creative

 o Need
to
combat
the
belief
that
creativity
is
an
innate
ability
and
 cannot
be
learned
 o Building
our
capacity
for
innovation
and
creative
problem
solving
will
 be
essential
as
we
move
forward
•
For
more
information
on
the
Organizational
Renewal
check
out:
 o http://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/about/organizational_renewal.cfm
o http://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/about/components/documents/organiz ational_renewal_2009.pdf
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
2

Key
Questions:
Innovation
Initiatives
•
If
we’re
going
to
push
ourselves
to
be
more
innovative
in
our
practice,
then
 we
have
to
address
a
number
of
key
questions:
 o Can
everyone
learn
to
be
creative?

 o Can
innovation
be
developed
and
nurtured,
like
a
habit
of
mind,
or
a
 discipline?
o If
so,
what
might
that
environment
look
like?

 o What
does
innovation
mean
in
a
library?

 o Is
there
an
inherent
tension
between
a
library’s
mandate
to
control
 information
and
the
chaos
that
comes
with
disruptive
innovation?
o What’s
the
difference
between
promoting
creativity
in
a
person
and
in
 a
group?
o How
do
leaders
best
promote
creativity?
o Does
more
a
more
innovative
library
in
fact
better
support
student
 learning?
Innovation
Boot
Camp
•
Operated
a
12‐week
social
experiment
called
Innovation
Boot
Camp
•
Adopted
a
military
metaphor
(including
camouflage)
because:
 o We
wanted
to
be
disciplined
in
our
training
(like
military
boot
camp)

 o Inherent
tension
between
the
chaos
that
often
comes
with
creativity
 and
the
regimented
order
that
comes
with
the
military
•
Delivered
an
open
call
to
the
library
and
recruited
six
individuals
•
Spent
2
hours
every
Friday
afternoon
for
an
entire
semester
some
creativity
 experiments
and
learning
together
•
Used
Tom
Kelley’s
book,
 The
Ten
Faces
of
Innovation ,
to
structure
the
 program
 o Kelley
works
at
IDEO
( http://www.ideo.com/ ),
a
fairly
well‐known
 international
design
consulting
firm
 o Divides
the
ten
faces
into
three
categories:
 Learning
personas
 Organizing
personas
 Building
personas
 o Presents
a
broad
perspective
of
the
types
of
personas
required
for
 innovative
thinking
(enabled
us
to
see
what
we’re
good
at,
but
also
 where
we’re
lacking)

 o The
goal
of
the
book
is
not
to
identify
with
a
single
face,
it
is
to
become
 aware
of
the
faces
needed
to
generate
and
execute
good
ideas
 o At
times
you
may
play
multiple
roles
on
a
given
team,
or
you
may
play
 one
role
on
one
team
and
a
different
one
on
the
other
 o While
you
may
inherently
lean
toward
one
“face”,
you
can
develop
 skills
and
abilities
in
the
other
faces
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
3

The
10
Faces
of
Innovation:
Short
Overview
Learning
personas
•
Description:
Information
gatherers
•
Purpose:
To
help
the
organization
avoid
becoming
too
internally
focused
•
Responsibilities:

 o Gather
new
sources
of
information
 o Openly
question
assumptions
 o Remain
open
to
new
insights
(regardless
of
the
source)
•
Credo:
Enemy
of
complacency
The
Anthropologist
•
Develops
a
deep
understanding
of
how
people
interact
•
Observes
human
behaviour
with
products,
services
and
spaces
•
Watches
subjects
in
their
natural
environment
•
Key
phrase:

 o “fresh
eyes”
–
it’s
about
seeing
things
for
the
first
time
like
a
tourist
in
 a
foreign
place
The
Experimenter
•
Learns
by
trial
and
error;
takes
calculated
risks
•
Continually
prototyping
and
product‐testing
new
ideas
•
Expect
to
fail
often,
but
failing
early
leads
to
faster
and
better
solutions
•
Key
phrases:
 o “experimentation
as
implementation”
 o “thinking
by
doing”;
“thinking
with
your
hands”
The
Cross­Pollinator
•
Explores
other
industries
and
cultures
•
Translates
findings
from
other
environments
into
the
current
context
•
Efforts
are
focused
externally
•
Nurtures
curiosity;
explores
adjacencies
•
Key
phrases:
 o “connect
cultures”;
“work
the
metaphor”
–
every
object
has
the
 capacity
to
stand
for
something
else
 o “connect
cultures”
Organizing
personas
•
Description:
Idea
sorters
•
Purpose:
To
help
good
ideas
move
forward
in
the
organization
•
Responsibilities:
 o Move
past
organizational
challenges
to
accomplish
tasks
 o Allocate
resources
effectively
•
Credo:
Survival
of
the
fittest
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
4

The
Hurdler
•
Has
a
knack
for
overcoming
obstacles
and
roadblocks
•
Intricate
knowledge
of
the
organizational
processes
and
hierarchy
•
Politically
aware
and
unafraid
of
bureaucratic
process
•
Willingness
to
bend
the
rules
to
accomplish
tasks
•
Thrives
on
constraints
–
doesn’t
like
to
hear
that
something
“can’t
be
done”
•
Key
phrases:
 o “seek
forgiveness
not
permission”
 o “see
through
constraints”
The
Collaborator
•
Brings
eclectic
personalities
and
diverse
individuals
together
•
Encourages
and
enables
cooperation
among
the
team
members
•
Helps
generate
multi‐disciplinary
solutions
•
Co‐opts
the
Devil’s
Advocates
•
Gets
people
learning
and
doing
together
•
Thrives
in
the
messy
spaces
of
people
working
together
(conflict,
friction,
 strife,
delight,
creative
potential)
•
Key
phrases:
 o “Lead
from
the
middle”
 o “break
down
silos”
The
Director
•
Gathers
talented
crew
and
inspires
them
to
perform
•
Intimate
knowledge
of
team
members’
strengths
•
Ability
to
harness
the
creativity
of
others
•
Allocates
resources,
keeps
people
on
tasks,
showcases
the
team
•
Draws
people
out
–
motivates
and
encourages
•
Less
dictation,
more
facilitation
•
Puts
others
on
the
centre
stage
•
Key
phrase:
 o “showcase
the
team”
Building
personas
•
Description:
Idea
executors
•
Purpose:
To
turn
great
ideas
into
real
projects
•
Responsibilities:

 o Apply
insights
from
learning
personas
 o Recognize
successes
from
organizing
roles
•
Credo:
Build
it
and
they
will
come
The
Experience
Architect
•
Design
compelling
experiences
•
Connect
with
customers
and
users
at
a
deeper
level
than
mere
functionality
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
5

•
Surprises
and
delights
in
unforgettable
experiences
•
Authentic
•
Attention
to
details
•
Key
phrase:
 o “make
the
ordinary
extraordinary”
The
Set
Designer
•
Create
a
stage
on
which
members
can
do
their
best
work
•
Consider
the
physical
environment
as
a
tool
•
Find
hidden
performance
improvements
by
reshaping
space
•
Builds
spaces
for
creative
play
•
Provides
the
materials
to
be
creative
•
Key
phrase:
 o “shape
the
spaces”
The
Caregiver
•
Anticipate
customer
needs
and
are
ready
to
look
after
them
•
Willing
to
move
beyond
simple
service
•
Demonstrates
empathy
toward
the
plight
of
the
customer
•
Goes
for
“intimacy
not
scale”
•
Treat
people
as
individuals
not
as
an
aggregated
group
•
Provides
valuable
expertise
•
Makes
people
feel
good
about
themselves
•
Key
phrases:
 o “show
more,
tell
less”
 o “smile”
The
Storyteller
•
Build
internal
morale
through
stories
•
Reinforce
organizational
culture
through
firsthand
accounts
•
Create
external
awareness
through
stories
(marketing
angle)
•
Importance
of
authenticity
•
Use
a
variety
of
tools
to
communicate
•
Key
phrase:
 o “collect
compelling
narratives”
Straw
Build
Challenge
(Instructions)
•
In
small
groups,
have
participants
find
a
spot
on
the
floor
•
Challenge:
 o Build
the
tallest
free
standing
structure

 o Materials:
100
straws
and
15
cm
of
tape
 o Time:
10
minutes
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
6

Straw
Build
Challenge
(Purpose)
 o Generate
a
sense
of
team
(groups
have
a
simple,
shared
objective)
 o Get
teams
working
quickly
–
just
enough
time
to
accomplish
the
task,
not
 enough
time
to
be
distracted
by
political
power
struggles
 o Encourages
participants
to
work
with
their
hands
 o Communicates
the
importance
of
rapid
prototyping
and
the
iterative
 design
process
(build,
refine,
build
again,
refine
again,
etc.)
 o Recognize
that
there
is
no
single
solution
to
a
given
problem
or
challenge
 o Groups
build
very
different
looking
structures
to
accomplish
the
task
 o Importance
of
embracing
failure
–
not
all
structures
will
stand
on
their
own
 o For
an
entertaining
discussion
of
a
similar
build
challenge
(called
the
Marshmallow
build)
watch
this
TED
talk
from
Tom
Wujec:
 o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0_yKBitO8M
Key
Themes
(or,
The
Things
We
Learned
About
Running
Boot
Camp)
Work
is
play
/
Play
is
work
•
The
group
that
plays
together
is
simply
more
productive
•
Organizations
are
increasingly
pressured
to
become
more
efficient
in
an
 effort
to
save
money,
but
this
could
send
the
wrong
message
to
the
 employees
(they
turn
off
and
morale
starts
to
drop)
•
Enabling
them
to
play
and
have
some
fun
loosens
up
the
mind,
gets
people
 engaged,
and
truly
leads
to
innovative
breakthroughs
•
When
you
play,
failure
is
less
of
a
concern
(because
there
is
no
cost)
–
if
we
 can
translate
this
to
the
work
environment
we’ll
be
less
afraid
to
try
stuff
•
Similarly
when
employees
are
at
play
(outside
of
work)
they
notice
things
 that
they
can
bring
into
the
workplace
(i.e.
cross‐pollinate)
•
Work
and
play
are
not
polar
opposites
–
they
reinforce
each
other
and
can
 work
(or
play)
quite
nicely
together
Innovation
is
a
Social
Process
•
Creativity
is
not
the
magic
of
a
lone
genius
•
We
learned
that
working
in
a
group
provides
many
advantages

 o Builds
team
 o Enables
more
diverse
ideas
to
emerge
 o Encourages
people
to
“jump
and
build”
on
each
other’s
ideas
 o Allows
the
group
to
accomplish
more
and
arrive
at
more
suitable
 solutions
than
any
single
individual
would
have
on
their
own
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
7

Use
the
space
•
Think
of
your
space
as
a
character
in
what
you’re
trying
to
accomplish

 o How
can
you
change
it,
or
use
it
to
your
advantage?
•
Changing
the
space
before
a
meeting
can
entirely
change
the
demeanor
of
the
 participants

 o Signify
to
the
team
members
that
something
is
different
–
allows
them
 to
break
out
of
their
mental
models
of
that
particular
space
and
 provides
an
opportunity
for
fresh
thinking
 o Variety
helps
the
mind
work
•
Some
simple
ideas
to
implement:
 o If
you
are
always
facing
a
screen,
then
face
away
 o If
you’re
always
working
on
a
table,
take
the
tables
away
 o If
you
rely
too
heavily
on
PowerPoint,
then
ban
PowerPoint
for
a
 month
 o Move
your
meetings
to
different
locations
(even
outdoors)
Constraints
can
be
enablers
•
The
creative
process
can
get
bogged
down
by
constraints
or
barriers
(e.g.
we
 don’t
have
the
budget
to
do
that,
we
don’t
have
the
people
to
do
that,
we
 don’t
have
the
skills
to
do
that,
etc.);
as
a
result,
projects
and
good
ideas
 never
get
off
the
ground
•
Think
of
these
constraints
as
opportunities
rather
than
barriers
 o With
more
restrictive
constraints
the
group
cannot
take
the
well‐ traveled
path
 o Members
have
to
push
themselves
to
think
more
creatively
about
 solving
the
problems
at
hand
Creativity
is
a
practice
•
There
is
a
role
for
everyone
in
the
innovation
process

 o You
don’t
have
to
be
a
designer
or
an
artist
to
be
called
“creative”
•
Creativity
and
innovative
practice
can
be
learned
(just
like
you
can
learn
to
 be
a
better
web
designer,
or
a
better
teacher)
•
Practicing
creative
habits
is
the
key
–
if
you
expect
to
deliver
innovative
 breakthroughs
when
it
counts,
then
continually
practice
simple
creative
 exercises

 o Start
small
and
push
yourself
out
of
your
comfort
zone
a
little
more
 each
time
•
If
you’re
facilitating
a
creative
brainstorming/problem‐solving
session,
then
 provide
an
environment
where
participants
can
grow
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
8

Build
Your
Own
Boot
Camp
•
Libraries
are
perfectly
suitable
environments
for
innovation
(in
fact,
 innovation
and
creative
problem
solving
may
be
essential
for
the
future
of
 the
profession)
•
With
buy‐in
from
management,
“boot
camps”
can
be
done
inexpensively
(e.g.
aside
from
the
cost
of
staff
time,
our
entire
12‐week
program
cost
under
$500)
•
If
a
full
semester
program
isn’t
feasible
try
something
that
fits
better
with
 your
institution/organization:
 o Take
one
morning
per
month
 o Take
a
day
long
retreat
with
your
team
 o Use
simple
creativity
exercises
at
the
beginning
of
each
staff
meeting
Motivate
Your
Organization
–
Borrowed
from
 Drive 
by
Daniel
Pink
•
Autonomy
–
give
people
the
opportunity
to
be
self‐directed
 o Give
the
team
a
clear
objective,
but
don’t
be
too
prescriptive
in
how
 they
need
to
achieve
the
objective
 o Trust
your
people
to
deliver
•
Mastery
–
give
people
the
opportunity
to
get
better
at
stuff
 o Try
to
avoid
“one‐shot”
creativity
training
 o Work
to
make
it
a
habit
by
incorporating
it
throughout
the
 organization
(even
in
small
ways)

 o People
will
eventually
overcome
their
initial
fear
and
become
more
 willing
to
take
risks
•
Purpose
–
provide
tasks
that
a
relevant
and
meaningful
 o No
one
wants
to
do
something
for
the
sake
of
doing
it
 o Be
transparent
in
with
your
purpose
and
you’ll
get
“buy‐in”
from
 participants
•
For
more
information
on
Dan
Pink’s
book
check
out
this
video
from
Royal
Society
for
the
encouragement
of
Arts,
Manufactures
and
Commerce:
 o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc
Innovation
Boot
Camp
(Steal
These
Ideas!)
•
More
information
on
Innovation
Boot
Camp
can
be
found
at
our
blog:
 o http://innovationbootcamp.wordpress.com/
•
Feel
free
to
borrow
and
adapt
these
ideas
for
your
organization!
Innovation:
The
Language
of
Learning
Libraries
LOTW
2010:
Calgary,
Alberta
9