Monthly Archives: June 2022

Future of Global Physician Entrepreneurship

GUEST POST from Arlen Meyers, M.D.

What’s your definition of entrepreneurship? Here’s the conventional one.

Mine is that physician entrepreneurship is the physician pursuit of opportunity under volatile, uncertain ,complex and ambiguous (VUCA) conditions with the goal of creating user defined value through the deployment of innovation using a VAST business model.

There are many myths about entrepreneurs. Here are some about physician entrepreneurs.

The life science innovation roadmap is risky, expensive and time consuming. To be successful, bioentrepreneurs whether healthcare professionals, scientists, engineers, investors or service providers, need to work as a team with their organizations to overcome the multiple hurdles taking their ideas to the market and patients. The process is neither linear nor predictable and outcomes are never guaranteed. In addition, because of global macroeconomic conditions, investors are unwilling to gamble on unproven technologies in a more hostile regulatory and legal environment. Consequently, commercializing bioscience discoveries is becoming more and more difficult. However, innovators still thrive. Where are some of these exciting business opportunities for bioentrepreneurs?

An initial understanding of the changes happening in international systems is the first step in identifying potential market opportunities. Here are but a few:

Major and continual healthcare policy reforms
Migration away from fee for service payment
Consumerization, commoditization, internationalization, customization and digitization of care.
Changing from a sick care system to a preventive and wellness system
Defined benefit to defined contribution health insurance coverage
Rightsizing the healthcare workforce
Do it yourself medicine (DIY)
Mobile and digical (physical and digital) care delivery models
The growth of employed physicians
Innovation management systems and increasing attention to health entrepreneurship.
Increasing demand for high touch care
Increasing discontinuity of cares changing quickly. All of these changes present biomedical and healthcare entrepreneurs opportunities to create new products, services, models and platforms. Patients are taking more control of funding and contributing to basic and clinical research using the internet and social media continues to play a bigger and bigger role in healthcare marketing and delivery.
Demographic and economic changes and social mobility
Closing the digital divide
The impact of the 4th industrial revolution

Take opportunities in AIntrepreneurship, for example, in India, China, MENA and Africa

The drivers of physician international entrepreneurship include:

Fear: Doctors are afraid they will suffer the professional, personal and economic consequences if they don’t adapt to change
Greed: Physician incomes are threatened by innovation and new business models
Necessity: Most doctors in industrialized countries have a relatively high standard of living. They did not bother themselves with innovation or entrepreneurship because they didn’t have to.
The innovation imperative: The pace of change has accelerated and markets and employers are demanding more with less
Generational demands: Medical students and residents are questioning their career decisions and demanding that schools provide them with the innovation and entrepreneurship education and training knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to thrive after graduation and throughout their careers
The shifting doctor-patient relationship: Technology and DIY medicine is disintermediating doctors and fundamentally altering the doctor-patient relationship
Resources: The internet, local ecosystems, acclerators and access to early stage capital has made it easier to start a business or develop an idea. People are connecting to the global economy.
Portfolio careers: The sick care gig economy is growing and the future of work is changing. Fewer are committing to one lifetime career or job, including clinical medicine
Opportunities: With change, comes opportunities and those few doctors with an entrepreneurial mindset are actively pursuing them. The opportunities in health entrepreneurship are sizable and physician entrepreneurs are increasing well positioned to capitalize on them.
Culture: The culture of medicine is changing and encouraging creativity and innovation
Politics: Access to quality care at an affordable price is in high demand as middle classes grow in developing countries. Not providing it leads to social upheaval and political instability.
Budget deficits: The demand for care is almost infinite. However, the supply is limited. Consequently, policy makers and markets are looking for ways to improve outcomes at a lower cost through the deployment of innovation.
Youth unemployment: Restless unemployed, educated citizens are demanding jobs and ways to use their talents.
Economic development: Innovation and entrepreneurship is fuel that that feeds the engines of economic development in emerging economies. like Africa.
Globalization: People, money and technology go where they are treated best, regardless of location.

The future of physician entrepreneurship is measured by progress in four domains: education, practice, research and impact. Unfortunately, each part of the physician innovation value chain is highly resistant to change and subject to multiple barriers to dissemination and implementation. We have made progress in all, but, the results are unevenly distributed.

The future of international physician entrepreneurship will be punctuated by:

The coherence of disparate technologies from diverse industries other than sickcare
Increasing transdisciplinary and international dependencies and collaboration
Educational reform in health professional, public health, bioengineering and computer science programs
Significant regulatory, legal, economic, ethical and societal issues
Generational, social and demographic variations in dissemination and implementation
An evolving global IT cybernervous system and interoperability
More difficult trust, privacy and security barriers
A high touch backlash against high tech
The rise of patient sickcare entrepreneurship
A slow migration to healthcare from sickcare

That said, this is the golden age of physician entrepreneurship, as reflected by the record number of applicants to US medical schools, the number of doctors pursuing non-clinical careers or side gigs, the ever increasing number of biomedical and clinical ecosystems, inclusion of digital health, business of medicine and entrepreneurship education and training in medical and graduate schools and the results and impact of entrepreneurs during the COVID pandemic.

Physician medical practice entrepreneurs, technopreneurs, intrapreneurs, social entrepreneurs, philanthropreneurs, edupreneurs and others are changing the world and the movement is spreading rapidly. Fortunately, despite efforts to the contrary, there is no vaccine to stop it.

Image credit: Unsplash

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Empathy in Design: Understanding Your Users

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Empathy in Design: Understanding Your Users

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

In the swiftly changing world of technology and innovation, tapping into the minds and hearts of users has become more crucial than ever. As we strive to create products and services that truly resonate, empathy is our guiding star. Understanding users is about stepping into their world, uncovering their needs, desires, and challenges.

The Power of Empathy in Design

Empathy helps designers move beyond assumptions. It grounds us in reality, urging us to perceive things from the user’s perspective. By understanding how users interact with a product, we can ensure that it not only meets their needs but enhances their experience. Empathy-driven design fosters connection, satisfaction, and ultimately, loyalty.

Case Study 1: Airbnb – Designing for Belonging

Background

Airbnb started with a simple idea: offering a platform for people to rent out spaces in their homes. However, as it grew, the company realized it was about more than just travel accommodations—it was about fostering a sense of belonging.

Approach

Airbnb employed empathy mapping and journey mapping to understand the needs and emotions of their users. They spent time with hosts and guests, listening to their stories and observing their experiences. Through this process, Airbnb discovered that guests wanted more than a place to stay. They sought personal connections and authentic experiences.

Results

By empathizing with users, Airbnb transitioned from a mere booking platform to a community-driven experience provider. Features such as the introduction of Experiences—activities hosted by locals—reflected this deeper understanding. This shift in focus helped Airbnb achieve global success and distinguish itself in a crowded market.

Case Study 2: IDEO and the Design of an Accessible Voting Booth

Background

IDEO, a global design and innovation company, was tasked with redesigning the voting experience to make it accessible to everyone, including disabled and elderly people. The challenge was to create a booth that was easy to use, while ensuring the privacy and security of the vote.

Approach

IDEO researchers immersed themselves in the lives of voters. They involved people with disabilities in the design process, conducted interviews, and tested prototypes in multiple polling locations. The team sought feedback from users to understand their specific impediments and aspirations when voting.

Results

The outcome was a voting booth with a universal design that featured adjustable heights, intuitive layouts, and straightforward instructions. IDEO’s empathetic approach ensured that voting was accessible to all, empowering a segment of society that often faced obstacles in civic participation.

Implementing Empathy in Your Design Processes

Integrating empathy into design processes often involves the following steps:

Empathize with Users: Engage with diverse users to gather insights through interviews, observations, and participatory design.
Define Insights: Synthesize user feedback into actionable insights that capture their needs and desires.
Ideate Solutions: Develop creative solutions that address user challenges, involving them in the brainstorming process.
Prototype and Test: Build prototypes and test them with actual users to understand their experiences and refine designs accordingly.
Implement and Iterate: Launch solutions with room for improvements based on continuous user feedback and evolving empathy.

Conclusion

Empathy in design isn’t merely a process; it’s a mindset. By cultivating a deeper understanding of users, companies can create products that genuinely resonate and drive profound connections. As demonstrated by Airbnb and IDEO, empathetic design leads to solutions that meet real-world needs while building strong, sustainable relationships with users.

Extra Extra: Because innovation is all about change, Braden Kelley’s human-centered change methodology and tools are the best way to plan and execute the changes necessary to support your innovation and transformation efforts — all while literally getting everyone all on the same page for change. Find out more about the methodology and tools, including the book Charting Change by following the link. Be sure and download the TEN FREE TOOLS while you’re here.

Image credit: Pexels

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Predictive Analytics in Innovation Performance Measurement

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Predictive Analytics in Innovation Performance Measurement

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In an era where innovation is the competitive edge, organizations are increasingly looking towards predictive analytics to measure and enhance innovation performance. By leveraging patterns in data, predictive analytics allows organizations to anticipate future outcomes, optimize processes, and ensure agility in their innovation efforts. In this article, we delve into how predictive analytics is revolutionizing innovation performance measurement with real-world case studies.

Understanding Predictive Analytics in Innovation

Predictive analytics involves utilizing statistical algorithms and machine learning techniques to identify the likelihood of future outcomes based on historical data. In the context of innovation, it focuses on predicting trends, identifying potential pitfalls, and measuring the probable success of new ideas. This data-driven approach provides actionable insights, enabling informed decision-making and risk mitigation.

Case Study 1: Philips and Healthcare Innovation

Philips, a global leader in health technology, leverages predictive analytics to drive innovation in healthcare solutions. By employing machine learning algorithms and big data analytics, Philips evaluates vast datasets including patient records, device feedback, and diagnostic information.

For example, Philips developed predictive models to innovate chronic disease management. By analyzing historical health data, they identified patterns and key indicators of disease progression. This allowed Philips to create personalized treatment plans and predict potential health risks before they manifested, enhancing patient outcomes and streamlining healthcare services.

The result was a significant improvement in patient care and operational efficiency, reducing hospital readmissions and lowering costs associated with chronic illness management. Philips’ use of predictive analytics in innovation exemplifies how leveraging data can transform healthcare delivery and product development.

Case Study 2: Ford Motor Company and Product Development

In the automotive industry, Ford Motor Company stands out as an innovator using predictive analytics to fast-track product development. By analyzing consumer preferences, market trends, and manufacturing data, Ford predicts the success of new vehicle models and features.

Ford employed advanced analytics to understand the electric vehicle (EV) market and anticipate consumer demand. By integrating predictive insights into their innovation process, they were able to prioritize features that resonated with consumers, such as extended range and fast charging capabilities.

The analytics-driven innovation strategy resulted in the successful launch of new EV models that gained traction in the market, aligning with sustainability goals and consumer expectations. Ford’s experience underscores the critical role of predictive analytics in aligning product innovation with market demands, ultimately driving competitive advantage.

Key Benefits of Using Predictive Analytics in Innovation

The use of predictive analytics in innovation performance measurement delivers several benefits:

Anticipate Market Needs: Predictive analytics helps organizations understand evolving market trends, allowing them to develop products that meet future demands.
Optimize Resources: By forecasting outcomes, companies can allocate resources more effectively, ensuring that investments in innovation yield the highest returns.
Enhance Decision-Making: Data-driven insights enable leaders to make informed decisions, reducing uncertainty and improving strategy implementation.
Boost Agility: Organizations can rapidly adapt to changes and pivot their innovation strategies based on predictive insights, maintaining a competitive edge.

Challenges and Considerations

While the benefits are substantial, using predictive analytics in innovation poses challenges. Data quality and integration are paramount, as is the need for skilled data scientists to manage complex models. Moreover, organizations must foster a culture that embraces data-driven decision-making and continuous learning.

Successful integration of predictive analytics also demands robust data privacy and ethics policies to safeguard consumer trust and ensure compliance with regulations.

Conclusion

Predictive analytics is a powerful tool in the innovation arsenal, enabling organizations to anticipate changes, optimize strategies, and measure performance effectively. Through case studies like Philips and Ford, we see how data-driven innovation can transform industries, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive financial success. As we advance into a future shaped by data, embracing predictive analytics will be vital for sustaining growth and staying ahead in the competitive landscape.

By strategically integrating these tools, organizations not only improve their innovation performance but also set the stage for breakthroughs that can redefine entire sectors. Embracing predictive analytics is not just an option; it’s a necessity for those who aspire to lead in the innovation-driven world.

Extra Extra: Futurology is not fortune telling. Futurists use a scientific approach to create their deliverables, but a methodology and tools like those in FutureHacking™ can empower anyone to engage in futurology themselves.

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Future Trends in Accessibility and Inclusive Innovation

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Future Trends in Accessibility and Inclusive Innovation

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

In a world that is increasingly digital and interconnected, the importance of accessibility and inclusive design cannot be overstated. As we look to the future, several trends are poised to shape how we create solutions that are usable and beneficial for everyone, regardless of their abilities or circumstances. Here, we will explore these future trends along with inspiring case studies that highlight the potential of inclusive innovation.

Trend 1: AI-Powered Assistive Technologies

AI is revolutionizing the way we approach accessibility by providing real-time, personalized solutions for individuals with disabilities. From voice recognition software to AI-driven wearable tech, the potential for creating life-changing devices is immense.

Case Study: Be My Eyes

Be My Eyes is a remarkable application that connects visually impaired individuals with sighted volunteers through a video call interface. The app leverages the global volunteer network to provide real-time assistance with tasks as simple as reading labels or navigating unfamiliar environments. This innovative use of crowdsourcing and smartphone technology exemplifies how AI can be harnessed to create impactful solutions.

Trend 2: Universal Design and Cross-Independence

Universal Design aims to create products and environments that are inherently accessible to all, without the need for modifications. By embedding accessibility into the design phase, businesses can create solutions that serve a broader audience and foster cross-independence, where all users benefit from enhanced experiences.

Case Study: The OXO Good Grips Line

OXO Good Grips kitchen tools revolutionized the kitchenware industry by designing products that cater to individuals with arthritis. The success of the Good Grips line demonstrates how accessibility-focused design can lead to mainstream appeal. The peeler’s ergonomic handle and inclusive design principles ensured ease of use for people of all abilities, showcasing how inclusive products serve a universal customer base.

Trend 3: Inclusive Policy and Regulatory Frameworks

As awareness of accessibility issues grows, governments and organizations are implementing policies that mandate inclusive practices. Regulatory frameworks such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are continually evolving to ensure digital and physical spaces are accessible to everyone.

Trend 4: Collaboration and Community-Driven Solutions

Fostering collaboration between stakeholders, including those with lived experiences of disabilities, leads to more effective and meaningful innovation. Inclusive innovation thrives in environments where diverse perspectives are valued and integrated into the creation process.

In conclusion, the future of accessibility and inclusive innovation is vibrant, driven by technological advancements and a growing global commitment to inclusivity. By embracing AI-powered assistive technologies, universal design, inclusive policy-making, and collaborative solutions, we can create a future where accessibility is the norm, not an afterthought.

These trends highlight the importance of involving diverse voices in the innovation process and the potential for technology to bridge gaps and foster an inclusive society. The journey towards a more accessible future is ongoing, and by learning from successful case studies and emerging trends, we can be part of the transformation that ensures equal opportunities for everyone.

Image credit: Pixabay

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Harnessing the Dragons of your Imagination for Innovation

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Harnessing the Dragons of your Imagination for Innovation

The harder I try not to think of myself as an artist, the stronger I’m pulled back to the idea that even if my art is a little different than traditional drawing, painting, photography, music, dance and other traditional arts, that it is still art.

Today’s article was inspired by a Lex Fridman podcast interview with the lead singer of Imagine Dragons – Dan Reynolds.

Dan is a Mormon, a musician, one of nine children, a father, and a surprisingly humble and astute person. All of these things are relevant because who we are as a person is the result of every facet of ourselves today, and in our upbringing. Our art comes from our experience and our empathetic connections to the experiences of others. While Dan is a musician, he is also an artist, and artists can and should learn from all different types of artists.

At the heart of every kind of art is truth, but more about that later.

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” — Aldous Huxley

In this article I will highlight what I took away from the interview and some of the great music they Lex and Dan discussed, but feel free to jump in and watch the conversation at any point:

The most important takeaways from the interview are these:

People have really good bullshit detectors
You must authentically feel something, and your audience must feel it too
Having a source of honest feedback is critical to progressing your art

Let’s now look at each of these and relate them from music to innovation:

1. People have really good bullshit detectors

In the interview Dan contrasts their success with two different records “Bet My Life” and “Believer” – which both did well – but “Believer” out-streamed “Bet My Life” by 10x.

Here is “Bet My Life” from YouTube with its 160 Million views on YouTube:

And “Believer” with its 2.2 Billion views on YouTube:

Okay, maybe that’s a bit more than 10x, but Dan when asked about what went wrong with “Bet My Life” he admitted that they produced the song themselves and that they took what was originally a stripped-down song and over-produced it – costing the song some of its authenticity in the process.

If we cross over to innovation on this topic, in the past I’ve written that Veracity is Required for Innovation Success.

Yes, innovation is an art.

Here are some key thoughts from this article on the importance of truth to innovation:

“Fail to identify a solution with real innovation veracity and you are likely to miss potential elements of optimal value creation, you will likely struggle to make its value accessible, and there is a greater likelihood that you will fail to properly translate the value of the solution for your customers.

So, taken another way, the search for innovation success is a search for truth. You must therefore unlock the inner truths of your intended customers (think unmet needs or jobs-to-be-done), you must search in areas that your intended customers will feel are true for your brand, and areas that feel true to employees given the company’s mission and values. When your pursuit of innovation centers around truth and when you commit to a focused effort to increase your innovation capability – and to pursue Innovation Excellence – then and only then do you have your best chance at innovation success.”

2. You must authentically feel something, and your audience must feel it too

In innovation we often talk about how it takes 100+ ideas to find 10 projects worth investing time and money in, and from those 10 projects – if you’re lucky – you might have one show promise as a potential innovation.

In the Lex Fridman interview Dan Reynolds revealed that he writes about 100 songs a year and from those perhaps 10 might get recorded. Dan started as a drummer, and while voice is often as seen as the melody of a song, his vocals are in part driven by a percussion mindset. For innovation we like to speak about bringing different mindsets and perspectives to increase the chances of finding something meaningful.

Speaking of feeling and authenticity, Dan tells a story in the interview about how they were working on an album with famous record producer Rick Rubin and listened to a song that Dan believed in, but after hearing it he told Dan “I don’t believe you.”

The path to adoption is through belief…

Some of the songs they listened to in regard to ‘feeling it’, included Harry Nilsson’s “Without You”:

Cat Stevens’ “Father and Son”:

And Harry Chapin’s “Cat’s in the Cradle”:

Identifying whether you are transmitting authentic feelings or not is very difficult. We’ve already spoken about the importance of veracity, and if we build on that using something I wrote about in my article That’s Innovation with Two V’s, leveraging information from the movie A Good American, about how the following three components can help you identify signals and drive the transformation of DATA into INTELLIGENCE (or innovation veracity in our context):

Volume – in order to derive meaningful conclusions you need a lot of data inputs, in this case, lots of idea fragments (ideas come later)
Variety – multiple perspectives are necessary to avoid blind spots and increase the potential for connecting idea fragments
Velocity – volume by itself is not enough, momentum is important too. You have to keep Stoking Your Innovation Bonfire

3. Having a source of honest feedback is critical to progressing your art

Making art that resonates with others is incredibly different. It is easy to get lost in our own perspective.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” – African Proverb

It is incredibly important as an artist, as an innovator, that you find a group of trusted voices to allow you to accelerate the development of your art – or your innovation. Science experienced an incredible acceleration in the private clubs of London in the 1600’s, impressionist art experienced an amazing acceleration in the south of France in the 1800’s – because of the rapid exchange of ideas and feedback.

For Dan Reynolds, one of those trusted voices is his father, he also has one of his brothers as the band’s manager, another brother as their lawyer, and brings in external voices to help with the production of their records – people like Rick Rubin.

Listening to your trusted external voices can help you see where you’re falling short. There is a great quote in the interview above regarding Dan’s realization around the sometimes-uncomfortable role of a famous person in society.

“By not saying anything, I was saying everything.” – Dan Reynolds
(re: LGBTQ issues at the time)

It is only from being open to receiving feedback that we can learn anything. And when it comes to art, when it comes to Optimizing Innovation Resonance:

To achieve and maintain innovation resonance, you must nurture a commitment to learning fast, both during the innovation development process and after the launch of a potential innovation. You must maintain a laser focus on how you are creating value, helping people access that value, and translating that value for people so they can understand how your potential innovation may fit into their lives. So, do you have processes in place as part of your innovation methodology for measuring and evolving solutions in place to help you get to innovation resonance?

And to help reduce the tyranny of the innovation hero and to encourage innovation collaboration, I created the Nine Innovation Roles:

Revolutionary
Conscript
Connector
Artist
Customer Champion
Troubleshooter
Judge
Magic Maker
Evangelist

… to make a place for everyone in innovation.

Conclusion

There is a reason this blog is called Human-Centered Change & Innovation. The reason is that when it comes to change, innovation and transformation, the people side of all three is everything.

To be successful, you must consider “the other.”

You must engage with “the other.”

You must understand “the other.”

This requires empathy, this requires veracity, and when you bring empathy and veracity together, you have a chance at achieving resonance.

All types of art and innovation require empathy, veracity, and resonance for success.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the interview, the music, and the conversation.

I hope all of this will help you slay your dragons, imagine a future where you are connecting more fully with your audience, and creating something amazing.

Keep innovating!

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It is Easier to Change People than to Change People

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It is Easier to Change People than to Change People

GUEST POST from Annette Franz

The work that we do as customer experience professionals can often be summed up as change management – or change leadership. One of the key and critical parts of this change management effort is to ensure we have executive commitment for the work that lies ahead. As a matter of fact, in an article I wrote a couple months ago about some research that GetFeedback had released, I noted these findings:

Respondents shared what degree executives were invested in CX efforts, how much, and to what end. When executives invest in customer experience, brands are three times more likely to yield return on investment (ROI) than those who don’t have that commitment from executives.

So their commitment is important. (Their ROI will come!) It ensures that you get the resources – human, capital, financial, time, etc. – needed to move forward successfully with your transformation work. They should express commitment (to the CX team and to the company) that the entire executive team is all in and that they’ve accepted that building a customer-centric organization means we’re building a winning organization.

But what if that commitment is lacking? What if you’re executives don’t get it? What if every plea to explain why transforming the culture, the employee experience, and the customer experience lands on deaf ears? What if some get it and some don’t?

Let’s think about this…

Years ago, I had an interesting conversation with James Lawther about executives and their lack of understanding regarding their critical roles in the transformation and the importance of their commitment. He had commented on a post about executives “not getting it” with this: “In which case, rather than trying to change your executive, wouldn’t you be better moving on and changing your executive instead?” I was recently reminded of his comment when I saw the quote, “It’s easier to change people than to change people.”

Perhaps, sometimes we just need new executives. Sadly, those who get it are few and far between. It’s one of the reasons I wrote Built to Win, i.e., to inspire leaders to think differently about customer-centricity and building a winning organization through deliberately designing a customer-centric culture – from the top.

Back to the conversation with James. We weren’t too far off on this thinking, this idea of changing executives. Geoffrey Moore (author of Crossing the Chasm and Zone to Win) published an article on LinkedIn last month titled, Three Easy Mistakes to Make, which he actually referred to as compromises leaders shouldn’t make as the business grows and matures or evolves. One of those mistakes was this: Adjusting your organizational model to fit your people instead of the other way around. He writes:

People who have been with the team for a long time often feel entitled to the next promotion in their career path, and because we have all worked together during this time, we can feel obligated to accommodate them. Now, when your industry is not being disrupted, experience does matter, so promoting from within is often a good strategy. But when disruption strikes, organizations need to change, often dramatically, and the new leaders need to be grounded in the emerging paradigm. That is, they have to make quick decisions with little data based on pattern recognition and then course-correct them as the data comes in. If the person in place does not have that pattern recognition, if instead, they have to learn the new system even as they are in the midst of operating it, decision-making slows down dramatically, and an agile approach becomes impossible. For times like this, you need to bring in someone who already has the mindset needed to play the new hand. You already know that what got you here won’t get you there. Just remember that applies to people as well.

Why would you do that? Why wouldn’t you make sure you’ve got the right people on the bus to ensure success, to ensure that the organizational model (and, of course, in this case, I’m thinking about building out your customer-centric culture) has every chance to flourish? Why would you, instead, keep the same people to build a different organization, especially those who constantly say, “But we’ve always done it this way. This is how we do things here.”

I prefer to say, “Nothing changes if nothing changes.” Either the thinking has to change or the people have to change.

As Geoffrey says, “For times like this, you need to bring in someone who already has the mindset needed to play the new hand. You already know that what got you here won’t get you there. Just remember that applies to people as well.”

Maybe some of the up-and-coming leaders will bring a fresh perspective and find my open letter to CEOs an affirmation, as in, “No need to tell me all of that once, much less twice!” Be that person with the mindset to play the new hand. Or be the person who gets replaced.

People change over the years, and that changes situations for good and for bad. ~ Bobby Knight

This article originally appeared on CX Journey

Image credit: Pixabay

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How Reward and Recognition Systems Boost Morale and Performance

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How Reward and Recognition Systems Boost Morale and Performance

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

In today’s competitive business environment, organizations continuously seek innovative ways to enhance employee motivation and performance. Integrating effective reward and recognition systems is a crucial strategy that can significantly improve workplace morale. By acknowledging their employees’ hard work and achievements, companies can foster a culture of appreciation and motivation, ultimately leading to enhanced productivity and performance.

Understanding Reward and Recognition Systems

Reward and recognition systems are structured approaches adopted by organizations to acknowledge, appreciate, and incentivize employees. While rewards might involve monetary incentives, recognitions usually encompass expressing appreciation through non-monetary means. Both elements are crucial in building employee morale and motivation.

Key Elements of an Effective System

Clear Objectives: Establishing transparent and achievable goals that align with organizational values and objectives.
Diverse Rewards: Offering various incentives that cater to the diverse needs and preferences of employees.
Timely Recognition: Ensuring that recognition is timely and relevant, which enhances the impact of the acknowledgment.
Inclusive Participation: Inviting feedback and participation from employees to ensure the system meets their expectations.

Case Study 1: Tech Innovators Inc.

Background

Tech Innovators Inc., a leading software development company, experienced a downturn in employee engagement and productivity. The leadership team recognized the need to rejuvenate the work environment and boost morale.

Solution

The company implemented a comprehensive reward and recognition program, focusing on innovative and peer-based recognition. A digital platform was introduced, allowing employees to recognize one another’s contributions in real-time, alongside a points system that could be redeemed for various rewards.

Impact

The initiative resulted in a 30% increase in employee engagement scores and a noticeable improvement in project delivery times. Employees felt more appreciated and motivated, leading to a vibrant and supportive company culture.

Case Study 2: Greenfields Manufacturing

Background

Greenfields Manufacturing, a sustainable production company, faced challenges with high turnover rates and low employee satisfaction. Leadership realized the need for strategic intervention to retain talent and improve morale.

Solution

The organization introduced a multifaceted recognition system that celebrated milestones and daily achievements. Managers were trained to give personalized recognition during team meetings, and a monthly award ceremony was introduced for outstanding contributions.

Impact

Following the implementation, Greenfields experienced a 40% reduction in turnover rates and a substantial increase in employee satisfaction scores. Employees reported higher job satisfaction and a deeper commitment to the company’s mission and values.

Conclusion

Effective reward and recognition systems can profoundly influence organizational culture, morale, and performance. By strategically designing these systems to encompass diverse, timely, and inclusive approaches, organizations can create vibrant work environments that encourage innovation and commitment.

Both Tech Innovators Inc. and Greenfields Manufacturing demonstrate that carefully curated reward and recognition systems are powerful tools in driving employee engagement and improving overall organizational performance. Organizations striving for excellence must prioritize these systems to cultivate a motivated and dedicated workforce.

Image credit: Pixabay

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Taking Personal Responsibility – Creating the Line of Choice

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Taking Personal Responsibility - Creating the Line of Choice

GUEST POST from Janet Sernack

In our last blog, we described how people’s personal power is diminished when they don’t take personal responsibility for the impact of their behaviors and actions and the results they cause. Where many people are feeling minimized and marginalized, anxious as a result of being isolated and lonely, worrying about losing their security and freedom, and dealing with the instability in their working environments. Resulting in many people disengaging from the important conversations, job functions, key relationships, workplaces, and in some instances, even from society. Where managers and leaders lack the basic self-awareness and self-regulation skills to control the only controllable in uncertain and unstable times, is to choose how to respond, rather than react to it.

We have a unique moment in time to shift their defensiveness through being compassionate, creative, and courageous towards helping managers and leaders unfreeze and mobilize to exit our comfort zones. To take intelligent actions catalyze and cause positive outcomes, that deliver real solutions to crises, complex situations, and difficult business problems.

Why do people avoid taking personal responsibility?

People typically avoid taking personal responsibility for reasons ranging from simple laziness, risk adversity, or a fear of failure, to feeling change fatigued, overwhelmed, or even victimized by the scale of a problem or a situation.

Resulting in a range of different automatic defensive, and a range of non-productive reactive responses including:

Avoidant behavior, where feel victimized and targeted, people passively “wriggle” and the buck gets passed onto others, and the real problem or issue does not get addressed or resolved.
Controlling behavior, where people ignore their role in causing or resolving the real problem or issue, and aggressively push others towards their mandate or solution, denying others any agency.
Argumentative behavior, where people play the binary “right-wrong” game, and self-righteously, triggered by their own values, oppose other people’s perspectives in order to be right and make the other person wrong.

Creating the line of choice

At Corporate Vision, we added a thick line of “choice” between “personal responsibility” and “blame, justification and denial” to intentionally create space for people to consider taking more emotionally hygienic options rather than:

Dumping their “emotional boats” inappropriately onto others, even those they may deeply care about,
Sinking into their habitual, and largely unconscious default patterns when facing complex problems, which results in the delivery of the same results they always have.
Not regulating their automatic reactive responses to challenging situations, and not creating the vital space to pause and reflect to think about what to do next.

To enable them to shift towards taking response-ability (an ability to respond) and introducing more useful options for responding in emotionally agile, considered, constructive, inclusive, and creative ways to the problem or the challenge.

Noticing that when we, or others we interact with, do slip below the line to notice whether to “camp” there for the long term or to simply choose to make the “visit” a short one!

Doing this demonstrates the self-awareness and self-regulation skills enabling people to take personal responsibility. Which initiates ownership and a willingness to be proactive, solutions, and achievement orientated – all of which are essential qualities for 21st century conscious leadership that result in innovative outcomes that result in success, growth, and sustainability.

Shifting your location – from “you, they and them” to “I, we and us”

Developing the foundations for transformational and conscious leadership involves:

Supporting people to acknowledge and accept that the problem or challenge is not “out there” and is within their locus of control or influence.
Shifting the “Maturity Continuum” to enable leaders and managers to be both independent and interdependent.
Creating a line of choice to think, act and do things differently.
Calling out people when they slip below the line.

It involves supporting people to let go of their expectation that “they” or someone else, from the outside, will fix it, and supporting them to adopt a stance where:

“I” or “we” can and are empowered to do it,
“I” or “we” are responsible for getting above the line,
“I” or “we” can choose a different way of being, thinking, and acting intelligently in this situation.

Developing conscious leadership

At any time, everyone is either above or below the line because it is elemental to the type of conscious leadership we all need to survive and thrive, in a world where people are seeking leaders, managers, and working environments that require interdependence.

To operate in the paradigm of “we” – we can do it; we can cooperate; we can combine our talents and abilities and create something greater together.

We cooperate together by creating the line of choice where we call out to ourselves and others when we slip below it, to get above the line as quickly as possible.

Where interdependent people and communities combine their efforts, and their self-awareness and self-regulation skills with the efforts of others to achieve their growth and greatest success by increasing:

Transparency and trust,
Achievement and accountability,
Diversity and inclusion,
Experimentation and collaboration.

All of these are founded on the core principle of taking personal responsibility, which is an especially crucial capability to develop self-awareness and self-regulation skills in the decade of both disruption and transformation.

Bravely calling out self and others

When we take responsibility for managing our own, “below the line” reactive responses, by habitually creating the line of choice, we can bravely call out ourselves and others when we slip below it.

Because when we don’t call ourselves and others we interact with, we are unconsciously colluding with their emotional boats, default patterns, and automatic reactive responses, which inhibit their ability to effect positive change.

When we safely awaken ourselves and others, we can get back above the line quickly and choose different ways of being, thinking, and acting intelligently in the situation.

Alternately, people aren’t taking personal responsibility, they cannot be accountable, they will fail in their jobs, and their teams, and fail to grow as individuals and as leaders.

In fact, developing a habitual practice of emotionally intelligent and conscious leadership by safely and bravely disrupting ourselves and our people, in the face of ongoing uncertainty, accelerating change, and continuous disruption.

This is the second in a series of three blogs on the theme of taking responsibility – going back to leadership basics.

Find out about our learning products and tools, including The Coach for Innovators, Leaders, and Teams Certified Program, a collaborative, intimate, and deeply personalized innovation coaching and learning program, supported by a global group of peers over 9-weeks, starting Tuesday, October 18, 2022. It is a blended and transformational change and learning program that will give you a deep understanding of the language, principles, and applications of an ecosystem focus, human-centric approach, and emergent structure (Theory U) to innovation, and upskill people and teams and develop their future fitness, within your unique context.

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The Future of Innovation Balances Profit and Purpose

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GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

In today’s rapidly evolving world, organizations are tasked with the challenge of balancing profits with purpose. As consumers become more ethically aware and demand transparency, businesses are pushed to innovate not just for financial gain, but also for social and environmental impact. The future of innovation lies in this delicate balance, where success is measured not only by the bottom line but by the positive impact one has on society. Let us explore a couple of case studies that exemplify this approach.

Case Study 1: Patagonia – Environmental Stewardship as Core Business

Patagonia, the outdoor apparel company, is a pioneer in aligning profit with purpose. Founded with a clear mission to “build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis,” Patagonia actively integrates sustainability into its business model.

Innovations such as their Worn Wear program, encourage customers to buy used, repair existing gear or recycle, thereby extending the life of products and reducing environmental impact. Patagonia’s decision to donate 1% of sales to environmental causes further affirms its commitment to environmental stewardship.

Despite its upfront commitment to sustainability, Patagonia’s profitability has not suffered. On the contrary, their authenticity and transparency have fostered a loyal customer base, positioning them as market leaders. The Patagonia case illustrates that a strong commitment to purpose can drive financial success and customer loyalty.

Case Study 2: TOMS Shoes – One for One Commitment

TOMS Shoes revolutionized the corporate social responsibility landscape with their One for One business model. For every pair of shoes purchased, TOMS would donate a pair to a child in need. This model was an intrinsic part of their brand ethos and attracted consumers who were eager to make purchases that fostered social good.

Over time, TOMS expanded this model to include eyewear and water initiatives, further integrating charitable giving into its business operations. While the company experienced rapid growth and increased brand awareness, it also faced challenges in ensuring the sustained impact of its giving model and responding to critiques about the complexity of aid.

TOMS has since evolved its strategy by focusing on empowering the communities they serve, providing jobs, and supporting local efforts. This shift illustrates the dynamic nature of balancing purpose and profit, emphasizing the need for continuous adaptation and re-evaluation of impact strategies.

The Path Forward: Key Considerations

The road to balancing profit and purpose requires thoughtful integration of sustainability and responsibility at every level of the business. Here are critical considerations for organizations:

Embed Purpose into Core Strategy: Making purpose a central aspect of business strategy ensures long-term commitment and alignment across all operations.
Incorporate Stakeholder Voices: Engage with customers, employees, and communities to understand their needs and perspectives, fostering collaboration and trust.
Measure Impact Rigorously: Develop and implement measurement frameworks to assess the social and environmental effects of business activities.
Foster a Culture of Innovation: Encourage creative solutions that integrate business goals with societal needs, pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking.

In conclusion, the future of innovation is intricately linked with the pursuit of purpose alongside profit. As companies navigate these waters, they will continue to redefine success in ways that benefit people, the planet, and their bottom lines. Embracing this harmonious balance promises a world where business becomes a formidable force for positive change.

Image credit: Pixabay

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