Category Archives: culture

Why Diversity and Inclusion Are Entrepreneurial Competencies

GUEST POST from Arlen Meyers, M.D.

A competency is the ability to do something successfully. There are many entrepreneurial competencies. One of them is interdisciplinary teamwork and collaboration i.e. the ability of individuals to form partnerships with a team of professionally diverse individuals in a participatory, collaborative, and coordinated approach to share decision making around issues as the means to achieving improved health outcomes .

In the public health world, D & I means dissemination and implementation i.e. how does a intervention come into common use or become the standard of care. Here is what you need to know about it.

In the education and student success world, D, E & I means diversity, equity and inclusion. Here is the case for it.

In the entrepreneurial world, D, E & I is even more expansive and is measured by:

Your ability to lead high performance teams both face to face and virtually
How you create psychological safety – Here are four ways to boost psychological safety.
The composition of your teams
International representation
Demographic representation
Functional representation (marketing, engineering, finance, etc)
Results
Persona representation: coaches, teachers, cynics, mentors, etc
Listening to both good rebels and bad rebels
The people on your leadership team, advisory board and board of directors
How you incorporate ideas from industries outside of your own. Sickcare cannot be fixed from inside.
How you avoid bias and noise to influence outcomes and variability in decision making.
How you avoid colorism in your sales and marketing approach.
Ownership, not just fairness
Improving your emotional intelligence along the narcissistic-empathy spectrum

Measuring the results or your efforts requires people analytics.

Are you ready to innovate?

I’m a privileged, old white guy who won the ovary lottery. My child of immigrant, first generation to college father got an advanced degrees. Consequently, I was able to grow up in the right ZIP code and take advantage of the opportunities afforded to me by sheer dumb luck. As a result, I wound up being an academic surgeon and worked at the same place for 40 years until I retired as an emeritus professor to pursue my next encore side gig, including working with several non-profits that sit at the intersection of sick care, higher education, biomedical and clinical entrepreneurship and diversity, equity and inclusion.

Four key arguments make the case for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

What are the barriers to leading DEI?

Rather than making leaders solely responsible for their own effectiveness, these researchers allow a balance between managerial competences and the many constraints that limit leaders. With bounded leadership, they look past the leader’s characteristics and consider the many constraints they encounter at the individual, team, organizational and stakeholder levels.

In bounded leadership, there are five distinct abilities leaders require to be effective:

Anticipation competence: The ability to predict market patterns and conditions, which are essential to the organization, such as future trends or customer needs
Mobilization competence: The ability to inspire employees to put an extraordinary effort into their work
Self-reflection competence: The ability to analyze past experiences and draw useful conclusions
Values-creation competence: The ability to promote a leader’s values in the organization
Visionary competence: The ability to create an attractive vision of the organization, communicate this vision to followers and empower them to implement it

Each of these competencies presents several hurdles: cultural (difficulties in changing values and norms), emotional (strong negative emotions that prevent rational behavior), entitlement (formalized organizational responsibilities and hierarchy), ethical (leaders’ dilemmas), informational (difficulties in processing or collecting data), motivational (problems with inspiring others) and political (office politics and power plays).

Competencies are measured by entrustable professional activities defined by a performance rubric. Creating diverse, equitable, inclusive teams that deliver expected results is one of them. But, getting from said to done takes more than education, training and policy changes.

Being DEI competent is not about changing your mind. It requires changing your mindset.

Image credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

People Drive the World-Technology as a Co-Pilot via Center of Human Compassion

Leave a reply

People Drive the World-Technology as a Co-Pilot via Center of Human Compassion

GUEST POST from Teresa Spangler

People at the Center – Technology as a Co-Pilot

Are people at the center of your innovation and new product plans? Have we made people the center of all things digital? Are human’s and our environment the center of the new world entering the 4th Industrial Revolution? When innovation is during groundbreaking disruptive inventions or whether innovation is iterating into new products… what is placed at the center of your strategies? What are the reasons for these new inventions?

So much is at stake, as the world turns to being driven by AI, humanoids, rockets’ red glare searching for new lands to inhabit, games and more games feeding our brains with virtual excitement and stimulation, devices galore on our bodies, in our hands, in our homes helping us navigate our every move and in many ways directing us on how to think. The acceleration of digital permeating our lives is mind boggling. The news we are fed, seemingly unbiased, the product advertisements that sneak into our feeds, the connections via too many social and work-related networks that appear all too promising and friendly too is overwhelming. Technology is encompassing our lives!

The Power of Technology

Don’t get me wrong, I love technology for all the positive it contributes to the world. Technology is allowing individuals to create! To create and earn! To take control of their lives and build meaningful endeavors. The creation of TIME and SPACE to live how we to live has been a major outcome of

1. technology but also 2. the pandemic.

Let’s explore the creator economy which has experienced an explosion of late. As referenced in the Forbes article, The Biggest Trends For 2022 In Creator Economy And Web3, by Maren Thomas Bannon, Today, the total size of the creator economy is estimated to be over $100 billion and 50 million people worldwide consider themselves creators. Creators will continue to bulge out of the global fabric as individuals seek to augment their incomes or escape the confines or rigged corporate cultures. Technology is enabling creators no doubt!

Technology is also allowing forward acting organizations to scale growth at unprecedented speeds. Let’s look at a recent survey conducted by Accenture

Curious about the effects of the pandemic, we completed a second round of research in early 2021 and discovered the following:

Technology Leaders have moved even further ahead of the pack and have been growing at 5x the rate of Laggards on average in the past three years.
Among the “Others” there is a group of organizations—18% of the entire sample—that has been able to break previous performance barriers—the Leapfroggers.

Let’s look at a recent survey conducted by Accenture

Curious about the effects of the pandemic, we completed a second round of research in early 2021 and discovered the following:

Technology Leaders have moved even further ahead of the pack and have been growing at 5x the rate of Laggards on average in the past three years.
Among the “Others” there is a group of organizations—18% of the entire sample—that has been able to break previous performance barriers—the Leapfroggers.

Of course, so much technology is doing good things for the world. 3-D printing is emerging at the center of homelessness. As reported in the #NYTIMES, this tiny village in Mexico is housing homeless people. The homes were built using an oversized 3-D printer.

Another example positive outcomes of technology is the emergence of over-the-counter hearing devices. Fortune Business Insights estimates the global hearing aids market is projected to grow from $6.67 billion in 2021 to $11.02 billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 7.4% in forecast period, 2021-2028.

These devices, until this year, were regulated to being sold by medical professionals at, for the majority of population in need, very high prices $2000 to $5000+ per hearing aid. Yes typically you need two. But recent innovations in ear buds and bluetooth are allowing other technology companies into the game! Take Bose for example, the FDA recently approved Bose SoundControl Hearing Aids to be purchased on their website for $895/pair. No need for a hearing professional. This significantly changes the playing field and opens the doors for so many that have put off purchases (of these not covered by insurance by the way) devices.

Entertainment & leisure travel is going to a whole new level with the help of technology. It’s wonderful that anyone with connectivity and travel the world and explore via Virtual Reality. Here are 52 places you can explore in the comfort of your home shared by NY Times. Many of us attended conferences and events over the past two years virtually. We’ll see an exponential growth in virtual reality experiences in the coming year.

So why am I talking about creating a Center for Human Compassion if so much good is really coming out of technology? Because many of the outcomes are also unrealized and not anticipated or at least publicized to prepare people. It is essential for companies, technologists, and product teams to consider the consequences of new technologies. Not as an afterthought but at the forethought, from inception of ideas we must ask what are the downsides? How will people be affected? What could happen?

The quote below is taken from the World Economic Forum report, Positive AI Economic Futures

machines will be able to do most tasks better than humans. Given these sorts of predictions, it is important to think about the possible consequences of AI for the future of work and to prepare for different scenarios. Continued progress in these technologies could have disruptive effects: from further exacerbating recent trends in inequality to denying more and more people their sense of purpose and fulfillment in life, given that work is much more than just a source of income.

WeForum brings 150 thought leaders together to share thoughts on how we create an AI world we want. For all of AI’s good, there are potentials for negative outcomes.

Let’s take the military’s fight again hobbyists and drones. In the recent article from WSJ, The Military’s New Challenge: Defeating Cheap Hobbyist Drones, how much energy was placed on Human Compassion if drone technologies, IoT and AI got in the wrong hands?

The U.S. is racing to combat an ostensibly modest foe: hobbyist drones that cost a few hundred dollars and can be rigged with explosives. @WSJ

I feel certain there was some consideration but not enough to draw out possible negative impacts and how to mitigate them before they could even start. Did we really put people at the center of what is possible with drone technologies? What do you think?

This is no easy task. We know what is good for us can turn to bad for us when in the wrong hands, or if it’s not moderated to healthy limits. How do we help facilitate a more compassionate relationship with technology and put people at the center?

Here are four strategies to ensure you are keeping people at the center of your innovation, new products and technology development efforts.

Create a Center of Human Compassion, or People Centered Technology Consortium, or what ever you wish to brand your initiative. Select trusted advisors from external (customers, partners…) and a select group of internal stake holders to join your collaborative to gather input, feedback and push back!
Discuss with your trusted group very early on. Gamify initiatives around gathering what ifs! Anticipating the worst you will plan better for the best! (leaving the hope out)
Build a continuous feedback loop. It is important that insights and scenarios are revisited and rehashed over and over again.
Join other consortiums and get involved with AI and tech for good initiatives. If you can’t find ones you feel are of value to you and your company, start one!

Mantra for the year: #lucky2022 but not without work and placing people front and center of plans will good fortune and luck come for the masses.

As always, reach out if you have ideas you’d like to share or questions you’d like to discuss!

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Time for Innovation Excellence

Leave a reply

Time for Innovation Excellence

GUEST POST from Norbert Majerus and George Taninecz

Lean manufacturing and the Toyota Production System started an industrial revolution (at least for those who adopted it). Transformative events that began in the automotive industry spread into many other sectors (including healthcare, finance, even innovation). However, the term “lean” may not have been the best description for what was occurring then or now.

Lean implies removing things, such as waste, which is an accurate description of a key lean tool. But lean but fails to address many other aspects of what we now know about this improvement method. Today the scope of most improvement transformations goes far beyond what was originally defined as “lean” and/or “continuous improvement.”

So, what should we call the current and future states of businesses that develop superior processes and a continuous improvement culture to become the best companies possible? I don’t know exactly who first introduced the term “excellence” but it’s all-encompassing nature of superiority certainly applies to what is going on in some — but not many — organizations.

For example, very few companies have attempted to apply excellence to innovation. Yet I started this transformation in the three Goodyear Innovation centers in 2006. In 2016, the Innovation Center in Akron, Ohio, received the AME Excellence Award, proving that innovation excellence works and that Goodyear got the right results from the transformation. The application of excellence to an innovation process delivers corporate results that go far beyond the cost savings traditionally achieved by focusing improvements on manufacturing. Innovation excellence moves both the top and bottom lines of companies as a larger number of new products and services are more quickly and efficiently delivered to customers, creating market advantages that are difficult for competitors to replicate.

So, what is “innovation excellence”? It is the implementation of a superior innovation system and the simultaneous creation of an innovation culture. The cultural part assures the continuous improvement of the system and its sustainability.

The innovation system includes processes and features like:

An agile risk management system that allows rigorous review of an abundance of new ideas at high speed and low cost

A superior knowledge management and technology development process

A cost-efficient mass design process

Lean principles to achieve perfect delivery, with much higher speed and lower costs

The characteristics of a culture of innovation are based on some well-known, lean people principles as well as change-management concepts that allow an organization to foster creativity and risk-taking:

Respect and care for people

Engagement and empowerment of all associates and stakeholders

Humble leadership

Change behaviors to change beliefs

The removal of fear at all levels

Allowing people to experiment effectively and efficiently

The right strategy and reward system

Although it is relatively easy to describe processes and systems, it’s hard to describe behaviors and cultural needs. Text definitions and bulleted lists often fail to describe the challenges of this type of work. I found that the most effective way to do that is by observation. Many executives think you must observe perfect behaviors at other companies and then try to apply them in their own; they forget that you can observe them (or the lack thereof) during gemba walks at their own company. First, you gain a technical understanding about your operations that isn’t possible from behind an office desk. By humbly watching and talking with the workforce, you also impart a sense of genuine interest and a willingness to support. Earnestly engaging individuals, asking sincere questions, and really listening to what’s said offers tremendous insight into a company’s culture and why — or why not — actions necessary to achieve excellence are being pursued.

I always devote significant time to “people transformation” in every presentation and workshop I teach on innovation excellence. I do this with stories and descriptions of real or invented characters, which I’ve learned are very popular with my audiences and tend to get the message across. They also give people enough of an understanding and motivation to change on their own.

Over the years I also learned to supplement the stories and descriptions with genuine emotions and feelings because they are at the core of change management. I’ve lived through all of this — the good and bad of cultural transformations — and I’ve felt the highs and lows that inevitably occur. That’s one of the reasons why George Taninecz and I wrote Winning Innovation as a business novel. The format has allowed us to show a cultural change coming alive and how the emotions, feelings, and actions of characters evolve along the way — eventually helping a company achieve innovation excellence.

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Innovative Cultures in Action

Leave a reply

Case Studies

Innovative Cultures in Action

GUEST POST from Art Inteligencia

I’ve seen firsthand how organizations transform when they truly commit to building innovative cultures. It’s not about a single brilliant idea; it’s about embedding a mindset, a set of behaviors, and a structure that consistently fosters new ideas and brings them to life. This isn’t theoretical; it’s a practical imperative in today’s rapidly evolving world.

The average lifespan of a company on the S&P 500 has plummeted from 61 years to under 20. Why? Because the pace of change has accelerated, and organizations that can’t adapt, innovate, and pivot are simply being left behind. An innovative culture isn’t a luxury; it’s a survival mechanism. But what does it look like in action? How do leading companies actually cultivate environments where innovation isn’t just a buzzword, but the very fabric of their being?

Let’s dive into some compelling case studies that illustrate the power of innovative cultures.

Unleashing Potential: Innovation Beyond Departments

Innovation is often mistakenly perceived as the sole domain of a dedicated R&D department or a select group of “creatives.” In reality, true innovation blossoms when it’s nurtured throughout the entire organization, from the C-suite to the front lines. It’s about empowering every individual to think differently, challenge the status quo, and contribute to the collective future.

Case Study 1: Microsoft’s Cultural Renaissance – From Silos to Synergy

For years, Microsoft was known for its internal rivalries and siloed divisions. It was a company with immense talent and resources, but its culture often stifled collaboration and slowed down innovation. Enter Satya Nadella as CEO in 2014, and the company embarked on a profound cultural transformation.

The Challenge: Microsoft’s previous “fixed mindset” culture emphasized internal competition, protecting individual empires, and a “know-it-all” attitude. This led to missed opportunities, a slower pace of product development, and disengaged employees. The company was successful, but it wasn’t agile or truly innovative in the face of emerging threats and opportunities.

The Cultural Shift: Nadella famously championed a “growth mindset” – a philosophy centered on continuous learning, empathy, and collaboration. He explicitly stated that the company needed to move from a “know-it-all” to a “learn-it-all” culture. This wasn’t just rhetoric; it was backed by tangible actions:

Empathy as a Core Value: Nadella emphasized understanding customer needs deeply, fostering a more human-centered design approach across all products and services. This shifted the focus from purely technological prowess to solving real-world problems.
Breaking Down Silos: Incentives and performance reviews were recalibrated to reward collaboration and cross-functional teamwork. Internal communication was opened up, encouraging sharing of ideas and resources. The idea was to foster a sense of shared purpose rather than internal competition.
Experimentation and Learning from Failure: The fear of failure, a common innovation killer, was actively addressed. Teams were encouraged to experiment, iterate quickly, and view failures as valuable learning opportunities rather than career-ending mistakes. This enabled faster pivots and more daring ventures.
Leadership as Enablers: Leaders at all levels were tasked with empowering their teams, coaching them, and removing obstacles, rather than simply dictating. This shifted the locus of innovation to those closest to the problems and opportunities.

The Results: Microsoft’s cultural transformation has been remarkable. The company revitalized its core products, made strategic acquisitions (like LinkedIn and GitHub) that were culturally integrated, and ventured successfully into new areas like cloud computing (Azure) and augmented reality (HoloLens). Employee morale and engagement soared, and the company’s market capitalization climbed significantly, demonstrating that a cultural shift can directly impact business performance. Microsoft’s journey shows that even a giant can reinvent itself by prioritizing cultural change.

Case Study 2: Pixar – The Art and Science of Collaborative Creativity

Pixar Animation Studios is synonymous with groundbreaking storytelling and technological innovation in animation. Their consistent ability to produce critically acclaimed and commercially successful films isn’t just due to brilliant individual talent; it’s deeply rooted in a culture that fosters collaborative creativity and continuous improvement.

The Challenge: While animation is inherently creative, the complexity of feature-length animation demands highly coordinated efforts across diverse disciplines – storytelling, character design, animation, lighting, rendering, and more. Without a strong culture of collaboration, such a process could easily devolve into creative clashes and production bottlenecks.

The Cultural Framework: Pixar’s innovative culture is built on several key pillars:

The “Braintrust”: This is perhaps their most famous cultural mechanism. Before a film goes into full production, its creators present their work to a diverse group of Pixar’s most talented directors and writers. The Braintrust offers candid, constructive criticism focused on improving the story, not on personal attacks. Crucially, the director of the film is not obligated to act on every piece of feedback, but the feedback is always delivered with the best interests of the film at heart. This creates a safe space for rigorous critique and elevates the quality of the work.
“Dailies”: Every day, animators and technical artists present their work-in-progress to their peers and supervisors. This immediate feedback loop allows for course correction early on, preventing major issues down the line and fostering a culture of continuous iteration and improvement.
Flat Hierarchy for Ideas: While there’s a clear hierarchy in terms of roles, ideas are welcomed from everyone. A junior animator’s suggestion can be just as valuable as a seasoned director’s. This democratized idea generation fosters a sense of ownership and encourages everyone to contribute their best.
Investing in “Labs” and Learning: Pixar regularly dedicates resources to research and development in animation technology, but also in fostering artistic growth. They encourage employees to attend classes, learn new skills, and even work on personal projects, recognizing that continuous learning fuels innovation.
Purpose-Driven Passion: Everyone at Pixar, from the custodians to the executives, understands and embraces the company’s mission: to create great stories. This shared purpose acts as a powerful motivator and unifier, ensuring that all efforts are aligned towards a common, inspiring goal.

The Results: The evidence of Pixar’s innovative culture is in its filmography. From Toy Story to Inside Out and beyond, their films consistently push the boundaries of animation, storytelling, and emotional depth. They’ve not only dominated the animation landscape but have also influenced creative industries globally. Their cultural practices demonstrate that highly structured yet creatively free environments can lead to unparalleled innovation.

The Common Threads: Lessons for Your Organization

What can we learn from these diverse examples? While their industries and specific challenges differ, certain common threads emerge that are essential for cultivating an innovative culture:

Leadership Commitment: Innovation must be a top-down priority, championed by leaders who embody the desired behaviors and allocate resources accordingly. It’s not enough to say you want innovation; you must show it.
Psychological Safety: People need to feel safe to speak up, challenge assumptions, experiment, and even fail without fear of reprisal. This is the bedrock upon which all other innovative behaviors are built.
Customer/Human-Centricity: Truly innovative organizations deeply understand the needs, desires, and pain points of their customers or users. This external focus provides the inspiration and direction for meaningful innovation.
Collaboration and Cross-Pollination: Breaking down silos and fostering environments where diverse perspectives can meet, share, and build upon each other is crucial. Innovation often happens at the intersections.
Learning from Failure (and Success): Treat every outcome, positive or negative, as an opportunity to learn and improve. Establish mechanisms for reflection and knowledge sharing.
Empowerment and Autonomy: Give individuals and teams the freedom and authority to explore ideas, make decisions, and take calculated risks.
Clear Vision and Purpose: People are more likely to innovate when they understand the “why” behind their work and how their contributions fit into a larger, inspiring mission.

Building an innovative culture isn’t a one-time project; it’s an ongoing journey of intentional design, continuous refinement, and unwavering commitment. It requires a fundamental shift in mindset, a willingness to challenge long-held beliefs, and a dedication to nurturing the human spirit of curiosity, creativity, and courage within your organization. As these case studies demonstrate, the rewards – in terms of sustained growth, market leadership, and engaged employees – are immeasurable. Start stoking your innovation bonfire today.

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.

Image credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

3 Ways to Get Customer Insights without Talking to Customers

1 Reply

3 Ways to Get Customer Insights without Talking to Customers

GUEST POST from Robyn Bolton

Most of my advice to leaders who want to use innovation to grow their businesses boils down to two things*:

Talk (and listen) to customers
Do something

But what if you don’t want to talk to customers?

After all, talking to customers can be scary because you don’t know what they’ll say. It can be triggering if they say something mean about your product, your business, or even you as a person. It can be draining, especially if you’re an introvert.

Plus, there are so many ways to avoid talking to customers – Send a survey, hire a research firm to write a report, invoke the famous Steve Jobs quote about never doing customer research.

Isn’t it just better to stay tucked away in the office, read reports, state opinions as if they are facts (those opinions are based on experience, after all), and make decisions?

Nope.

It is not better. It is also not safer, easier, or more efficient.

To make the best decisions, you need the best data, which comes from your customers.

But that doesn’t mean you need to talk to them to get it.

The best data

The best data helps you understand why your customers do what they do. This is why Jobs to be Done is such a powerful tool – it uncovers the emotional and social Jobs to be Done that drive our behavior and choices (functional Jobs to be Done are usually used to justify our choices).

But discovering Jobs to be Done typically requires you to talk to people, build rapport and trust in a one-on-one conversation, and ask Why? dozens of times so surface emotional and social JTBD.

Luckily, there are other ways to find Jobs to be Done that don’t require you to become an unlicensed therapist.

Observe your customers

Go where your customers are (or could be) experiencing the problem you hope to solve and try to blend in. Watch what people are doing and what they’re not doing. Notice whether people are alone or with others (and who those others are – kids, partners, colleagues, etc.). Listen to the environment (is it loud or quiet? If there’s noise, what kind of noise?) and to what people are saying to each other.

Be curious. Write down everything you’re observing. Wonder why and write down your hypotheses. Share your observations with your colleagues. Ask them to go out, observe, wonder, and share. Together you may discover answers or work up the courage to have a conversation.

Quick note – Don’t be creepy about this. Don’t lurk behind clothing racks, follow people through stores, peep through windows, linger too long, or wear sunglasses, a trench coat, and a fedora on a 90-degree day, so you look inconspicuous. If people start giving you weird looks, find a new place to people-watch.

Observe yourself

Humans are fascinating, and because you are a human, you are fascinating. So, observe yourself when you’re experiencing the problem you’re hoping to solve. Notice where you are, who is with you, the environment, and how you feel. Watch what you do and don’t do. Wonder why you chose one solution over another (or none).

Be curious. Write down everything you did, saw, and felt and why. Ask your colleagues to do the same. Share your observations with your colleagues and find points of commonality and divergence, then get curious all over again.

Quick note – This only works if you have approximately the same demographic and psychographic profiles and important and unsatisfied Jobs to be Done of your target customers.

Be your customer

What if your business solves a problem that can’t be easily observed? What if you don’t have the problem that your business is trying to solve?

Become your customer (and observe yourself).

Several years ago, I worked with a client that made adult incontinence products. I couldn’t observe people using their products, and I do not have important (or unsatisfied) Jobs to be Done that the products can solve.

So, for one day, I became a customer. I went to Target and purchased their product. I went home, wore, and used the product. I developed a deep empathy for the customer and wrote down roughly 1 million ways to innovate the product and experience.

Quick note – Depending on what’s required to “be your customer,” you may need to give people a heads up. My husband was incredibly patient and understanding but also a little concerned on the day of the experiment.

It’s about what you learn, not how you learn it

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking there is one best way to get insights. I’m 100% guilty (one-on-one conversations are a hill I have died on multiple times).

Ultimately, when it comes to innovation and decision-making, the more important thing is having, believing, and using insights into why customers do what they do and want what they want. How you get those insights is an important but secondary consideration.

* Each of those two things contains A TON of essential stuff that must be done the right way at the right time otherwise, they won’t work, but we’ll get into those things in another article

Image Credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

6 Ways to Leverage Virtual Tools to Create an Innovation Culture

Leave a reply

6 Ways to Leverage Virtual Tools to Create an Innovation Culture

GUEST POST from Soren Kaplan

Culture is a key success factor for every team and organization. Shape it to get more innovation, even from your remote workforce.

Companies like Facebook, Twitter, Box, Slack, and Salesforce all say that employees can keep working remotely well into next year or even forever. We’re seeing a sea change toward remote work and how to make it more fun and effective. But what happens to the culture of teams and organizations in a virtual world?

In my book, The Invisible Advantage: How to Create a Culture of Innovation, I define culture as “the norms and values that shape behavior.” If you want to change culture to get more innovation, for example, you need to change norms and values toward things that inspire people to generate ideas, prioritize the best ones, test them out, and implement them using customer input. So how do you do that when you’re working remotely and it’s impossible to gather around the water cooler?

To change norms and values, you need to first change your own behavior, since our behavior is what ultimately communicates and reinforces what’s important. If you want more innovation, you need to do things that demonstrate you’re serious about soliciting ideas and doing something with them.

Here are six things you can do to get more innovation from your remote team in today’s virtual world:

1. Find Problems to Fuel Ideas

Innovation starts with problems. Ineffective leaders ignore problems and sweep them under the carpet. Innovative leaders love problems because they’re the basis for new ideas. Every month, ask your team to share the toughest problems they’re facing due to working remotely or in their work serving customers. Keep a running list that you can continually prioritize. The result: People see you’re serious about addressing real issues and they don’t hold back sharing problems that, if solved, will make a big different for the business.

2. Bring on Virtual Brainstorming

Brainstorming is a simple process that includes generating lots of ideas, prioritizing them, and the selection the best of the best to pursue. Get a tool specifically designed for online brainstorming, like Mural, Lucidchart, or Ideaboardz. The result: People learn the brainstorming process and your team will have online tools that are just as effective as stickies on a white board.

3. Tell Symbolic Stories

People remember stories. And stories contain messages about what’s important and why. Look for current or past examples of “innovation” from your team, other teams in your organization, or even outside your company. Find stories about how people overcame physical distance or used technology to innovate. Discuss what led to success and how you can do similar things as a team working remotely. The result: People internalize what’s important and why and will re-tell the same stories to others as part of reinforcing culture.

4. Pair Up to Show Up

Working remotely can feel isolating. Pair people to tackle a tough idea or problem. Give pairs time to work together and then report back progress. Use the larger team to provide feedback and support each pair’s efforts. Run virtual “innovation synch-ups,” where pairs share their ideas with the larger team and get feedback. The result: Pairing people up builds relationships infused with the values of innovation while ensuring more robust results.

5. Count It to Make It Count

You get what you measure. Set a target to collect some number of new ideas per month (like 15-20) and successfully implement 1-2 as a team. Track and report on progress regularly so everyone knows the targets are serious success measures. Create an online dashboard that you that you use to track progress from meeting to meeting. The result: People see the importance of quantifiable results and feel accountable to them.

6. Celebrate Wins to Create a Winning Team

Recognition of achievements and team celebrations are as important as ever. When someone delivers an innovation–whether creating a new product, service, process, or anything else–recognize them publicly. During virtual team meetings, set aside time for “virtual awards” to recognize those who have made valuable contributions. Email or snail mail a certificate or gift card in advance so recipients have real-world awards in their possession during the ceremony. The result: People understand the innovative behavior and results that are valued and will do what they can to deliver more of it themselves.

As I wrote in my last article, business should ideally keep going and growing, even in a pandemic or economic downturn. Innovation shouldn’t stop either. If you’re not innovating, it’s likely someone else is. And it’s likely your competition. In today’s world, everything eventually gets disrupted. Your culture is ultimately your only sustainable competitive advantage-even in a virtual world. Shape yours today.

If you want to see how you can build tools & resources to support your remote team, visit Praxie.com.

Image credits: Getty Images (acquired by Soren Kaplan)

This article was originally published on Inc.com and has been syndicated for this blog.

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Reset and Reconnect in a Chaotic World

6 Replies

Reset and Reconnect in a Chaotic World

GUEST POST from Janet Sernack

Meeting face to face, for a lovely lunch recently, with a coaching colleague, we were both shocked to discover how stressed and anxious we were feeling about being asked to deliver live workshops and face-to-face coaching to clients once again.

We shared how emotionally, mentally, and physically overwhelmed we felt, despite having decades of knowledge, experience, and skills in being able to deliver deep learning programs and face-to-face coaching sessions, about doing live gigs again! We also agreed, that despite the range of largely effective emotionally intelligent coping strategies we developed to help ourselves and our clients self-regulate, self-manage, to better adapt to the pandemic-imposed work-from-home restrictions that the past two and half years of working, alone, and in isolation, online, had taken its toll.

We acknowledged and accepted that we along with many of our clients were all suffering from elevated levels of stress, discomfort, and anxiety. We then agreed that it was time to focus on exploring how to better help ourselves and our clients reconnect and reset by enabling them to create states of well-being, emotional agility, and mental fitness, where they can feel good, can function well, and be effective and innovative in an increasingly chaotic world.

To seek new ways of enabling ourselves and our clients to deal effectively with a range of unresourceful feelings including helplessness, powerlessness, and fearfulness about an uncertain future.

We noticed that these feelings often caused many of our clients to contract and freeze, and become immobilised as a result of what we describe as a “bubble” of self-induced silo-based behaviours. That often evolved into extreme self-centeredness, and unconscious selfishness, which ultimately increased their feelings of isolation and loneliness, and lack of belonging, resulting in defensive and avoidant behaviours, in what is becoming an increasingly chaotic world.

How are these ways of being and acting impacting organisations?

Partnering in a wide range of online global coaching sessions, we noticed that a number of common trends emerged as to how our client’s teams and organisations, are being impacted at the cultural level:

Immobilization – many people are unable to self-manage their work from home workloads and are quietly burning out, through being overly task-focused and busy, whilst others are preferring to work autonomously, and not waste hours commuting.
Lacking safety and trust – many organisations are freezing all of their change initiatives, learning programs, and projects, causing people to fear loss and overall job insecurity, where many people are contracting more deeply within their “bubbles” and become even more distrustful of leadership and even more passively defensive and avoidant.
Lacking clarity and foresight – many organisations have slipped into being so reactive, focussing only on delivering short-term results, and are not communicating a clear strategy for leading the way forwards.

Resulting in:

Increased resistance to change and going back to the office adds to people’s inertia, and to their sense of disconnection and lack of belonging.
Increased risk adversity and conventional (cost cutting), tactical and short-term focus, inhibits any investment in Research and Development or the skills development required in developing and executing a future innovation strategy.
People have become even more fearful of failure, and are not stretching themselves to adapt, grow, learn and innovate with disruption, and often choosing to merely change jobs, in a competitive job marketplace, driven by scarcity, as a perceived short term solution.

A unique moment in time

This has created an opportunity, in this unique moment in time, to focus on being kinder to ourselves and to others by helping and supporting each other, respectfully and compassionately, creatively and courageously, to reconnect and reset. Despite rising levels of economic, civic, and social uncertainty and unrest.

What made sense yesterday may not make so much sense today.

Many of the mental models we applied yesterday may not be relevant for tomorrow because corporate culture, civic and social structures have drastically changed and digitalization has become commonplace, noting that we are shifting from a VUCA to BANI world where:

Brittle has replaced Volatility.
Anxiety reflects Uncertainty.
Non-linearity is an addition to Complexity.
Incomprehensibility is ultimately the consequence of our non-linear world and goes one step further than Ambiguity.

Paradoxically, this has created new openings to genuinely explore and discover new thresholds to adapt, generate new mindsets, develop skill sets, and power up our toolkits to keep pace with the effects of the emerging BANI world and capture complex systems by asking a key generative or catalytic question:

How might you support and enable others to think and act differently in such a world, where old patterns seem to crumble while new ideas and systems still need to be created, invented, innovated, and established?

As the world of work changes, so does the need for everyone to consider how to be more open-hearted, minded, and willed with one another.

A final word from Gallop CEO Jon Preston in the Gallop Global Emotions Report:

“All over the world, people are trying to understand the rise of violence, hatred, and increased radicalization. They will continue to argue over what the best policy responses should be and what role social media plays in fueling negative emotions.

However, policymakers must understand why so many more people are experiencing unprecedented negative emotions and focus on the drivers of a great life.

Our shared humanity and wellbeing depend on it”.

When we generously and kindly demonstrate care, respect, and appreciation for the value everyone brings, we can also demonstrate helpfulness and support, through our unconditional willingness to reconnect and reset.

Resulting in an ability to co-create a better sense of belonging and a more optimistic outlook, through enhancing our emotional intelligence. To effectively self-regulation and self-manage the superpowers and strategies required to thrive, flourish and flow, and make transformational changes in the face of relentless uncertainty, disruption, and a chaotic world.

This is the first in a series of three blogs on the theme of reconnecting and resetting, to create, invent and innovate in an increasingly chaotic world. You can also register for our free 45-minute masterclass on Thursday, 25^th August, to discover new ways of re-connecting through the complexity and chaos of dis-connection to create, invent and innovate in the future! Find out more.

Image credit: Pixabay

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

How to Measure Cultural Innovation Success

Leave a reply

How to Measure Cultural Innovation Success

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

Every forward-thinking leader today understands that innovation isn’t just a buzzword; it’s the lifeblood of sustained competitive advantage. Yet, far too often, organizations fixate solely on tangible outputs: the shiny new product, the breakthrough patent, or the impressive market share gain. While these are certainly valuable, they represent only the tip of the iceberg. The true, resilient engine of innovation lies beneath the surface, embedded deep within an organization’s culture. Cultural innovation – the deliberate, systematic cultivation of an environment where new ideas flourish, experimentation is celebrated, and learning from failure is foundational – is what truly drives long-term success. But if it’s so critical, why does measuring its success feel like trying to catch smoke?

It’s a common misconception that culture is too amorphous to quantify. In truth, measuring cultural innovation success is not only possible but absolutely essential. Without it, you’re investing in an engine without a fuel gauge. This isn’t merely about tracking activities; it’s about understanding if innovation is truly woven into your organization’s DNA, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem that consistently delivers value.

Defining Cultural Innovation Success

Cultural innovation extends far beyond a dedicated R&D department or an annual hackathon. It signifies a profound shift where innovation becomes a collective responsibility, a daily habit, and a dynamic source of competitive edge. Success in this realm means:

Widespread Empowerment: Innovation is decentralized; every employee feels empowered and equipped to contribute, regardless of role.
Psychological Safety: Individuals are comfortable proposing unconventional ideas, challenging norms, and taking calculated risks, knowing that intelligent failure is a learning opportunity, not a career threat.
Continuous Experimentation & Learning: The organization exhibits a strong bias for action, rapid prototyping, and a disciplined approach to learning from every outcome, positive or negative.
Strategic Alignment: Innovation efforts are clearly linked to and support the overarching strategic objectives, ensuring resources are directed towards high-impact areas.
Customer & User Obsession: All innovative endeavors are deeply rooted in empathy, understanding, and solving genuine problems for customers and users.

Ultimately, a thriving innovation culture yields tangible business outcomes: accelerated growth, increased market relevance, enhanced operational efficiency, superior customer loyalty, and a magnetic ability to attract and retain top talent.

The Art and Science of Measurement

Traditional KPIs, while useful for operational performance, often miss the nuance of cultural shifts. The key to effective measurement lies in a pragmatic blend of quantitative data and rich qualitative insights. Crucially, we must balance lagging indicators (what happened) with leading indicators (what’s likely to happen) to build a predictive innovation capability.

Four Critical Dimensions for Measuring Cultural Innovation

1. Engagement & Capability Development

Are your people actively participating in and growing their innovation muscle?

Employee Innovation Index (Survey): A customized internal survey tracking comfort with new ideas, perceived leadership support, belief in the organization’s innovative future, and willingness to challenge status quo.
Ideation Platform Activity: Metrics on unique contributors, ideas submitted, comments, votes, and ideas advanced to prototyping.
Cross-functional Project Participation: Number of unique employees participating in inter-departmental innovation projects.
Innovation Skills Training: Participation rates and post-training application scores for design thinking, agile methodologies, or creativity workshops.

2. Experimentation & Learning Velocity

Is your organization building a systematic capability for rapid iteration and intelligent failure?

Number of Experiments Initiated & Completed: Tracking distinct exploratory projects across all business units.
Experiment Cycle Time: Average time from problem identification to validated learning (positive or negative).
Budget Allocated to Learning/Failed Ventures: A healthy sign is when a portion of innovation budget is intentionally set aside for experiments that may not succeed, viewed as “tuition.”
Learning Debriefs Conducted: Documented post-mortems or “pre-mortems” where teams systematically extract lessons from both successes and failures.

3. Impact & Value Creation (Lagging Indicators)

Are cultural shifts translating into measurable business and human capital value?

Revenue from New Offerings: Percentage of total revenue generated by products/services launched within the last 1-3 years.
Time-to-Market Reduction: Average time to bring new innovations to market (concept to commercialization).
Operational Efficiency Gains: Quantified savings or improvements from process innovations.
Customer Adoption & Satisfaction: For new products/services (e.g., Net Promoter Score, feature adoption rates).
Employee Retention & Attraction: Particularly for roles requiring creativity and problem-solving, as innovative cultures act as talent magnets.

4. Leadership & Environment Enablement

Are leaders actively championing, resourcing, and protecting the innovation space?

Leadership Innovation Index (360-degree Feedback): Measures how leaders are perceived in terms of supporting experimentation, fostering psychological safety, and championing new ideas.
Resource Allocation & Protection: Proportion of budget and dedicated time allocated to exploratory innovation (not just core operations), and evidence of protecting innovation teams from short-term pressures.
Recognition & Reward Systems: Diversity and frequency of employees recognized for innovative contributions (not just successful outcomes).
Strategic Communication Clarity: Employee understanding of the organization’s innovation vision, strategy, and their role in it.

Case Study: “Horizon Initiative” at a Global Tech Services Firm

A established global tech services firm, “SynthCorp,” was struggling to pivot from a project-delivery mindset to a product-led innovation strategy. Despite a strong engineering base, a rigid hierarchy and a “deliver-at-all-costs” culture led to risk aversion and siloed thinking, stifling internal product development. SynthCorp launched the “Horizon Initiative” to embed a culture of product-centric innovation and distributed ownership.

Intervention: They established “Product Guilds” – cross-functional communities of practice focused on specific tech domains, encouraging knowledge sharing and bottom-up ideation. A “Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Fund” was created, allowing teams to apply for small, rapid-deployment grants for experimental product ideas, with a clear mandate to “fail fast, learn faster.” Leadership started holding monthly “Innovation Showcases” where even early-stage, potentially failing MVPs were presented and celebrated for their learning value.
Measurement:
- Before: Product development cycles averaged 18 months, 90% of R&D budget was dedicated to client-specific projects, and employee surveys showed low perceived autonomy (28%).
- After (18 months): The number of internal MVPs launched jumped by 300%. The average time from concept to validated MVP dropped to 4 months. More importantly, 70% of employees reported feeling “empowered to experiment” (up from 15%). The MVP Fund yielded two highly successful internal product lines that generated $5M in new recurring revenue within 2 years. Crucially, the “fail fast” mentality significantly reduced the overall cost of failed large-scale projects by identifying issues earlier.

SynthCorp’s success was measured not just in new revenue, but in the dramatic acceleration of their learning loops and the measurable increase in employee ownership over product innovation.

Case Study: “Connect & Create” at a Non-Profit Healthcare Provider

A large regional non-profit healthcare provider, “CarePath,” was facing increasing operational inefficiencies and declining staff morale due to a perceived lack of voice. Innovation was seen as the domain of senior administration, and frontline staff felt disconnected from problem-solving. CarePath initiated “Connect & Create” to foster a grassroots culture of continuous improvement and patient-centric innovation.

Intervention: They implemented “Innovation Circles” – small, voluntary cross-departmental teams (e.g., nurses, administrative staff, technicians) empowered to identify and solve operational challenges within their units. A simple “Idea to Action” micro-grant program (up to $1,000) was established for small-scale improvements. Leadership launched a “Patient Impact Stories” campaign, regularly highlighting how staff-led innovations directly improved patient care and staff workflow.
Measurement:
- Before: High staff turnover (18%), low scores on “opportunity to contribute ideas” in annual surveys (35%), and an average of 3 major patient complaints related to operational inefficiencies per month.
- After (12 months): Over 150 “Innovation Circles” were active, leading to 80+ implemented process improvements across different departments. For example, a new patient check-in flow reduced wait times by 15%, and an improved medication tracking system reduced errors by 10%. Staff retention improved by 5%, and employee satisfaction scores for “feeling valued” increased by 20%. The number of patient complaints related to operational issues decreased by 50%.

CarePath’s triumph lay in transforming its frontline staff into powerful agents of change, demonstrating that cultural innovation can yield profound human and operational benefits, even in resource-constrained environments.

The Braden Kelley Mandate: Beyond Vanity Metrics

Remember, cultural innovation measurement is not about collecting vanity metrics. It’s about gaining actionable insights. Focus on leading indicators that genuinely predict your organization’s future ability to adapt and thrive. Always ground your quantitative data with rich qualitative context – the stories, observations, and deep insights that explain *why* the numbers are what they are. And, crucially, treat your measurement framework itself as an innovation; be prepared to iterate, refine, and adapt it as your culture evolves. Avoid rigid, one-size-fits-all approaches. Your measurement system should serve your innovation culture, not shackle it.

Measuring cultural innovation success is a continuous strategic imperative, not a periodic audit. It demands commitment, an agile mindset, and a willingness to look beyond the obvious. When executed thoughtfully, it illuminates the path forward, revealing the true power of an empowered, innovative workforce. It’s how you don’t just innovate, but how you become an innovation powerhouse.

Ready to Transform Your Innovation Culture?

Start by identifying 1-2 key cultural shifts you want to achieve. Then, select 2-3 actionable metrics from each dimension above that directly reflect those shifts. Begin measuring, learn, and iterate. The journey to a truly innovative culture starts with a single, measured step.

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: 1 of 850+ FREE quote slides from http://misterinnovation.com

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

This 9-Box Grid Can Help Grow Your Best Future Talent

Leave a reply

This 9-Box Grid Can Help Grow Your Best Future Talent

GUEST POST from Soren Kaplan

Hiring good people is tough. Retaining your best talent can be equally challenging. In today’s disruptive world, competitive advantage relies as much on people as it does technology.

So, how do you objectively know which people are your all-stars, especially in a bigger organization? And not just the best talent today, but the best for the future?

I originally wrote this article for my Inc. Magazine column. My team at Praxie.com created an online 9-Box app and I was stunned at how much interest there was from across industries for this solution.

Keeping & Growing Talent is Today’s Name of the Game

Just as it’s easier and cheaper to retain customers than to acquire new ones, the same goes for employees. Knowing who your current and future all-stars are helps you keep them and gives you the opportunity to help them grow into more strategic roles.

The 9-box talent grid categorizes your people into nine categories. The grid contains two axes, performance and potential, each of which includes three levels each: low, moderate, and high. When you match up the categories on the axes, you get nine boxes that become classifications.

Categorizing people helps reveal who’s contributing the most now, and who will likely contribute the most in the future:

Stars (High Potential, High Performance): Consistently high performance with high potential. Will likely become part of the future leadership team.

High Potentials (High Potential, Moderate Performance): Solid performance overall with high potential to grow. Will most likely advance in current or future roles and may become part of the future leadership team.

Enigmas (High Potential, Low Performance): While high potential, challenges exist in performance that may require additional support or training and development.

High Performer (Moderate Potential, High Performance): Consistently high performance with solid potential to advance in current role and future positions with the right opportunity.

Key Player (Moderate Potential, Moderate Performance): Overall good performance and potential with additional support and opportunities to grow.

Inconsistent Player (Moderate Potential, Low Performance): Low performance and moderate potential require additional support and training to validate growth opportunity.

Workhorses (Low Potential, High Performance): Highly effective performance yet may have peaked in terms of potential so coaching or training may help elevate potential.

Backups (Low Potential, Moderate Performance): Decent performance and an asset but may not become a more significant contributor.

Bad Hires (Low Potential, Low Performance): Low performance coupled with low potential means re-evaluating overall role in organization.

The team at Praxie.com has made the 9-Box application available to try to free.

9 Box Example

Shoot for the Stars

The easiest way is to assign people to the categories is based on your experience working with them. Or, if you’re in a larger organization, collect inputs from managers and aggregate the results.

Here’s how it works: The CEO of an organization works with their HR director to collect inputs from managers within the sales department. Twenty-five sales representatives are mapped into the nine boxes. The results are used to provide additional incentives, identify people for leadership development programs, and promote individual reps to managers for new territories.

The 9-box grid provides a snapshot in time. Use the tool to continually assess and reassess your talent. You’ll see some people move up and to the right while others may stay stagnant. Use these trends to help people grow. It won’t improve just your organizational culture. It will also improve your business.

Image credits: Praxie.com

This article was originally published on Inc.com and has been syndicated for this blog.

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.

Recognizing and Rewarding Employee Contributions

Leave a reply

Recognizing and Rewarding Employee Contributions

GUEST POST from Chateau G Pato

Employee recognition plays a crucial role in fostering a positive workplace culture, enhancing morale, and driving engagement. This article explores the importance of recognizing and rewarding employee contributions while showcasing two remarkable case studies that illuminate best practices in action.

The Importance of Recognition

Recognition is not merely a feel-good exercise; it is a strategic component of successful organizations. According to a Gallup study, companies that prioritize employee recognition can increase their profitability by up to 21%. When employees feel valued, they are more likely to be engaged, productive, and loyal.

Case Study 1: Google

Background: Google is known for its innovative workplace culture, which fosters creativity and recognizes employee contributions.

Approach: Google implements a variety of recognition programs, including peer recognition platforms and the famous “kudos” system, which allows employees to publicly acknowledge their peers’ efforts.

Impact: In a study conducted by Google on employee engagement, teams that participated actively in recognition programs reported a 50% increase in collaboration and a 70% increase in employee satisfaction. Employees felt empowered to contribute their ideas, leading to increased innovation.

Case Study 2: Zappos

Background: Zappos has cultivated a strong culture centered around customer service and employee happiness.

Approach: Zappos has a unique recognition program called “Zollars,” where employees earn points for demonstrating the company’s core values. These points can be redeemed for various rewards, including gift cards and experiences.

Impact: A post-implementation survey showed that Zappos employees felt more valued and connected to the company’s mission, with over 80% reporting increased job satisfaction. This program also led to a 20% reduction in turnover rates, showcasing the long-term benefits of effective employee recognition.

Strategies for Effective Recognition

To ensure effective recognition, organizations should focus on personalization, timeliness, and inclusivity. Formal recognition programs should complement informal tactics, allowing employees to be recognized in a manner that resonates most with them.

Furthermore, recognition should be tied to meaningful contributions aligned with the company’s values and goals. Here are some practical strategies:

Regular Feedback: Encourage managers to provide frequent feedback and acknowledgment of contributions. Tools like Lattice or 15Five can facilitate this process.
Peer Recognition: Create a system where employees can recognize each other’s work and achievements through platforms like Bonusly.
Celebrate Milestones: Recognize both professional and personal milestones to show employees they are valued as whole individuals.

Pitfalls to Avoid

While recognition is beneficial, common pitfalls include inconsistency, lack of clarity on contribution criteria, and overlooking remote employees. To mitigate these issues, organizations should strive for transparency and inclusiveness in their recognition practices.

Conclusion

Recognizing and rewarding employee contributions is essential for cultivating an engaged and motivated workforce. By examining organizations like Google and Zappos, we can see that tailored recognition programs not only enhance job satisfaction but also drive performance and loyalty. As leaders, it is our responsibility to create a culture that values every contribution, fostering an environment where innovation and excellence can thrive.

Image credit: Pexels

Guest AI: Grok

Sign up here to get Human-Centered Change & Innovation Weekly delivered to your inbox every week.