Do you work in a high-reliability industry? Is your work – your success – based on facts, figures, and data? If so, you’re probably a big fan of evidence-based practice. I work with a great deal of healthcare professionals, engineers, scientists, financial folks, and technologists. Evidence-based practice, research, and evaluation are at the heart of their work, and for good reason. Rigor and reliability are needed to both guide and to evaluate the effectiveness of their technical, medical, and scientific methods and solutions.

Might you be drawn toward novelty, creativity, and invention? Do you or your organization thrive in the unknown? If so, you might call yourself an innovation junkie for whom the notion of evidence-based practice can feel constraining.

Regardless of the type of organization or industry you live and work in, a common strategic priority is to answer the following: “How can our team, business unit, company become more innovative, come up with more innovative products/solutions, or create a culture where creativity and innovation thrive?” This is no small task for any organization, much less a highly technical one.

Enter the paradox

Not long ago I was approached by a company eager to create an internal “innovation hub,” and admittedly weary to enter into the unknown. Below is an excerpt of his email:

I find it somewhat frustrating that these pieces are not backed up with externally validated evidence – careful evaluations by disinterested third parties, comparative studies with careful case-control conditions, use of plausible counterfactuals against which to assess the impact of particular actions, etc. This frustration may of course simply reflect that these evidence issues are among my key preoccupations in the substantive work in relation to my programmes.”

There is no doubt that evidence, research, and evaluations are highly valued commodities in many work environments – where experimentation and exploration happen only if you can prove it’s worked before.

When reliability becomes a real liability

Relying too heavily upon evidence-based practices (looking backward) can inhibit innovation (looking forward), stifling opportunity. Consider, for example, programs like Six Sigma, which may increase operational efficiency and reduce waste, yet might dismiss any chance of breakthrough discovery or invention – essentially choosing tweaks over transformation.

When talking with clients about innovation, I often get requests for case studies, research, articles, or evidence where “this sort of innovation has worked before”. These requests always make me smile! By its very nature, innovation means implies something novel or new, which makes it unlikely that evidence or hard research exists to support it. Anecdotal stories and testimonies highlighted in client case studies and business magazines might make one feel more calculated, confident, even daring, yet rarely carry a risk-free promise or guarantee.

If you want disruptive innovation, Whitney Johnson (@JohnsonWhitney), says, “Throw out the performance metrics you’ve always relied on”. She contends that new metrics are needed to measure value and success. AND, your odds of success will improve when you pursue a disruptive course.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m actually a fan of proven practices, evidence, scientific research, and evaluation. If I’m at the hospital and about to go under the knife, there’s something to be said for evidence-based practice in choosing the right doctor. And thank goodness for that doctor and/or that lab scientist who was willing to seek a new, unproven method, a better way!

Innovation implies risk and no guaranteed return on investment. If your organization wants innovation, evidence and proof can become a real liability, restricting learning and trail blazing altogether. As my good friend, Saul Kaplan (@Skap5) of the Business Innovation Factory says, “Tweaks won’t do it. We need to get things off of the whiteboard and into the real world!”

@tonysilbert

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But they all had one thing in common: they seemed to never meet expectations (if not fail altogether).   There was something missing between that great strategic planning process and the “actioning” processes that were intended to follow (but didn’t).

So what was missing?

First, the people ultimately capable of implementing the best ideas didn’t have a seat at the table.  Strategy then was the domain of the C-Suite and Big 5 Consulting firms.  And yet the best ideas and innovation rarely came from the top; in fact, they most often came from the farthest parts of an organization.

Second, we compromised values when they did not meet our quarterly objectives to be leaner and our drive to “do more with less.”  When Jack Welch first said that the only responsibility of a corporation was to “enhance shareholder value” I guess most people thought that meant, “make a lot of money fast and get rich.”  And they did.  Sometimes.  But we lost our hearts and souls in the process.

We forgot that sometimes it’s good business to do something that is worthwhile, despite the absence of double-digit growth objectives and ever increasing pressures for squeezing out margin.  A lot of people were not happy and we lost entire segments of our economy due to “globalization” and cheap labor offshore.

But then things started to change.  People started looking at the waste involved with shipping raw materials offshore only to ship the finished products back, not to mention the energy and passion lost when we focused on Return on Investment instead of the people that made things work.

Six years ago I attended my first Business Innovation Factory (BIF) summit in this far-away land called “Providence.”  I saw a town not unlike the Seattle of the 1980’s- where the creative arts and innovative thought spoke through the lingering industrial recession of …something…new on the horizon.

Now I am hopeful.

I heard people like Tony Hseih speak of “Return On Community” and investing in people …and the profits that follow.  I Listened to Alex Osterwalder, Dan Roam, and Dave Grey as they tossed out all the traditional approaches and started designing business models that were crazy, purposeful, and passion-driven.  I listened to Dan Pink remind us that people are really not motivated by money as much as they are excited about being relevant and making a difference.

I see corporations and communities starting to make strides in energy, poverty, and environment where government stalls.  I see education changing to excite and empower students to want to learn, instead of just teaching them to pass high-stakes standardized tests.  I see communities embracing paths of self-reliance, transforming public services into career path partnerships and entrepreneurship, and graduates who aren’t just looking for jobs, but creating them – and with the support of growing ecosystems, like the SEEED summit for growing this global social enterprise movement.

This is not your father’s business model… and thank goodness, because if we want a different “what” we need a different “how”:

As for the strategic planning I mentioned earlier – talk about a whole new ball game.  The SWOT analyses (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) I was taught in business school are being replaced with more solution-focused approaches, like SOAR (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and Results).  More significantly, the innovative C-suites are putting more seats at the table in planning discussions – many even opting for more tables in the room, inviting staff and stakeholder input to the strategy.

And it’s working.  More than staying relevant and on top of their game, internal teams are gelling like never before, not just engaged but empowered to design more innovatively as they create and deliver value – for themselves and for the populations and communities they strive to serve.

This is not your father’s business model.  Things are changing.  And I am hopeful.

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@jhsilbert

Welcomed or not, change is difficult and uncomfortable—painful even.  The human brain is programmed to make this so. Likewise is it programmed for re-wiring when the right stimulus comes along, like a shift in conversation from telling to asking.  May seem trivial, “ask don’t tell,” and yet it can be the key to unlocking breakthrough thinking – not just as a spontaneous spark, but more like an enduring flame, making innovation a cultural norm.

First things first: let’s see how we’re wired.

INNOVATION ON THE BRAIN

The basal ganglia serves as our auto-pilot, the part of the brain that operates around routine and habit. The prefrontal cortex, on the other hand, is our working memory, where new information or ideas are compared to old and  where learning and insights are generated.  Any changes to our hard-wired habits require much effort, attention and intention, putting the prefrontal cortex to work.

In addition to identifying “new” our brain is programmed to detect errors, the difference between expectation and actuality.  When such a difference occurs, neural firing goes off in the brain in the orbital frontal cortex, which is in close vicinity to our fear circuitry, or amygdala.  When activated, energy is drawn away from the prefrontal region, pushing people to act impulsively; animal instincts take over (fight or flight).  When there’s a change to routine, a message in the brain is received to say that something is not right, overpowering our rational thought and, more significantly, our capacity for higher thinking.  It takes a very strong will to push pass this mental activity to think differently and innovatively.

But wait—there’s hope.

FOCUS!  THE POWER OF ATTENTION FOR HARDWIRING INNOVATION

Focus, that is, paying attention to a mental experience (thought, insight, image), is a powerful means for keeping our circuitry open.  Over time, these circuits can become physical changes in the brain’s structure as a function of where an individual puts his/her attention.  People who practice something new everyday literally think differently and over time become wired differently physiologically—hence why personnel from accounting, legal, marketing, human resources, R&D, etc. see the world differently from one another.

What we focus on is driven by expectation.  David Cooperrider illustrated this in his “Positive Image, Positive Action” work.  Human beings are like living video cameras, always anticipating the next scene before it occurs.  And this expectation shapes our reality; what we look for, we find and what we pay attention to, grows.  The more positive the image generated, the more positive the action that will follow.  The opposite is also true.

There has been much research in medicine to back this anticipatory reality concept, from positive imagery to placebo.  Simply put: one’s mere expectation of pain relief can activate pain relief circuits in our brain so we experience what we expect to experience: pain relief.  Norman Cousins, faculty at UCLA School of Medicine, used himself as a living laboratory in describing how his anticipatory reality enabled him to overcome a life-threatening illness: “Hope, faith, love, will to live, cheerfulness, humor, creativity, playfulness, confidence, great expectations—all of these, I believe, had therapeutic value.”

Cousins went on to argue that placebo validates positive imagery as a means to “awaken the body of its own healing powers.”  Further research on placebo has shown that the response in the patient increases when supplemented by a positive expectation of the physician – that there is an interpersonal element to the positive image, positive action relationship.

This expectation is like a mental map, which can only be changed during moments of insight.  A new set of connections are made, provoked in ways that change our attitude and expectation quickly and dramatically.  Sometimes referred to as a paradigm shift, these moments of insight literally strengthen the brain’s capacity to overcome its own resistance to change.  The more deliberate, repeat attention that is given to these insights, the greater the brain’s capacity to generate new connections.  In other words, the more we strengthen our brain’s capacity for insight, the greater our chances of shifting mental maps and building capacity for innovative thinking.

ASK, DON’T TELL: INQUIRY FOR INNOVATIVE THINKING

“It’s not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” – Descouvertes

When people are asked questions that provoke new thinking and insight, the brain releases a rush of neurotransmitters that act much like adrenaline.  This affords people the opportunity and responsibility of generating and owning their solution, a dramatically different process and outcome from being told (or persuaded on) what to do.

This positive rush of energy counters the amygdala’s impulsive fear circuitry.  Further, it shapes the pathways of the brain to facilitate still more self-inspired insight (vs. advice-giving direction).

Through Appreciative Inquiry (AI) we ask questions that call for stories – reminding us what we value and want to see increased – as well as images of what can be – aspirations, outcomes and results.  More significantly, we elicit focus and attention that otherwise might not be given, reinforcing insights around what has worked well.  Complex connections are generated anew, creating new mental maps that, over time, can become hardwired circuits for making “out-of-the-box” thinking a cultural norm.

Better still, with an unconditional focus on the positive and what’s possible, inspiration becomes an almost inevitable result, which, consistent with Barbara Fredrickson’s “broaden and build” theory, broadens our thought-action repertoires.  The more joy we have in our lives at home/at work, the greater our capacities to play and innovate.  Fredrickson’s theory attributes positive emotions [made possible by positively biased inquiry] to our broadened attention span, through which we access greater strengths.  Like an immune system, this fosters greater coping mechanisms that accumulate over time.  The more hope, joy, and inspiration we experience in the workplace, the better we handle stress, and the more open we remain to seizing innovation.

GET TO WORK! EMBEDDING INNOVATION

We are biologically programmed to feel uncomfortable—and therefore to resist—when confronted with change.  It’s in our survival instincts.  But this is not to say we cannot overcome such programming and create circuitry anew—mental maps that, with practice, literally wire the brain’s capacity to generate breakthrough thinking and insight.

Widespread innovative thinking doesn’t happen by accident.  Rewiring takes practice, deliberate attention and focus in a manner that shifts gears, provoking rapid moments of insight.  The act of inquiry, particularly positively biased questions that tap into high point stories and experiences, enlighten us from the inside-out, shifting our mental maps in ways that didactic instruction (telling) cannot.  Best part: questions broaden our thought-action repertoire, building capacity for breakthrough thinking and inspired action, “all-aboard ownership” to see ideas through.

So yes, our questions are fateful.

1. FOCUS – direct attention to what you do want (not what you don’t)
2. ASK – don’t tell. Shift the conversation.  Very simply: invite more storytelling around what works, even if you have to stretch to look at exemplars elsewhere.
3. RINSE & REPEAT – be deliberate and practice practice practice. You’ll be wired for innovation in no time.

Cooperrider, D. (1999.) “Positive Image, Positive Action: The Affirmative Basis of Organizing.” Cleveland, OH; Case Western Reserve University.

Fredrickson, B. (1998.) “What Good Are Positive Emotions?”  Review of General Psychology (vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 300-319); Educational Publishing Foundation 1089-2680/98.

Rock, D. and Schwartz, J. “The Neuroscience of Leadership.”  Strategy + Business, Issue 43, Reprint No. 06207

Srivastva, S. and Cooperrider, D. (1999.) Appreciative Management and Leadership, Rev. Euclid, OH; Lakeshore Communications: 91-125.

Waldman, D.; Balthazard, P.A.; and Peterson, S.J.. (Feb. 2011.) “Leadership and Neuroscience: Can we revolutionize the way that inspirational leaders are identified and developed?” Academy of Management Perspectives, pp. 60-72.

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1. For one, all three will take the stage at this year’s #BIF9 Summit hosted by the Business Innovation Factory (BIF) in Providence, RI September 18-19^th. (Talk about a package tour for innovation junkies.)
2. Second, these women each played a significant role in personally ushering me (and countless others) to find my story and make the pivot, an unexpected call to action when I might have otherwise stuck my head in the ground.

If Obe-Wan Kenobe was casted a woman, these ladies would make Lucas proud. Allow me to introduce them to you:

Meet Carmina, Rebel at Work

I first met Carmen Medina in 2000 while working as a contractor in the Intelligence Community. Those were my career ladder rungs where “butts in seats” (profit) came before personal fulfillment (passion), landing me a project where, though grateful to be employed, I cared little for the work. I didn’t “fit” in, and this lack of congruence minimized my self worth, which was already in the dumps, magnified by the divorce I was going through at the time.

Carmen hovered close, not as a supervisor/superior, but as a mentor and friend who not only listened to my somewhat “radical” ideas but fearlessly went against the grain of group think whenever she suspected there a better way, however foreign to government norms. Carmen put my ideas and input on a level playing field with the others—which was huge, considering my subordinate rank and the hierarchical nature of the community wherein we worked. She gave me the time of day where others did not. Most significantly, Carmen encouraged me to keep the faith—not just in the project, or in the Intell Community at large, but in the journey I was on, however muddled and messy. My focus needn’t be about fitting in or being successful, but about learning along the way—a tough pill for this [then] corporate career ladder-climbing businesswoman to swallow.

Carmen credits her friend, Bob, for delivering this message to her. “Sometimes the ‘pivot’ isn’t a pivot, but a willingness to accept and soldier through.” We may find ourselves in a stressful life chapter, unsure or weary of the outcome. What matters is not what happens or whatever success we aim to claim at the finish, but our resolve to keep steady while walking to the other side, to learn to develop equanimity along the way.

A rebellious optimist, as her BIF6 story goes, Carmen gets it that heretics have to learn to live with discomfort, a natural consequence of their willingness to deviate from the norm and to break habits. Carmen just so happens to define innovation as “the opposite of habit,” so it’s only natural for her to be invited back to the BIF stage this year to share her insights from Rebels at Work, a community and collection of stories for “corporate rebels” to share experiences, insights and advice.

Meet Deb, Serial Mentor Extraordinaire

Deb Mills-Scofield and I first met on Twitter. Her influence and charm was magnetic, and I felt an immediate connection that was familiar and safe—like longtime friends (family, even) reunited long last.

When we met in person for the first time it was by way of a warm, lasting hug at BIF7. Deb asked questions with a curiosity that was nurturing, a “I want to understand you so I can help you” inquisitiveness, followed by the “here are the people I know that you need to know” to-do list for introductions and network expansion.

A serial mentor, Deb credits her “Other” orientation to the influence of many, but especially to her “mommy,” whom she affectionately references by this name today. (September marks five years since her mother’s passing.) A Holocaust survivor, Deb’s mother instilled an appreciation for that which cannot be taken away: knowledge, experience, and the stories that pull it all together. Material goods will come and go; learning stays.

For Deb, it’s always about nurturing others so we can learn, together.

“There’s ‘magic’ in what we learn at the BIF summit that is unique, unlike any other conference. BIF manages expectations in such a way that we arrive not to be seen, but on a level playing field. That’s the magic. And this goes back to the unique, intimate city where BIF is hosted, Providence, and the amazing staff that run BIF: no arrogance, just real down-to-Earth people.”

2013 will mark Deb’s first BIF experience on stage (versus taking her usual seat next to the bloggers). “I’m honored to share my story, and I think it’s cooler to arrive as a participant, whether you’re telling a story on stage or not,” she says, describing the summit as a humble, intimate version of TED without the hubris.

“BIF is very much about the ‘Thou’ and not the ‘I’. And—very important—the intent with which you arrive at the conference makes a difference with what you get out of it,” says Deb, who ascribes to Martin Buber’s I-Thou philosophy: we exist only in the way we encounter others.

“Is the world about me (I), where you inherently seek that which benefits you first? Or is the world about others (Thou, God)” – an outward perspective mindful of making the world better for everyone in it?

Many business leaders strive to create a legacy in the form of a lucrative company, intellectual property that lives on. Deb’s intellectual property is her network, and it’s open-source. “If I can share my network with others and inspire them to grow it for others, then I’ve lived well.”

Meet Whitney, the real-life Working Girl

I first met Whitney Johnson when she took the stage at the BIF7 Summit in the fall of 2011. Whitney shared some lessons learned from her own disruptive path, and the pain and reward that comes with the uncertainty of leaping into the unknown. “If it feels scary and lonely, you’re on the right track,” she said, assuredly, “…and you have no idea what will come next.” Then and there I thought the room went black with one spotlight shining on me alone. I felt terrified and validated all at once.

Several months after BIF, Whitney invited me to guest blog on her Dare, Dream, Do site. One brief and brilliant coaching call later, I found my story in its magnificent purity and simplicity.

Finding my story was significant, because the stories we tell about our past shape our vision of the future. And whether our (or other’s) expectation of the future is high or low, we live into it.

This is true for Whitney’s own life-changing pivots, where others believed in and cheered on her greatness – from Smith-Barney, where she ascended from “Working Girl” secretary to investment banker; to Merrill Lynch, where she learned to appreciate her innate capacity to think across disciplines – music, finance, spreadsheets, and more.

“Everyone needs a cheerleader to tell you you’re awesome… And, there’s a reputational risk when that cheerleader applauds you in a public forum. You simply have to live into—not just up to—that expectation,” she explained.

Whitney has had many cheerleaders along the way, from past bosses, to her coach, to Saul Kaplan (BIF founder), all who inspired her to take the dare—to dream and do. She is especially thankful for the encouragement she receives from her husband, whose belief in her instills a confidence to make things happen.

“When I think about my own experience on Wall Street, and then talk to other women, I’m stunned by how few of them have dreams—or worse, they do not think it their privilege to dream. It is everyone’s privilege to have a dream.”

Whitney doesn’t see her role as speaker and coach as giving back or paying it forward. Her motivating force comes from within; it’s how she connects to others and to the world.

“When I can encourage people to name themselves, to dream, then I feel connected. ‘I want you to see you as you are so I can connect with you.’ I do this because I have to.”

Carmen, Deb and Whitney will be among 30 storytellers and over 400 innovators, troublemakers, entrepreneurs, inventors and transformation artists making the pivot at the #BIF9 Summit this September 18 and 19. Now in its ninth year, the BIF Summit has earned its reputation as “one of the top 7 places to watch great minds in action” (according to Mashable). Join us in Providence for two days of unforgettable stories that connect, inspire and transform.

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Here at Spartina, business cards read “Partner and Co-founder.” But the expertise that we bring to each and every client and collaborator that we work with is so much deeper. When we’re meeting with clients we activate our experiences as parents, coaches, athletes, and even as clients – empathy is key! We encourage you to learn more about the experiences of your teammates and colleagues, perhaps the experiences not visible on CVs, to better understand each others strengths and perhaps forge some new and unlikely connections.

Dave’s hats are many! In his former lives he raced sailboats, worked as a carpenter, served in the Navy and for the State Department, and led an executive team at a Fortune 1,000.  Dave is also a proud father of 2 and happiest when he’s on his sailboat. He describes being at the helm of a boat as an infusion of inspiration and possibility because one can travel anywhere. If Dave could choose a less traditional title for his business card, he identifies strongly as a “Connector.”

Tony’s former career in global health and travel to over 80 countries dramatically informs his current client work. When traveling in foreign countries, he would arrive to a blank slate, not knowing the nuances of history, language, and culture without the guidance from locals. Curiosity and inquiry were key to launching successful, sustainable community-based programs. When Tony collaborates with a new organization, he comes with the same appreciation that every business is different and that no one knows more than the employees themselves. Tony also wears the hats of soccer dad, poker player, beach volleyball player. If Tony could choose a less traditional job title, he relates to being “Sparky” – to spark conversations and big ideas.

Jen has too many hats to count! As a nurturing mother, passionate kickboxer, nonprofit board member, and advocate for innovations in public education and civic engagement, it’s easy to address complex challenges creatively. One of the most poignant perspectives that Jen brings to her clients is her former work as a marathon coach. Working with people from ages 17-70, Jen coached people to reach goals they never imagined were possible. Who knew that an infusion of motivation and inspiration could make the impossible possible? If Jen could select a less traditional job title for her business card, it would read “Curator” – Jen is a wizard behind the curtain facilitating conversations and uncovering commonalities.

What are the hats that you wear? Which do you wear to work? It may be time to revise the dress code!

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