Levers of Innovation

I was SO incredibly fortunate to be able to share some thoughts for spirited discussion around change and organization development with the International Society of Organization Development.  Practitioners, professionals, students, researchers, educators, and excited minds interested in change all came together to share thoughts and build our awareness of the OD world and the passionate people who support and engage in the efforts!

When talking about change, working with organizations, what better place to start than what I find myself doing working with Innovation at Bank of Hawaii?!  Too often people hear 'innovation' in the financial industry and they remain stuck around the idea of technology - the mobile and online evolutions many of us use today.

But these very "innovations" are what's pushing the industry to look at things differently, asking 'How Might We' consider another way.  And with the ever-changing environment - regulations, economy and interest rates - coupled with competing against a 150-year old legacy of risk-adversion and security,  the  challenge quickly increases to avoid "becoming irrelevant." But how does one innovate if the competition hasn't created the product yet?  How can you be at the top of your market if the market isn't even existing?

I started considering that my role is not to create that 'end product' that's innovative, but rather my goal became to facilitate others to work, improve, change and consider new approaches such that when we look back, we would say "yeah, we're an innovative organization!"  So if this is my true role, then I began to look what 'levers' were out there that gets you do to something.  What makes you act?  What stops the person who does the same exercise everyday and simply reflect (assess)?  Then, what gets you over the barrier to try something?  And based on that attempt, not only take the feedback and modify, but then repeat the cycle?  These are how I defined levers.   

Too often we react to items - this is how we often see the action to try something new.  I love the example that you would not call budget analysts "innovative" in general, nor tell them to go "innovate the budget."  They're good analysts, they like the numbers black and white.  But what happens if you tell them to cut the budget by 20% across the organization?  Now you might get some innovative solutions as they talk to each other and consider options on how to remove that 20%!

While we can identify those things we react to, my goal would rather be prepared and act before we are forced to!  Avoid irrelevancy, we're proactively leading our charge into a successful future.  But this is going to take some re-assessing our current situation and approaching from a more holistic endeavor.  We need to expose our team to possibilities, get them trying new tools and being more customer focused than product/profit focused.  Consider how you can leverage the social rewards of employees thanking each other in ad hoc ways (vice the formal structure of management rewards).  Let's build an open and creative environment where we keep the boundaries of the business, but the team is free to try ideas and experiment with processes within the flexible arena of the organization.

There's something to understanding these levers and working with them so that you not only slowly move the entire culture, but you begin to make tracks in showing the complete turnaround into an innovative organizations.  And what's best is YOU didn't do it - you get the organization to change their ways!

Encourage Problem Sharing...but Always Bring Ideas with You

I love this article’s thoughts around ‘problem’ – “can bring any problem, as long as bring at least three ideas for a solution.” Encouraging sharing of challenges AND the ideas that surround them. And the ideas don’t have to be the best solution, just something to plant the seed. Many times these issues arise from those most involved with the work performed, yet they are so removed from the end source that it is hard for them to see a true solution. However, when you encourage them to share their ideas, you are getting end user feedback and insights that a ‘back office’ would never be appreciative of.

You ask someone why they perform a task the way they do and you get the answer “because I was told to” (often by a managing or senior person). This is NOT a bad answer, but perhaps the wrong question. Consider then if you asked the person next “if they could change anything about the process, what would it be an why.” If you’ve established some trust with this person, I’m sure they’ve envisioned many ideas on how to improve the process, create better quality while freeing up more of their time to innovate further.

How are you encouraging others to not just uncover areas of improvement but to encourage the generation of impactful ideas?
Read Adam Bryant's Interview with Jennifer Dulski, COO of Change.org, here.

Innovation - Don't Undermine the Change!

A co-worker shared a great article from Harvard Business Revenue on the ways large corporations can undermine the innovation efforts. It definitely represents key things to consider as you work towards innovating within and through an organization, especially from an organization rooted in risk aversion and stability.

1. How you measure success – while a challenge for anyone venturing into new territory (I experienced it on asking others to even articulate what innovation means), defining something to represent a change in behavior, resources, priorities, etc. is a great way to see if there’s forward progress. Start small can be the simplest and easiest thing to do. We setup an area for employees to submit ideas and while there was argument whether we’ve had any successes today (only a few have been implemented); the fact that people were willing to voluntarily share their own ideas represents a success! Not to mention we have over 275 a year later! I would highlight the positive when there was doubt if we’d even get 3 ideas in the first month!

2. Return on Investment – are hard challenge in an expense-reduction environment, but again, start small. Can you test or prototype a piece of the idea and get immediate feedback? Doing something in a 1-3 month window for quick response, versus spending 12 months gathering data that may or may not come true, utilizes the capital in an efficient manner and easier to gain buy-in.

3. And yes – while I love the title of a Chief Innovation Officer – innovation should come from throughout the organization at all levels. Everyone innovating where they can with what they have leads up to larger, bigger changes.

4. “Radical Collaboration” - Working with LOTS of different people from different areas. Even if the idea is tailored to a specific work function, ask someone who is NOT part of that team for their thoughts. Not only will you might learn something new, but it also gives you practice on sharing your idea and why it is so important.

5. Physical space to see the evolution – innovation spaces and physical, tangible things that show not only innovations that produce results, but that say “See, we tried something and not sure what the result may be” are great at building support as they challenge existing practices in a solid manner. Anyone can argue with you about a good idea, but it becomes a whole lot harder of a rock to move if it’s been physically built.

6. Support – everyone looks to the boss to see if they agree. If they don’t, everyone is just paddling in their own direction. You need to see the support not just steering the boat with a given direction, but once it’s on course, getting in the back and helping to paddle just as hard if not harder as everyone else. Seeing this action will motivate everyone else even more than simply saying “you have my support” and residing in a penthouse office.

Some people say change is hard, but then I read a thought that change isn’t hard – we make a hundred changes every day: change your mind on what to wear today, change which direction you take to work due to traffic, change your mind and buy your lunch after you brought to the office, etc. It’s accepting the value of the change that can be the barrier, but without addressing all the above elements, little forward motion will occur. Thoughts and insights?

Measuring Success

I had the pleasure to share how "Barriers to Innovation" is actually a list of key items that Project Managers should consider as they move through their projects.  PMI Honolulu Chapter invited me to speak on what I'm seeing and learning in my role as Innovation Manager at Bank of Hawaii.  While many people gave me positive feedback on the presentation, my favorite was hearing that it forced them to not only think about their projects and the respective stakeholders, but to look at themselves and how they are conducting.  Nice to hear that you can share something worthwhile; however, good project managers they are, asked me a number of questions around metrics.  I know this is something both my team and myself struggle in the effort to report in a financial world that is rooted in metrics and numbers and it made me think about how we do quantify success.

One of the things I experienced in my course work in Organizational Change at HPU was that change is measured by the shift in priorities, resources and time. Changes that are to have a wider impact, enterprise effects and social and culture shifts are hard to articulate in the near term. However, if you measure where people spend their time before, during, and after changes made (and then continue to monitor even after projects have completed), do you notice differences? An idea that we need to innovate so that we do not become obsolete in an ever-changing world is easily understood by our organization. But those innovations may be little things that have long term impacts. My example would be 'willing to try' with not only the understanding but the acceptance that not all new ideas ventured will necessarily return positive benefits, but that's okay as long as we learn, adapt and move forward. As we cocmmunicate this mindset, we're not expecting all employees to suddenly start proposing million dollar projects from day one. However, to have the team mention one project that they tried but failed fast and failed hard at a team meeting is a first step. 6 months later, the attitudes are a little lighter as the team begins to each individually mention a small project from their respective areas that they struggled with and changed course based on the results. Then I hear at a different team meeting, outside my innovation space, the small discussion of not repeating an effort they tried last year due to poor results. I'm seeing that people have spent resources on items that may not have been the most successful. They're talking and spending time with projects that didn't succeed on the first shot. Now I'm measuring my culture shifts by these variances in the priorities, discussion and resources spent on projects compared to prior there was no time spent discussing 'failed' efforts, only the positive ones.

I thought this might be a good topic to share for feedback as it's not just innovation measures, but really, how do you create measures for any new process or product, that you have no baseline or even no benchmark to compare to, but at the same time you're in a business and expected to produce?

Changing Habits

Chanaging Habits

It's not What you do, it's HOW you do it...

     How do you teach Innovation?  How do you help the manager assigned the most challenging position of his career, as articulated here by Doss (Forbes, 2013)?  Innovators in business must address both sides of the coin - change culture while providing results to keep the business not only afloat, but ahead of its competitors.

   The trick - don't teach something, get them to CHANGE.  If you change habits, these are longer lasting tools that can help them solve any problem, regardless if it's an innovative change or the daily work log.  And don't just let them change at work - encourage them to change at home so that innovative approaches are constantly looked for and not just a 'hat' they have to wear when they come to work.

Consider the following:

• Currently: Presume what people want
• Try: Asking for Feedback
• Currently: Say why we can't do something
• Try: Asking "How Might We....?"
• Currently: Decide "no" without asking first
• Try: Hearing them out before judging
• Currently: Do it because it's always been done that way
• Try: Asking Why?
• Currently: Quickly (and often harshly) criticize and idea that was shared
• Try: Thanking people for sharing ideas regardless of outcome
• Currently: Work in stovepipes
• Try: Radical collaboration - get people completely outside the project for their insights
• Currently: Avoid Risks
• Try: Valuing Rewards - rather than focusing on risks
• Currently: Too busy for Training
• Try: Making time to improve - even if a few minutes a day
• Currently: Direct/Assign Change
• Try: Participating - this may be more motivating to others than you realize

Habits to do:

• Reward yourself for doing something different - even if it's just a self-pat on the back, celebrate!


• Excite - yourself and other.  Things are always easier when people are motivated, even if a mundane task, make it out to be the change of the century.  Motivated and happy workers are hard workers!


• Try, Try, Try - do not let one 'no' take hold.  While eventually one items should come to fruition, the more you try, the more others see you and you then encourage them to try - this is greater organizational change than teaching people to try testing items first.

A few thoughts but if you make them habits, you become an approachable person with a mind to not solve problems, but to provide solutions as you consider that there might always be an option - this makes you a valued team member in any organization!

It's Not What You Do, it's HOW You Do It

Attitude is everything!

In a few days, I've heard people tell me that they love my attitude, even one person "admired my positive attitude and upbeat optimism."  That only puts more spring into my step!  When you enjoy what you do it makes it easy to move forward, to press on in the face of opposition and overcome those barriers, innate or forced.

I just finished Tim Brown's Change by Design and how they use Design Thinking to change organization's approaches to create truly successful products, marketing campaigns, business strategies and even the organization themselves.  Have an open mind to consider What's Possible...being interested to TRY...being EXCITED to be part of a new idea - these ideas seemed to resonate as you read the stories of how IDEO looked at 'problems' and turned them into 'opportunities.'  After reading it, I considered my attitude and what are those elements that are critical to successful organizational change.

1. Understanding: With the Bank, we're focused on bottom lines, on the numbers, the revenue, the customer profitability - but what about the WHY?  There are people here for 30+ years - what makes their work so fascinating that they want to continue to do it day after day?  Listen to their stories - get their empathy and understand what appeals to them.  Find that idea and share it with them.

2. Motivate: Now you know their secrets - get them EXCITED!  They already like the concept, so continue to do anything that makes it seems exciting!  Take operations - day-to-day job, and now you're going to improve a process by making small changes.  The person still does the same job everyday, same results, but now they save themselves 10 minutes a day.  When you share this is 50 minutes a week, over 3 hours a month and then almost a full WEEK of work by the end of the first year - think how much other stuff you can do!  Now their skills are excited and ready and willing to be applied to the project.

3. Continue to Drive: We've all seen the exciting presentation, everyone all 'amped up' afterwards, but then not even a week later, things are back to how they were, no changes.  Your job as lead cheerleader is also to continue to drive to completion.  Don't let it languish, highlight those milestones and keep everyone moving!  And the biggest thing - don't be afraid to get your hands dirty!  Ask what you can do to help!  This only motivates others when they see you, busy as you are, wanting to help them!

4. Celebrate: Everything can be celebrated!  But it's that coming back and touching those points that people remember.  And celebrate in front of others!  You should always praise in public (remember the introverts and not over do it!), but more importantly do it often!  Not just when the project finishes but throughout the process.  Using people's names and celebrating their efforts is what's remembered that you'll have a loyal following for your next innovative effort!

Do you have other ways you keep that positive attitude and drive forward changes in your innovations?  Would love to hear the stories!

Barriers or Opportunities - Recipe for Success

After my last post about Why Innovation is SO Hard, it was interesting to see Forbes come out with an article on the 10 Barriers to Employee Innovation.  While workload and resources were both named, I found it interesting the 'concreteness' of the items identified.  But at the same time, these "barriers" I think are the opportunities and if you look at it that way, I think there's a recipe for success written right in front of you to help your innovation efforts succeed!

1. Closed-Mindedness - your opportunity to show that Innovation is about asking "What If?" or "How Might We?"  The more the organization opens up and considers the idea BEFORE judging and saying no, the more ideas and the more open your organization will foster creative thinking rather than appear the nay sayers that is often heard.

2. Traditions - use the foundation you have made to support your trials at pushing forward.  Bank of Hawaii is EXTREMELY risk adverse, and our customers appreciate how secure and safe we've made their financial future.  Trying an 'innovative' approach goes against that risk; however, we've built this trust and with calculated risk, as you engage this loyal customer, explain to them and continue that trust, if you're open you'll get that trust to try the new approach, work through it WITH the customer.

3. Jealousy – this is not a barrier, but something that needs to be eradicated.  You all work and support the same organization – that’s one team.  So get every project or effort talking about the ‘team’ effort.  The team succeeds, the organization succeeds and therefore, the employees are rewarded.  Remove the support for individual contributions and focus on the team work. 

4. Money – rather than ‘budget’ for research and development, encourage the ideas.  If you cultivate good ideas, business cases will emerge naturally.  Then it’s not so much a matter of asking management for money to try an idea, but the ‘innovative’ idea is then brought to fruition through the same channels any revenue opportunity might have – but it’s that time that gets the idea to the point it can show return on investment that’s so important.

5. Generational Difference/Age – this is fact, no getting around it.  Instead, acknowledge it and encourage it as different perspectives together can help evolve ideas to reality.  You’ll need a team and the more perspectives the better the solution will not only produce results, but will be accepted by the organization.

6. Communication – this is a challenge so I’d say start with just encouraging people sharing what they are working on, no matter how ‘boring’ the project is, sharing the awareness of what the organization is look at becomes so insightful that often many natural teams will emerge that want to help the project, whether or not they’re part of the official team.  The biggest thing – share WHY a project is underway, an idea was not implemented or there are changes – knowing why will get the buy in even if they don’t agree, they understand.

7. Size – Figure out what works – a large company is just a bunch of smaller teams.  Get each team innovation in their groups and it bubbles up to an innovative organization.  And when you’re talking culture change, changing habits and mindsets, acknowledge the larger the size the longer the time – so if you’re a large company, its okay if it takes time, don’t stop!

8. Education – I’d push this back to communication.  Those who see something interesting, learn something, try something – share it with others.  Have your organization educating itself.  If everyone learned one thing or found one piece of information interesting and shared it, you’d have a plethora of new information that sparks ideas!  That’s what you want, not to learn how to innovate but to plant the seed to feel like you want to ask “What if” or “Why”.

9. Thought Leadership – to me, simply act in your leadership role the way you want others to act.  Culture change is inspired – when people see you doing things, reaching out and sharing, they will feel encouraged to do the same.  Set the example and then you won’t have to force, they will want to embrace the mentality on their own.

10. Resources – this is a secondary concern, focus on the idea, the value.  Do this while inspiring then people will find the resources.  You’d be amazed when an idea starts from the ground up how excited people get and how much time they put into it.  Watch a simple team building activity, like our recent costume contest – people put time and effort and were extremely creative and innovative with their designs, supporting an organizational function all without pay – imagine this was a revenue generating idea for the organization!!

I’m thinking that this recipe above would be great topics for future discussion – how you’re doing it and sharing lessons learned from Bank of Hawaii!

Why is Innovation SO hard?

What is preventing our great ideas from becoming reality? 

An original cartoon by KenMillerGroup

  The role of the Innovation Team at Bank of Hawaii is to be a facilitator - help good ideas become reality.  Granted a new department for BOH - a realization that we have to constantly evolve if we want to stay on top - but to those focused on the bottom line, the revenue driving value of Innovation, a record of only five (5) ideas implemented in seven months isn't exactly impressive.  So if we have a whole department, a sole person dedicated to Innovation, and even allocated budget - why only a few ideas?

  Is it a lack of ideas?  If we were measured on ideas volume alone, Innovation would be competing with some of those revenue-driving business units as we have over 180 ideas in just six months of having the website up.  We created a venue where people could share their ideas freely and openly.  Adding in additional social aspects, such as "Like"-ing the item and commenting, the ideas continue to grow and evolve.  While every idea may not be something we would implement right away (or if ever), tons of them are small process improvements and efficiencies that add up significantly.

  Is it a lack of communication of value?  To help with the processing of ideas, we have the idea submitters come to an Ideas Review Team.  NOTE: this is NOT a committee, no decision making, but rather, it's a discussion with people from all areas of the organization to hear and talk with the idea submitter about why the idea is so important.  The discussion then tends to consider what is possible, how could we evolve the idea and what are we doing now that we could incorporate some or all of the idea...It's a wonderful discussion that gets the idea submitters involved while showing the culture shift to more open, collaborative ways (no more 'boring', wasted meetings...not that we would ever have those). 

  So what's stopping us?!  I feel it's a mix of workload, priorities and passion. 

• Workload - that's a given.  Every one's busy, constantly doing more with less in an ever changing economy.  And now the Innovation Manager wants me to do something else!??!  How do they incorporate it into their busy schedules?  They do it by the next point - priorities.
• Priority - You've heard before Covey's Quadrants - are you working on the right thing at the right time.  We work on the Important but Not Urgent quadrant too much, allowing those Not Important but Urgent items interrupt us, causing stress when something that is actually Important AND Urgent comes up.  The trouble with the ideas are most are Important but Not Urgent; however, failing to address now leads to issues down the road. 
• Passion - every heard a "happy worker is a hard worker?"  I believe this fully - motivated people will always go above and beyond what is expected, but if they don't believe in it, it won't get done.  Period.  And this may be a bigger issue than the Innovation team alone can tackle alone, but it is something to consider - are you working with the right people to Innovate.

I'd like to know what thoughts others have on not just "barriers to innovation", but the realities we see.  I look forward to discussing further where I'm trying to take these things and move them forward.

~Jamie Champagne