How to kickstart a culture of non-stop innovation

COPYRIGHT © 2014 WONDER GROUP. WONDERHELSINKI.COM
HOW TO KICKSTART A CULTURE
OF NON-STOP INNOVATION

TOBIAS DAHLBERG
Wonder Agency Inc. 
Brand & Innovation Strategist
Founder & CEO

Copyright © 2014 Wonder Group. wonderagency.com
We are a strategic design and agency
specialising in branding and innovation.
www.wonderagency.com

TODAY’S MENU
1. The need for non-stop innovation
2. What is culture?
3. How to change culture
4. The building blocks of innovation culture
5. Kickstarting culture / Group work

THE NEED FOR NON-STOP INNOVATION

Is this the end of the
world as we know it?

“The old industrial platform
is collapsing”
MARTY NEUMEIER

Hypercompetition

Hyperconnectivity

We’re at the dawn of the
next industrial revolution.

CREATIVE DESTRUCTION

IMPLICATIONS?

SAFE IS THE NEW RISKY
RISKYISTHENEWSAFE

NOBUSINESSISSAFEFROMDISRUPTION

WE MUST LEARN HOW TO LIVE WITH
UNPREDICTABILITY AND UNCERTAINTY.

We need to go to
where the future is.

Next generation
businesses are disruptive
and innovative.

"It is not the strongest of the
species that survives; nor
the most intelligent that
survives. It is the one that is
most adaptable to change."
CHARLES DARWIN

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE OUTSTANDING.
NOMA’S POP-UP RESTAURANT IN TOKYO HAD 60.000 PEOPLE QUEUING FOR A CHANCE TO SPEND 400 EUROS FOR A MENU.

THEFUTUREBELONGSTOTHEGAMECHANGERS.

HOWDOYOUTHRIVEIN
THISKINDOFWORLD?

CULTURE

Copyright © 2014 Wonder Agency www.wonderagency.com
“LET’S FIX THE NUMBERS FIRST AND
WORRY ABOUT CULTURE LATER”

WEMUSTFIRSTUNDERSTANDTHE
NATUREANDPOWEROFCULTURE.

CULTURE EATS
STRATEGY FOR
BREAKFAST

STRATEGY IS ABOUT INTENTION.
CULTURE IS ABOUT HABIT.

CULTURE IS BELIEFS AND VALUES

CULTURE IS RELIGION

CULTURE IS IDENTITY

CULTURE IS TRADITION

CULTURE RESIDES IN THE
HEARTS AND MINDS OF PEOPLE.

CULTURE IS COLLECTIVE
GROUP BEHAVIOUR

CULTURE EITHER DRIVES OR
DRAINES PEOPLE’S ENERGY
AND MOTIVATION.

CULTURE IS THE ENVIRONMENT IN
WHICH YOUR BUSINESS THRIVES.  
 
OR WHERE IT DIES.

CULTUREATITSBEST

CULTURE INSPIRES INNOVATION

CULTURE MAKES STRATEGY REAL

CULTURE DRIVES UNITY

CULTURE ATTRACTS TALENT

CULTURE GIVES MEANING

“CULTURE ISN’T JUST ONE ASPECT OF
THE GAME, IT IS THE GAME” 
Lou Gerstner - former turnaround CEO at IBM

BUILDING A CULTURE OF
NON-STOP INNOVATION
HOW TO FORM NEW EMPOWERING BEHAVIOURS AND HABITS

COPYRIGHT © 2015 WONDER GROUP. WONDERAGENCY.COM
START BY ADDRESSING
TWO BIG QUESTIONS.

1.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF
INNOVATION INSIDE YOUR
COMPANY?

“THE PURPOSE OF A
BUSINESS IS TO
CREATE A CUSTOMER”
PETERDRUCKER
A BUSINESS IS ESSENTIALLY ABOUT CREATING VALUE FOR CUSTOMERS

WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BUY?
INNOVATION IS ABOUT VALUE
CREATION AND DIFFERENTIATION.

EXPLORING
EXPLORING EXPLOITING
INNOVATION INVOLVES ENGAGING IN
TWO TYPES OF MAIN ACTIVITIES.

EXPLORING FOR NEW KNOWLEDGE
THE INVENTION OF BUSINESS
REF: JAMES G. MARCH

EXPLOITING EXISTING KNOWLEDGE
THE ADMINISTRATION OF BUSINESS
REF: JAMES G. MARCH

COMPANIES TYPICALLY START OUT AS GREAT EXPLORERS…
YEAR 1

…BUT AS YEARS GO BY THEY GET STUCK EXPLOITING.
YEAR 10

KODAK INVENTED THE
DIGITAL CAMERA, BUT WENT
BANKRUPT BECAUSE IT
COULD NOT TRANSFORM
ITSELF INTO A DIGITAL
COMPANY.

THE PAST DOES NOT EQUAL THE FUTURE
BLOCKBUSTER WENT BUST.

TO SUSTAIN GREATNESS YOU HAVE TO BE BALANCE THE TWO.

2.
HOW WILL YOU UNLEASH
THE FULL POTENTIAL AND
MOTIVATION OF PEOPLE?

“MOTIVATION IS THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT
PREDICTOR OF
SUCCESS”
DR. ANDERS ERICSSON

OLD IDEAS AND DOGMAS STILL PREVAIL.
TAYLORISM AND SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT

THE MECHANISTIC VIEW OF HUMANITY.
ARE WE STILL COGS IN A MACHINE?
REF: KIM KORN & JOE PINE

PEOPLE ARE NOT MACHINES, AND
COMPANIES ARE NOT MECHANISMS!

WE ARE BREATHING, LAUGHING,
CRYING, LOVING, FEARING, CARING
CREATURES DRIVEN BY EMOTION.

WE ARE BREATHING, LAUGHING,
CRYING, LOVING, FEARING, CARING
CREATURES DRIVEN BY EMOTION.
A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE

IMAGINE IF EVERYONE PUT THEIR
HEART AND SOUL INTO THEIR WORK?
MOTIVATION IS THE GREATEST FORCE OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE.
REF: DR. ERICSSON

EUDAIMONIA
HUMAN FLOURISHING, THE
JOYFUL FULFILLMENT OF
ONE’S POTENTIAL.  
 
WHEN EUDAMONIA STOPS,
PRODUCTIVITY STALLS.

“You cannot predict the outcome
of human development. All you
can do is like a farmer create the
conditions under which it will
begin to ﬂourish.”
SIR KEN ROBINSON

YOUR JOB AS A MANAGER IS TO ENSURE
THAT EVERYONE IS PLAYING TO THEIR
CREATIVE POTENTIAL AND FEEL THAT
THEIR CONTRIBUTION IS VALUED.

HOW TO KICKSTART
A CULTURE OF NON-
STOP INNOVATION

FIVEBUILDINGBLOCKS

THE FIVE BUILDNING BLOCKS OF INNOVATION CULTURE
PURPOSE
OUR DRIVING FORCE 
 
The big driver(s) that
motivate us, beyond
making money.
PRINCIPLES CAPABILITIES SYSTEMS TOOLBOX
OUR GUIDE 
 
The fundamental beliefs,
truths, rules and values
that form our code and our
innovation climate.
OUR INNOVATION ARSENAL 
 
The core competencies,
abilities, capacity and skills that
drive our innovation engine and
make us resourceful.
OUR MACHINE
 
Our main process, our roles, time
management, reporting systems,
reward systems etc. that provide
organisation, scalability, learning
and efﬁciency.
OUR TOOLS AND METHODS
 
Our tools, methods and
supporting resources for
creating our desired
outcomes throughout the
different phases of
innovation.

PURPOSE
THE DRIVING FORCE 
 
The big WHY’s that motivate us,
beyond making money.

PRINCINPLES
THE GUIDE 
 
The fundamental beliefs, truths,
rules and values that form our code
and our innovation climate.

Your principles should
provide guidance,
inspiration, direction, belief,
safety, protection and unity.

“CULTURE WINS
OVER PROCESS”.
“WORD TRAVELS, AND SO DOES TALENT. DELIVER A
GREAT CULTURE FOR YOUR EMPLOYEES”.
“PERSONAL LIFE AND
PROFESSIONAL LIFE IS
MERGING. STANDARDS
FOR CULTURE ARE
RISING.”
“WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF
TRANSPARENCY”
“DON’T START A BUSINESS, START A CAUSE.
CREATE A MOVEMENT.”
METHOD BELIEFS

KEEP METHOD WEIRD.
WHAT WOULD MACGYVER DO?
INNOVATE, DON’T IMITATE.
COLLABORATE, COLLABORATE.
CARE LIKE CRAZY.
METHOD’S PRINCIPLES

“HOW WILL YOU HELP
KEEP METHOD WEIRD?”

ZAPPOS OFFERS NEWLY HIRED
PEOPLE 3000 DOLLARS TO QUIT
AFTER THE FIRST WEEK.

“USE GOOD JUDGEMENT”

THINK 10X (GOOGLE)
READY, FIRE, AIM!  
(SEVERAL)
SIMPLICITY IS THE ULTIMATE
SOPHISTICATION (APPLE)
ONLY OUTSTANDING IS OUTSTANDING
(WONDER)
OTHER EXAMPLES

CAPABILITIES
THE INNOVATION ARSENAL 
 
The core competencies, abilities, capacity
and skills that drive our innovation engine
and make us resourceful.

5 COMMON CAPABILTIES
OF HIGHLY INNOVATIVE
COMPANIES

EMPATHY

OPENNESS

AT BRIDGEWATER ALL
MEETINGS ARE
RECORDED.
IS THAT GOOD OR BAD?

COLLABORATION

EXPERIMENTATION

AGILITY

SYSTEMS
THE MACHINE
 
Our main process, our roles, time
management, reporting systems, reward
systems etc. that provide organisation,
scalability, learning and efﬁciency.

KNOWING
SYNTHESIZING
Applying judgement, seeking
connections, patterns and
making meaning.
EXPLORING
Gathering information to gain
new understanding.
Making ideas real though
prototyping and building.
IMAGINING
Envisioning new possibilities,
ideas and outcomes.
CREATING
EXPERIMENTING
Visualising and making ideas
understandable for learning and
iteration.
SYSTEMIZING
Designing value systems for
efﬁciency, agility and viability.
ENGAGING
Building excitement and
involving people.
DOING
SCALING
Testing for learnings,
momentum and buy-in.
MAKINGFRAMING
Expressing problems and
opportunities from different
perspectives.
OUR DESIGN AND INNOVATION PROCESS

ATLASSIAN “SHIP-IT-DAY”

TOOLBOX
THE TOOLS METHODS AND SUPPORT
 
Our tools, methods and supporting
resources for creating our desired
outcomes throughout the different
phases of innovation.

“EVERYONEHASAPLAN,UNTILTHEY 
GETPUNCHEDINTHEFACE”.MIKETYSON

INNOVATORSAREULTIMATELY
PEOPLE,NOTCOMPANIES.

www.tobiasdahlberg.comwww.wonderagency.com tobias.dahlberg@wonderagency.com

How to kickstart a culture of non-stop innovation

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to How to kickstart a culture of non-stop innovation

Similar to How to kickstart a culture of non-stop innovation (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

How to kickstart a culture of non-stop innovation