This document discusses dissolving impediments to action and innovation. It argues that organizations need to embrace a liquid world that rejects rigid structures and values flexibility and constant change. The document identifies several common impediments to innovation, including rigid organizational structures, a lack of knowledge management around innovation, closed rather than open innovation processes, a lack of passion, and insufficient collaboration. It provides ideas for overcoming these impediments, such as having a group of innovators who constantly challenge conventions, creating non-bureaucratic meetings with outside perspectives, organizing surprise activities to spread happiness, and setting interdisciplinary innovation goals. The overall message is that organizations must dissolve impediments in order to foster creativity, innovation, and value creation.

1. Dissolvingtheimpedimentstoacti
onandinnovation
AMBA – International ConferenceforDeansandDirectors
Warsaw, Friday 17 May 2013
FrancPonti, EADA (Barcelona)

2. Liquidworld (Zygmunt Bauman)
• Fast, fast, fast…
• “Changeitifitworks”
• A liquidworldrejectsrigidstructures
• Innovationimpliesflexibilityandconstantchang
e

3. Creativity: human capacity to generate ideas or
imaginative connections in a given field of activity.
These ideas must be original and should add value.
Innovation: organizational capacity to transform
a creative idea into a specific successful action
(product, service, strategy, business model, etc).

4. Impediment 1: organizationalstructure
• Whichisourarchitecture
ofinnovation?
• Do wehave a CGI?
• Isitpossibletoconstantly
challengetheconvention
softheindustry?
• Are weabletoorganize a
BS
beyondorganizationalch
arts?

5. Whole Foods Market
• Excellent analysis of social-echological trends (use of pesticides, healthy
food, etc.)
• Missión: “we are a community that works hard to create value for other
people”
• Salary differences: 19 to 1 (average of 500 Fortune 400 to 1)
• 194 shops and 6.000 million dolar in sales
• Autonomous teams: commitment
• “You, and not a distant boss, control your own success”
• Whole Foods. Whole People. Whole Planet

6. Idea 1: have a Crazy Group
ofInnovatorscriticallylinkedtoth
eDirectionthatconstantlyreinvent
sthebusinessthroughchallenging
conventionsandaskingprovocati
vequestions

7. Impediment 2: innovation KM
• Do weknow
andapplysomeofthethin
gsthatourlecturerssay in
classaboutinnovation?
• Isitpossibletobuild a
democracyofinnovationi
n which ideas are even
more
importantthanbosses?

8. Impediment 3: open innovation
• Do wesistematically
explore
theopinionsofthestudents
thatare
notfullysatisfiedwithour
BS?
• Are wepreparedto
explore
thelimitsofourindustry?
With radical designers,
forinstance?
• How can
wedevelopprogrammeswi
ththeparticipationofourst
akeholders?

9. Imaginariumco-creationphilosophy
• InnovativeSpanishtoyshopswith a
childrenhairdresserinside…

10. Idea 2: createfresh, non-
bureaucraticconstantmeetingswi
thpeople “outsidethewall”
ofthecoreofyour BS

11. Impediment 4: passion
• How can webuild a
culture ofpassionin our
BS
thatinvolvesourcustome
rs?
• Do
wehavetheobligationofi
nspiringhapiness in our
BS? How?
• Shouldhappiness be
evaluatedby
ouremployees?

12. Idea 3: organize at randombut
quite frequentlysurprise-
activitiesthatspreadsomemagica
ndhappinessaroundthe BS
andbeyond

13. Impediment 5: collaboration
• Do wereallywork in
aninterdisciplinaryway?
• Are
weabletodevelopinnova
tionprojectsas a
resultofinternalcollabor
ation?
• Isthere a real
win/winmentality in our
BS?

14. Passion at theworkplaces…

15. Etsyheadquarters… How
spaceandambiance can
makepeoplehappier…

16. Idea 4: set
someinnovationgoalsregularlyan
ddevelopinterdisciplinaryteamst
omakethem real.
Puttheseprojects in
thecoreofyour BS

17. Thankyou!