This document discusses innovation and provides examples to test thinking in different ways. It begins with questions about putting animals in a refrigerator to test logical thinking. It then discusses signs that a market is ready for innovation and provides exercises to encourage innovative thinking, such as drawing Humpty Dumpty or creating new hairstyles. The document concludes with tips for creating a culture where innovation can thrive, such as leading from the top and constantly looking for new ideas, and ways innovation can be stifled like slow decision making and conformity.

1. Innovation – so good it hurts! Joe Saxton Tel: 020 7426 8888 Email: joe.saxton@nfpsynergy.net Web: www.nfpsynergy.net

2. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

3. The answer is: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

4. 2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

5. Wrong Answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the refrigerator. Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.

6. 3.The Lion King is hosting a strategic away day for the animals. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

7. Answer: The Elephant. The Elephant is in the refrigerator, remember. This tests your memory.

8. 4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

9. Answer: You swim across. Why? All the Crocodiles are attending the away day. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

10. Five big things to talk about What is this thing called innovation? Why you need innovation? Driving innovation Some things for you to do at home What stops innovation?

11. Innovation or creativity Creativity is the new ideas Innovation is the management of putting them into practice You can have fantastic creativity – but without putting them into practice it is wasted

12. Some classic innovations Text messaging Post-it notes Face to face fundraising EBay Amazon Starbucks Round teabags Tesco’s loyalty card

13. But innovation is more than just new ideas Great ideas…. Turned into tests and learning…. Turned into commercial reality….. Railed against by the mainstream…. And then accepted as the norm

14. How you can tell when a market is ready for innovation Nobody dares to be different Or nobody is different Nobody knows why they do what they do Its just the way it was when you were a child All the competitors feel very similar Margins are slim and volatile When internally people spend their time saying ‘you don’t understand how things are done’

15. Exercise 1: Draw Humpty Dumpty

16. Did he look a bit like this?

17. Who Says He Is Egg Shaped? Could be a person Or a china doll Or made of cloth / wood / metal etc. Where in the nursery rhyme does it mention eggs! If we do what we’ve always done, we’ll get what we’ve always got!

18. Exercise 2: What’s In A Name? Get into small groups (A’s & B’s) You have a few minutes to… Invent a new name for this…

19. Some ideas Capturing Find the right place and time to think Use daydreaming and sleep Carry a notebook Challenging Use open-ended problems for new ideas Really learn from failure

20. Exercise 3: Hair raising Some volunteers please List as many new hairstyles as you can in 5 minutes For each style, write a name and a brief description or sketch of the style Raise your hand each time you have one

21. Some ideas Broadening Get training in new fields Read, listen, engage outside what you already know Commit to a day a month in foreign territory Surrounding Relocate Redecorate Use people from outside your team New magazines / newspapers / websites

22. Exercise 4 and 5 In small groups make a list of the way you have seen innovation encouraged or how you think it could be encouraged In small groups make a list of the way you have seen innovation stifled or discouraged. If you have finished one exercise do the other

23. Creating a culture where innovation can thrive Lead from the top Make clear that the status quo isn’t sufficient Create budgets for innovation Make sure new ideas happen Constantly look for new ideas from existing staff and volunteers – and act on them Praise and reward the innovators

24. Innovation is stopped very easily: Budgets set 18 months ahead People blamed for failing after trying Grassroots ideas ignored Slow ponderous nitpicky decision making Culture of conformity Incremental targets Get trustees or committees involved

25. "Creativity is just having enough dots to connect.” (Steve Jobs, Apple) “ J ust as energy is the basis of life itself, and ideas the source of innovation, so is innovation the vital spark of all human change, improvement and progress.” (Theodore Levitt)

26. If you would like a copy of: My slides Our free report ‘Innovation rules’ Email me on [email_address] Or go to www.nfpsynergy.net