Role of mgr as innovation catalyst 20110421

Role of manager as an innovation catalyst

Vinay Dabholkar, Ph.D.
Founder
Catalign Innovation Consulting
vinay@catalign.com
21-Apr-2011

© 2010 Catalign Innovation Consulting www.catalign.com

“The dream run”
by Nandini Tiwary, Times of India, 5 Dec 2010


As an organization:

Can we build stamina for innovation,
Like Nandini did for running?


Mar 2009 2005 1998

Half a century journey!

1959 1966


In this journey

How can I catalyze innovation?

Game
Changer
Global
Brand
Centre
of Excellence


Let’s avoid TBUs

Managers should become ambidextrous

Spend time on strategic thinking


Story of a technology company in
Bangalore in 1960

Dr. S. M. Patil, ex-CEO & MD, HMT

Radial drilling machine problem (1959)

1. Replace the nut
2. Follow the process
3. Consult German engineers
4. Send Indian engineer to
Germany
5. Get a German engineer to
Bangalore (??)


Rajappa meets Patil

“Give me permission to make 6 arms”


Biases in action

1. He is just a matriculate

2. NIH: “Not Invented Here” syndrome

3. You don’t get fired for hiring Germans


What Patil saw & the manager didn’t

1. Ideas can come from unusual sources

2. Crude cost-impact analysis


What is the typical lifecycle of an innovation?


idea
Demo

Idea-to-demo loop

itch 6 arms

Need & Technology
assumptions


idea
Demo

Idea-to-demo loop Demo-to-impact loop

itch 6 arms

Need & Technology Production &
assumptions commercialization
assumptions

Sep 2003
Idea (course-match) Feb 25 Feb 26
Demo Columbia Stanford
Nov 2003 (facemash)


May 2004 Ad revenue
itch Thefacebook
34 sch, 100K Mar end
Sep 2003 Feb 2004


Sep 2003
Idea (course-match) Feb 25 Feb 26
Demo Columbia Stanford
Nov 2003 (facemash)


May 2004 Ad revenue
itch Thefacebook
34 sch, 100K Mar end
Sep 2003 Feb 2004

1. Course-match
2. Facemash
3. Harvard connection
4. Thefacebook


Exercise:

1. Pick one innovation from your workplace
2. How long was idea-to-demo period?
3. How many demos did it go through?
4. How long was demo-to-impact period?


What can I do?


idea
Demo


itch

1. Help create itches


What are our top 3 or 5 challenges?

1

2

3

Challenge-book


A Sample challenge-book

• Customer doesn’t find right size trouser (PAIN)
• Can we become Centre of Excellence in cloud
computing? (PAIN)
• How do we provide a map on phone for locating
an item in a warehouse? (WAVE)
• Can we replace paper cups with something
reusable? (WASTE)


Our challenge-book

What would be one challenge
relevant for your team?

What challenges do you see creating
a challenge book?


idea
Demo


itch
2. Help people communicate
their idea better

Say: “Great idea! What can you show me tomorrow?”


“Little secret” of innovation leadership

Nobody gets sponsored for the first few demos


Toyota’s tabooed expressions

• Everyone understands that!
• I tried that before and I know it won’t work
• Is this within the budget?
• Let’s talk about this some other time
• That’s not done at this company


Avoid the “virus syndrome”

Focus on “learning”, not “outcome”

Before & After


What kind of demos have you come across?


idea
Demo


itch
3. Champion good ideas


What is “championing an idea”?


1924: S N Bose stumbles upon an idea
No response from Journal

June 4: Sends it to Einstein

July 2: Einstein sends a postcard

“Translated your work and sent it for
publication. It is a beautiful step forward”

That’s championing an idea


1934: Works out his pet idea

Jan ‘35: Talk is scheduled

Gets attacked by the Eddington

Chandra dumps the idea!

Revisits 3 decades later, gets Nobel

That’s anti-championing!


Summary

What How
Generate itch Create a challenge book

Help communicate ideas Demos, Before-n-after

Help build credibility Champion good ideas


Google “Vinay Dabholkar”


Thank You


Role of mgr as innovation catalyst 20110421

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (8)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (6)

Similar to Role of mgr as innovation catalyst 20110421

Similar to Role of mgr as innovation catalyst 20110421 (20)

More from vpdabholkar

More from vpdabholkar (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Role of mgr as innovation catalyst 20110421