Innovation Friday is a collaborative design session which brings people together to create meaningful change in 10 weeks.

1. Innovation Friday
Welcome to
in/davidtailee
@heydavidly
David Lee

2. Innovation Friday
A one-day collaborative design
session which invites people to
explore a difficult problem.

3. Innovation Friday
The program produces real, tangible
improvements in ten weeks at
nearly $0 cost. Seriously.

4. It Works.
Not only is it educational and fun, but

5. The next few slides will explain.

6. We Believe:
› Everyone is an expert at the work
they personally touch every day.
› No one understands every aspect of a problem.
› Knowing who can help you is 50% of any
challenge.
› Innovation wants to happen everywhere.

7. So, we structured Innovation Friday to
Apply the thinking and
talent that is already
in the company.

8. Give people a structure
to solve problems
quickly and
collaboratively.

9. Innovation Friday
This is what we call…

10. Hooray!

11. Here’s How it Works:

12. Step 1 :
Choose a problem. Not an easy one,
but not an unrealistic one.
We have tried to solve things like, “We spend millions of dollars on technology, but it
doesn’t feel like we get our money’s worth...” or “How can we make this place more
appealing to younger workers? Or “Why don’t people collaborate across geographic
locations very well?”

13. Step 2 :
Find a sponsor, then find 30 people
who will be willing to have an
honest conversation.
An executive sponsor’s role is important. We need a champion to support the ideas that come out
of the design session. Finding the right participants is also critical. We need people who can see
past the barriers that stand in the way of innovation. It’s also important to bring in different
perspectives on the problem. Be sure to bring in people from every side of the issue.

14. Step 3 :
Get Room. Set a Date!
We like Fridays because it’s easier for people to dress down and loosen up.
Because we are asking for a full day (9am-4pm) you may need to schedule this 6-9 weeks out.
We also like to choose a musical play list. Innovation should be something you can dance to!

15. Explore
Imagine
Attempt
› Reach a common understanding of the situation.
› Openly discuss challenges and issues
› Identify the most interesting opportunities.
› Consider multiple ways to solve the issues.
› Design a pragmatic solution.
› Discuss possible roadblocks and unknowns.
› Gather the team and hunt down answers.
› Determine the feasibility of a pilot or POC.
› Come to a resolution quickly (10 weeks)
› Use the time to get smarter.
Innovation Friday
10 weeks following
Act
Innovation Friday is 3 Acts
Act 3
Act 2
Act 1

16. Act 1

17. Act 1:
Friday Morning
Let’s Learn About The Problem
› Start with a panel or “TED-like” speakers to
help everyone get to a common understanding.
› Usually, we have one numbers-oriented
speaker and one human-oriented speaker.
Explore

18. Get Tough Truths Out Into The Room.
› What is said in Innovation Friday…Stays.
The facilitator needs to set the tone early. Say something controversial (and true) early on.
Let people know it’s okay to be real. Show that this it a different kind of get together.
Act 1:
Friday MorningExplore
› Say a dangerous thing.
No recordings, no remote participation. This is a safe place.

19. Give Them Permission to Think Differently.
“Imagine that a miracle happens over the weekend. On Monday, this company is the
greatest company in America to work for. What are the first clues you see?”
(Have everyone write down an answer before anyone speaks)
› Bring in wild ideas from other places.
Act 1:
Friday MorningExplore
› Use interesting stimulus questions.

20. Act 1:
Friday Morning
Find The Important Themes
› Listen to what keeps coming up over and over.
› Facilitators quietly take notes to identify
the issues that keep coming up.
Explore

21. Act 1:
Friday Morning
Break Into Teams for Act 2
› Write the 5-8 most common themes on big
paper and hang them around the room.
› Ask people to stand under the problem they
are most interested in solving.
Explore
These teams will work together for the rest of the day.

22. Time for Act 2!

23. Act 2:
Friday Afternoon
Design Some Solutions!
› teams get lunch together, get to know each
other, and spend two hours trying to design
something that might make a positive impact.
Imagine
The solution must be doable in 10 weeks and should cost (basically) nothing. There is a template which
asks them to step though the possibilities and barriers. Having people with diverse backgrounds on
each team provides a better understanding of the possibilities and impacts. This leads to better
designs and better outcomes.

24. Act 2:
Friday Afternoon
Time To Pitch!
› Everyone returns. Each team has 6 minutes
to present their solution.
Imagine
As people listen, they write down advice on sticky notes. Who will want to help this idea? Who will
not like it? There is a Q&A after each pitch. After all teams go, use multi-dot voting to determine
which ideas the room likes the most. Only 3 or 4 should move to the “Attempt” stage.

25. Act 2:
Friday Afternoon
Let’s Try and Do this Crazy thing!
› The day ends with people signing up for Act 3.
Imagine
Once the room has picked its favorite concepts, it’s time for people to volunteer to spend some time
working on it over the next 10 weeks. People can be on any team, it doesn’t have to be the same
team they worked on in Act 2. The commitment is simply an hour or two for each week, to explore
the possibilities of implementing the solution. Not every team will land their solution. That’s okay.
Failing in 10 weeks (at no cost) is a good kind of failure. The best kind of failure.

26. Go home. Have a great
weekend!

27. Act 3:
The 10 weeks after Innovation Friday
Ask Around! Get Details. See if it’s possible.
› There is no formula for “Attempt.”
› meet once a week and see how far you can
get. You may be surprised.
Attempt
We provide a project manager who helps the team stay focused on what is feasible in such a short
period of time. People from the Innovation Program participate in the weekly calls to provide
coaching and assistance.

28. We Have Learned:
› providing structure and connecting people who
want to fix things makes a big difference.
› Empowering people to work on the problems
they are personally interested in solving
means a lot.
› You will be surprised at how far you can get
just by saying “yes, go try!”

29. People seem to like it.
Very
Strongly
Agree
Very
Strongly
Disagree

30. Step 4 :
Regroup at Week 10. Share.
Just get folks on the phone for a wrap up conversation at the end of Act 3!
It’s likely that some teams will have discovered that their solution is simply not going to happen.
That’s okay. Some teams will have started their effort, but might not be done yet. That’s also
okay. The truth is nearly every outcome is okay.
Innovation Friday is structured to be useful, even if the Act 3 efforts don’t work.
But it’s really great when they do. Really great.

31. Good Luck.
Have fun! Make change happen!