Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2012 - (Page 15)

LeArNING 2020 | LISa BodeLL knowledge-seekers are less likely to be oFFice zombies ideal behaviors For building innovation omorrow’s organizations will have cultures where challenging the status quo is not only permitted, it’s expected. Organizations must encourage leadership teams to build expertise, but also to consciously develop and model positive behaviors for employees. Behaviors and principles are more effective than rules because they require people to internalize and actually understand the goal of the prescribed behavior. It’s also easier for employees to internalize several core values than to memorize pages of rules. Through years of working with innovative firms of all sizes and industries, we’ve identified five organizational behaviors with the power to transform a status-quo company into Think Inc. 1. Focus on the Future Awareness of future trends and their implications enables companies to assess impact and determine the best course of action. In a future-focused move, BMW is taking proactive steps to address the trend toward urbanization. As city populations increase, environmental concerns spur city governments to impose fees that discourage urban driving or parking. This can make owning a car less appealing to city dwellers. So in 2011, BMW started i Ventures, a $100 million venture fund to invest in new business ideas that “improve personal mobility in urban areas.” As the market shifts, BMW is aligning itself with the idea of “mobility” — not just with cars. 2. Challenge the Status Quo Breaking the rules in business means having the foresight or courage to do what no one else is doing. When employees see leadership questioning norms, it encourages them to take a “why not” or “what if” approach. A decade ago, drugstore health clinics didn’t exist. The man behind MinuteClinics conceived the idea after his son needed to see a doctor for strep throat and found no after-hours options. His business model was simple but paradigmshattering: nurse practitioners, on-site pharmacies, walk-ins, and extended hours. With more than 500 MinuteClinics across America, it’s also tremendously successful. 3. Identify/Invest in Smart risks Smart risk-taking takes practice and strategy, but it is essential to innovation. One of the world’s largest hotel companies, Starwood Hotels uses its W brand as an innovation lab for its entire portfolio. Successful innovations include signature scents, branded T music compilations, new twists on mini-bars and approaching the hotel lobby as “an experience.” By looking at its portfolio of brands as a whole, and knowing where it makes sense to take risks and how to apply it across the organization, Starwood is continually innovating while minimizing associated risks. 4. active Collaboration Capitalizing on employees’ wide range of expertise and perspectives builds collaboration and trust, which is essential for innovation. Procter & Gamble has taken this behavior a step further: its open innovation strategy, “Connect + Develop,” mandates that at least 50 percent of innovations be the result of external collaboration with individual inventors, venture capitalists, government labs, suppliers and even competitors. Implemented in 2001, the program has created growth and innovation across the entire company with more than a thousand active agreements with external partners. 5. Continuous Learning An organization’s ability to learn can truly be a competitive advantage: Knowledge seekers are less likely to be office zombies and more likely to come up with winning ideas. Pixar is a company that exhibits many behaviors and best practices, including support of continuous learning. Pixar University (PU) invites all employees — from animators to security guards — to spend four hours per week at PU taking classes in painting, improv, juggling, belly dancing and much more. Learning is not just an activity at Pixar — it’s a cultural behavior. Everyone experiments, learns and fails together; reinforcing the idea that failure is a learning opportunity and a chance to improve. Since individuals are predisposed to conformity, they take their cues from their environment. If leaders develop, model and invest in positive behaviors, they will build an organization of thinkers and a culture ripe for innovation. When core values are well-chosen, they inspire and guide employees beyond the status quo and toward critical thinking. Lisa Bodell is the founder and CEO of futurethink, a globally recognized innovation research and training firm. Email Lisa. 15 Training Industry Quarterly, Summer 2012 / A Training Industry, Inc. ezine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.pg.com/en_US/downloads/innovation/C_D_factsheet.pdf http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/11/america_really_was_that_great?page=0,2 http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/10/11/america_really_was_that_great?page=0,2 http://www.bmw-i-usa.com/en_us/i-ventures/ http://www.bmw-i-usa.com/en_us/i-ventures/ http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2012

Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2012
From Where I Sit: The Leadership Perspective
Table of Contents
Ad Index
Guest Editor: Recipe for Leadership Development Success
The Real Power of e-Learning is Social
Too Big to Know … Too Much to Train?
Where Are You on Your Leadership Journey?
Ideal Behaviors for Building Innovation
Going Local: Six Ways to Keep Leadership Development Alive
Building Your Leadership Brand
How Simulations Develop Leaders
Organizational Burnout: How Training Can Help
Increasing Leadership Performance with Emotional Intelligence
Casebook: General Mills: Leaders Teaching Leaders
Tracking Trends: First Step in Leadership Development Training
Tweet Suite
Company News
Closing Arguments: Nature versus Nurture

Training Industry Quarterly - Summer 2012