A long time ago, in my very first SIT blog, I wrote about my nephew, Rani. Don’t worry though, it is not like I expect you to rememberJ. Anyway, a lot has changed since then but I’ll mention here just two relevant points: my nephew is now five years old and for the last 37.5 days he has been living in China with his parents and baby sister but unfortunately, without moi.

His move to China was accompanied by many concerns on my part, one of them being how do we manage to maintain our close relationship despite the formidable distance. I was reassured by friends saying that in today’s world, keeping in touch is much easier due to technology such as skype, but I kept wondering nevertheless how that would work when it comes to a 5-year old kid with the attention span of a… 5-year old kid.

37.5 days later, I can tell you: it works! I have between two to four weekly video calls with my nephew, each lasting something like 45 to 90 minutes.

The first time we had a skype video call, it was more of a Q&A type of thing but then I looked around and realized we are surrounded by a lot of elements that can be used to make our chat more interactive, more fun, more captivating and eventually last longer.

Let me give you a few examples of those elements identified and which activities we did using them:

Books: When I was home I noticed some of Rani’s favorite books left behind so I read to him. I just put the book itself close to the camera so he could see the pictures while he heard me reading it to him.

CDs: What I also had at home were his CDs so I put one of his favorite CDs on and we started dancing or actually more like going wild together (not recommended when you have an audience..)

Video camera: Moved the camera around and asked Rani to identify what he sees. He did the same thing and it became kind of a game with points gained for each item identified correctly.

Covered the camera with my hand, made a noise and asked Rani to identify the noise he heard.

Messages:

As Rani is just now learning his ABCs, I sent him one or two-word messages and asked him to read what I sent.

I asked him what he wanted me to write and sent him a message with this text.

Timer: for a kid as fascinated with numbers as this one, simply asking for a reading of the numbers, watching how they advance is considered an interesting activity with Aunt Iris.

Group video: add the grandparents to the chat and to the games. The more the merrier!

Our own faces: a staring competition to see who laughs first at the funny faces the other does. Again, not sure you’d want witnesses for that one…

The movements we do: triggered in me a childhood memory of the game “Simon says”. We added the grandparents to the game, by the way, using the group video which made it even more fun!

I hope that I have made the point about how easy it has been to come up with these practical ideas above simply by using what we have around us or as we call it at SIT our “Closed World”*.

By the way, our chats have become so successful that my sister- in-law actually found a substantial benefit for her. She sets up some of our chats herself to keep little Rani busy only so that she can take a much needed nap herself…

*Note: The SIT Closed World principle dictates that, when solving a problem or developing new products (or services or processes), one should strive to use only those resources that exist in the product (or system) itself, or in its immediate vicinity.

1930 Photo of the early Slicing Machine

Over the last century or so, innovation has gradually become a more and more dominant factor in our world. However, despite the increasing presence and influence innovations have on our everyday lives, none of them has made it into our language – save one: sliced bread. We often hear statements like “it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread!”, but have you ever stopped to ask yourselves how this seemingly simple innovation has managed to become the benchmark for future inventions? A closer look at the history of sliced bread may shed some light on this question.

In the early years of the 20^th century, Otto Frederick Rohwedder had a revolutionary idea: why not sell bread that is already sliced?! A Jeweller by profession, Rohwedder had little to do with the baking industry, but living in a small town in Iowa, right in the middle of the bread basket of America, he was no stranger to it as well. In 1912 he decided to implement his vision, and started to develop a machine that would automatically slice bread. As his project advanced he soon realized that slicing the bread created a new problem – the multiple surfaces of the sliced bread made it hard to keep it from going stale. It was 16 years later that he completed developing a bread slicer that not only sliced the bread, but also wrapped it in a wax paper to keep it fresh.

Although many bakers had their doubts about this strange machine, the first Rohwedder Bread Slicer was sold after 16 years in 1928, and by July that same year the first loaf of pre-sliced bread went on shelves in Chillicothe, Missouri. Soon after, in 1930, a company called Wonder Bread started marketing sliced bread nationwide

Sliced bread saved time and effort for consumers, and made it easier to reach for a second and third slice, increasing comfort and consumption. It also gave a boost to pop-up toasters, which had been languishing on the shelves since 1926, as well as to spreads such as peanut butter and jam.

So what is it about this invention that earned it its unique place? Was it the unveiling of such a dominant need that was latent for so many years? Was it the fact that even one of the oldest, most basic products in the world can be reinvented? Was it the immense success of an idea that is so simple it seems almost obvious in hindsight? Or was it the fact that even such an iconic invention still took almost two decades to develop and implement?

Whatever the historic answer may be, there is much to learn from the story of sliced bread. It is a story of a man and an idea – a story that turns out to be far more complicated than you might expect. It involved insight, challenge, creativity and perseverance – much like the story of any successful innovation.

So whatever you spread on your bread – peanut butter & jelly, cream cheese or humus – tell us what you think made this innovation resonate so loudly in our collective minds. We would love to hear what you think.

1. Brand your innovation process.

Our partners have proved that giving your innovation process a catchy name and logo is much more than a gimmick. It makes an abstract process or idea immediately tangible.  It communicates seriousness and commitment.  It makes it easier for innovation to become a part of your organization’s language and culture.  It provides a platform for getting people on-board and PR-ing successes.  And, it becomes an expression of pride and responsibility.  Well worth the effort.

2. Take ownership of the process.

Innovation Achievements

Some of our partners describe their innovation process as their personal “baby”. Parenting is indeed an apt metaphor. Labor pains, crawling, teething, sleepless nights, tantrums giving way to jubilation, creativity, wonder and a tremendous feeling of accomplishment.  Sure, family and friends (aka external consultants) can offer essential support and guidance. But, remember your innovation “baby” is ultimately part of your organization’s DNA and, success comes with time, patience and love. As they say, raising an innovation program isn’t easy but it’s one of the best jobs around.

3. Have fun! Innovation, like marathon running, demands Herculean effort, buckets of stamina, sweat and the occasional strained muscle (usually the brain). But it should also be exhilarating, compulsive and fun. If it’s not, something’s wrong and needs to be changed.

4. Return on innovation.

Profit, increased productivity, new products, and more motivated staff.  Talking to our partners, we realize their innovation initiatives yield a diverse range of positive contributions to their organization. Some are easy to measure, like a more efficient internal process, some are dramatic like a breakthrough product launch, and some are subtle and cumulative, and seen in the way that teams think and work with each other. An innovation initiative in full flight has the potential to add enormous amounts: constantly checking return on the innovation investment and communicating successes will keep the cheques flowing.

5. Buzz.

We know that innovation creates a buzz. But it’s not trivial to keep the buzz going, so pro-active internal communication is critical to keep the buzz alive. Our clients have invested a lot of time, money, resources to internal communications, producing professional-looking internal advertisements for the entire innovation program; innovation coach awards, internal newsletters, events and lots more. AND they still think they could do better.

6. A common language for innovation. When the Lord wanted to punish those involved in the ill-conceived Babel building project, He enrolled them all on Berlitz courses.  We, make a big point about giving everyone in the organization a common lexicon for innovation.  And we hear the impact when our partners tell us how colleagues from different business units can get together to work on an innovation project and immediately have a shared set of terms and concepts (“existing situation”, “closed worlds” “limit rather than diluting an idea”, “attributes and values”, “thema and rhema”, “fixedness” etc) to help them.  A multitude of perspectives enriched by a common language, making innovation a natural part of the organization’s daily culture.

7. Managing innovation. Innovation doesn’t just happen.  If it is to become a self-sustaining activity across the organization, it needs stewardship, planning and hands-on management. Our successful partners follow a “top-down/bottom-up” approach which means senior management and staff-wide participation are both essential in their different ways. Furthermore, they invest in creating and developing managers with special roles, responsibilities and report structure, who play a specialist role in making innovation happen.

Budweiser, Heineken, Bud Light, Stella Artois and others are all communicating the message that someone is making an absurdly exaggerated effort to get hold of their beer. Or variations on this theme such as: the effort to be able to enjoy the beverage in its pristine situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aO3TO5L0bM

Commonly it’s an effort made from the point of view of the consumer, but sometimes it’s from the company, telling us about the lengths it goes to allow its customers to experience their product in the most favorable conditions, or the sacrifices made to preserve the secret formula.

In a recent campaign from the UK cider brand Strongbow, the basic pattern is given a neat twist, and plays on the idea of being ‘deserving’ enough to drink the product. Pie stuffers, window-cleaners and gas fitters have earned it through their sacrifice, and banker…well, as the ads tell us, what have they done to deserve it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkZSFlkA1NM&feature=relmfu

In a world of fierce originality and brand competition, it is a curious phenomenon that a whole category tends to follow the same basic advertising approach. Why? Is it the lack of a unique selling point/message? And could this happen in other categories? For instance, could it be that all cellular companies will communicate the same message? Or should they make an effort to come up with a distinctive message?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3tywFm95Sg

Course Collage

From 28th February to 2nd March, SIT held its 5th annual Innovation Suite in New York. 

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“For the past three days and nights my camera shutter was rapidly clicking and adjusting frames to catch moments from this unique innovation course.  I wandered about with my camera on my neck, trying to capture moments that would somehow express the intensive work and passion of both SIT facilitators and innovation leaders and coaches – current and future - over these three days. I found myself at times peeking outside of the frame to make sure that what I saw through the lens was actually real – reconciling the smiling faces of beautiful people, learning and listening with so obvious a passion, involved in learning activities in tight time frames and expressing a strongly felt belief in innovation and creativity.

The participants – and facilitators – who came to New York from five continents, meshed into a landscape of colors, dialects, cultures, outfits and expressions.

I also took part in this event and so was able to corroborate the pictorial story that emerged through the lens by listening to people’s comments and sharing their perspectives and knowledge during the breakout sessions, meals, relaxation and free time.  I was amazed by the power of the team and individuals to create discuss and learn so many new things in such a relatively short time frame.

Through the lens things looked different at the time. But I realized that what I had experienced in my 50mm “closed world” was actually a much more exciting and wider landscape outside.  A constantly changing environment of groups, developing to improve learning and spheres of activity that helped people to become more confident and gain knowledge of innovation with each passing day.

In creating this pictorial mosaic, I tried to select moments over the three days that would create a larger mosaic which would reflect this event of innovation learning, sharing new experiences and making new friendships. I’ll have my camera ready and my heart open for Innovation Suite #6.”

The session’s going well. Comfortably seated on leather seats, your team has efficiently dissected the product, juggled concepts, whisked the financials up and down in a cocktail shaker and set fire to the business plan. You’re off to a good start. As their leader, you summarize the teams’ exciting new ideas.  One colleague suggests amusing puns, another submits a carefully handwritten list. This could get tricky. There’s potential for disagreement in the ranks, with lots of sensitive

egos jostling for priority. You don’t want to offend anyone but you also want the right result. You need Tonglen.

The wisdom of Tonglen began with Geshe Chekawa, an 11th century Tibetan monk. Legend has it that he stumbled upon a book in his teacher’s room, open at the following lines: “Give all profit and gain to others, take all loss and defeat upon yourself.” Struck by these words, Geshe Chekawa devoted his life to developing the practice of Tonglen, which roughly translates as ‘giving with receiving’. This counter-intuitive concept attempts an ego-reversing process, focusing devotees on compassion; the aim is to literally exchange yourself for others, to both give and receive at once.

Imagine your colleagues as Tonglen monks. Dressed in orange robes, sitting cross-legged on the boardroom carpet, they breathe in, consciously inhaling and dissolving each others’ negative thoughts. As they exhale, the room fills with joy and compassion, a release of creative energy. Slip the suit back on and maintain your peaceful breathing. Now stand by the whiteboard, intently listening to your teammates. At the same time, beneath the surface, you radiate love and encouragement, diffusing tensions and setting everyone at ease with your confident composure.

What’s changed?  Not that much. You simply learnt a new word. If everyone in your team knew the word Tonglen, would that make a difference? Well, perhaps. Because once a new word has been introduced, it can shape an entire culture.

Another good word is Chutzpah, which roughly means initiative, risk-taking, guts. Example: a psychopathic young man kills his parents in cold blood. Hauled up before the judge, he pleads for leniency on the grounds that he’s an orphan. Or take the beggar you gave a two shekel coin; he hands it back, demanding a five shekel minimum. That’s Chutzpah.

If someone cuts you up on the motorway in Israel, or pushes ahead in the line with a cunning excuse ready on his lips, you may think he’s rude, but you might also admire his Chutzpah. He’s taking a chance, giving as good as he gets. He’s got spirit.

Not all Tibetans practice Tonglen, not all Israelis are Chutzpahnik. Still, wherever these words are widely understood, they deeply influence behaviour.

There’s bound to be plenty of Chutzpah in your team innovation session. Finally that guy in Accounts has a chance to tell his incredibly funny jokes, and the normally quiet lady turns out to have a thousand radical plans. That’s great. We want our teams to give their best. But giving is not enough. For Innovation to really work, for us to all stay friends, we must foster a culture of confidence, acceptance and equality among our peers. In order for them to give, we must be ready to receive.

Innovation is an enduring process, not a day off for inventive thinking. Lasting change comes when we leave the session a strong and supportive team. Consider, what word best describes your team? Chutpzah, or Tonglen? Choose carefully. The right word can transform a culture, creating the environment you need to bring about the visions on the whiteboard.

It is the begining of wintertime in the northern hemisphere. What better way to prepare for winter than to get ready for all the viruses that come with it? Today’s case study is about one of Israel’s largest HMO’s (Health Maintenance Organization) and its struggle to reduce the use of antibiotics amongst its virus-stricken patients.

 In the years leading up to 2001 the statistics showed a consistent annual increase in both the prescription and use of antibiotics amongst children. Today, it is common knowledge that overuse of antibiotics is one of healthcare’s biggest  concerns. Back then, only healthcare professionals were aware of the danger of the evolution of “supergerms” with resistance to antibiotics.  This, together with the financial impact that heavy antibiotic consumption had on the insurers (e.g. HMO’s) who subsidize the drug’s purchase, incentivized the HMO to find a solution.

Funnily enough, the biggest contributors to the problem were the HMO’s own general practitioner members, who obviously knew better. It was found that they were oversubscribing antibiotics to their patients, not because they felt that it was the correct treatment, but because the HMO was – in part – evaluating them according to customer (patient) satisfaction.  And it is not surprising that parents with children who did not feel well had their own motivations: 1) they wanted some type of medication to give their kids so that they felt they were contributing to the removal of their child’s suffering and 2) they needed to get back to work ASAP.

 Parents demanded antibiotics.

 SIT was invited by the HMO to help generate solutions to this problem, applying the Systematic Inventive Thinking method during multiple sessions over several days. After the initial mapping of the problem, it was apparent that there wouldn’t be one silver-bullet solution, but a collection of solutions addressing different aspects of the problem.  However, at the forefront remained the paradox of the doctors’ dilemma: wanting to satisfy their patients while giving the most appropriate clinical solution.  In other words, the HMO was looking to remove the connection between the patient’s request for antibiotics and the doctor’s decision regarding the right treatment.

 One of the most innovative solutions generated was a result of SIT’s Multiplication tool:  Add to the problem world something that is similar to what already exists there.

 The item brought in was a second prescription.

 The idea was that the doctor would give the parent two prescriptions.  One was effective immediately, prescribing medications that reduce the severity of the symptoms - nose drops, lozenges, etc.; the second, effective 48 hours later, was the prescription for antibiotics.  It was anticipated that if the symptoms are gone by then (as is the case with most viruses), the parent would simply not fill this second prescription. [Note that in 2001 the OTC market in Israel was close to non-existent.  Therefore, even symptomatic medicines were dispensed only by a pharmacist even though no prescription was needed.]

 This solution, together with an ad campaign against antibiotic overuse, and other solutions involving education for parents and doctors, generated an impressive decrease of 33% in antibiotic consumption during the following 2 years.

 A very healthy, virus-free and bacteria-free winter to you all!

Creative people seem to be able to generate and evaluate ideas on the fly. They often describe a surge of thoughts that are developed and filtered almost as soon as they are generated. This brief process allows them to come up with ideas that are not only original and interesting, but also feasible and realistic. Colleagues, friends, and “innocent bystanders” may look at this with the same admiration that is usually reserved to virtuosic musicians, circus acrobats and masters of martial arts.

Speed aside; there are obviously substantial differences between martial arts and creative idea generation. The difference I want us to focus on, however, may not be the first one that comes to mind. As wonderful as the ability of the martial arts master seems, we know that there is a way to become one. It may be a long and challenging way – demanding a certain amount of talent and a great deal of dedication & persistence – but it is there, ready to be embarked upon for whoever chooses and dares to take it.

Is there a similar way for the wannabe ideation master? Can we offer such a person a step-wise process that would lead to the cognitive Kong-Fu-like abilities of the creative people we started with? The answer is a bitter-sweet YES & NO …

When we contemplate the light speed cognitive processes that take place in the mind of the ideation master it is hard not to be dismayed. How can we hope to analyze these processes, formalize them, and presume to teach and train others to do the same? Each of these steps seems daunting. A useful analogy and a possible approach can be found with one of the most interesting martial arts, namely – Tai Chi.

There is a lot to say about the unique and esthetic art of Tai Chi, but what arguably is most interesting about it is the fact that much of the training is done in “slow motion.” If you recall a person, or a group of people, practicing martial arts at a pace that reminded you of running under water – what you saw was Tai Chi. Now, I’m not a martial arts masters (regretfully, if I may say so), but the point of this ‘slow motion’ mode is very simple – it allows you to pay much attention to every little detail about each movement. Thus, when you do have to perform it in ‘regular speed’ you will do it in the ultimate way (maybe that is why the meaning of the name “Tai Chi” is “Supreme Ultimate Fist”). Since I have never learned Tai Chi I cannot testify to the validity of this approach, but you must admit that, at least in theory, it makes perfect sense.

Now, how do you Tai Chi ideation? How can you break down the cognitive surge that happens spontaneously in the mind of selected individuals, and practice THAT is slow motion? The bad news is that we don’t know exactly what happens in those selected minds. But the good news is that SIT (Systematic Inventive Thinking) provides a Tai-Chi-like ideation process that actually works.

Taking a closer look at the name of the methodology it’s easy to identify one word that seems out of place: “Systematic”. Using the adjective “Systematic” to describe a methodology for innovation is almost as strange as using the word “Slow” to describe a martial arts practice. However, the former is just as logical as the latter. The systematic approach facilitates the breakdown of the intuitive and amorphous process that takes place in the mind of the ideation master into distinct and well defined phases. It is the systematic nature of SIT that allows ‘regular’ people to come up with innovative, sometimes breakthrough ideas that might otherwise be reserved to ideation masters. It is the systematic steps of the methodology that allow us to develop ideas that are not only novel but also actionable. And it is the systematic process that allows us to really think together as a group.

SIT might not earn you a ‘black belt’ in ideation. It will, however, open up a road that will allow you to get to the result you need. That road may not be as wonderful as that of a Kong-Fu master, flying in mid air, punching 3 opponents at the same time – but it does not need to be. Given the illusive nature of creative idea generation it is wonderful that such a road even exists, and can be embarked upon by whatever organization or individual that chooses to.

Amit Mayer is a Senior SIT Facilitator, and a creative & didactic manager at Medidactic Ltd.

Amit and the rest of us at SIT would be happy to talk to help you innovate.

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