14.7. The Exercises
The following is a detailed description of selected exercises.
14.7.1. Exercise 1: Collective Resume
The purpose was to enable participants to gain familiarity with one another on both a professional and personal level by building a group "resume" describing their education, talents, and project work. The exercise takes about 30 minutes to complete.
Materials:
Large sheets of butcher paper or a "magic board" (a large sheet of rip-stop fabric sprayed with adhesive so that pieces of paper stick to it)
Slips of colored paper (approximately 4.25" × 5.5", or an 8.5 × 11" sheet cut the long way)
Masking tape, to adhere slips of paper if large sheets of butcher paper are used
Flip chart and markers for the facilitator
Facilitator preparation:
Write out interview questions on the flip chart.
Hang sheets of butcher paper or magic board, and place the headings "education," "skills," and "experience" along the top.
14.7.1.1. Process
Each person in the pair interviews his or her partner using a set of prescribed interview questions. The questions should draw out professional and personal information about the person. Sample questions:
While at college or graduate school, what subject area was your best?
What one hidden talent (skill, knowledge, hobby) do you have that most people at work don't know about?
What is the most successful project you have ever worked on, and what was your role in it?
The interviewers should take notes so that they will have an accurate recollection about the people they have interviewed.
After both people have been interviewed, each writes out on slips of colored paper two or three things that he or she learned about the partner. Each then places the slips of paper on the butcher paper or magic board, under one of the headings of "education," "skills," or "experience." After the board is filled, the facilitator prompts discussion. Sample questions:
If you were hiring this group, what potential would you see in it?
What makes this group a good candidate for innovation within the company?
How are group members the same? How are they different?
14.7.2. Exercise 2: Lego Modeling of Innovation
Using Lego pieces, build models of the innovation process as the participants would like to see it functioning in their organization. The exercise takes about 75 minutes, depending on how many groups need to be interviewed.
Materials:
Large size cases of Lego pieces, one for each team
Permanent markers that will write on the plastic Legos
Pieces of foam board to use as bases for the models
Handheld voice recorder
Flip chart and markers for the facilitator
Facilitator preparation (requires two facilitators):
On each table, put one case of Legos, a base, and a set of markers.
14.7.2.1. Process
Explain that that their job is to build a model using the Lego blocks that describes how innovation should occur in the organization. Note that there is no right or wrong way of doing this. They can include things they could implement tomorrow, things that they have no idea how to execute, and things that challenge existing notions about how the organization operates.
While the teams are working, one facilitator acts as a "roving reporter." He or she stops by and interviews the teams, using a handheld device to record their comments. When the teams are done, the facilitator interviews each one in turn, in front of the group as a whole, again using the recording device. The second facilitator takes notes on a flip chart. Sample interview questions:
What's going on in this model?
What's different between this model and our company today? Does the model break any rules or shift any frames?
What approach does the model take to building networks across organizational boundaries?
What are some of the ideas that people are most passionate about?
After each group is interviewed, the groups work together to identify where they have common ideas and different but interesting and potentially useful ideas. These become the basis for a core set of elements of innovation that they will examine in further detail in the upcoming meetings, and a part of the recommendations to management.
After the meeting, the facilitator arranges the main ideas in a "mind map," which provides a visual depiction of the elements of innovation and how they connect, and highlights barriers that the company needs to address.
14.7.3. Exercise 3: Mapping Our External Networks
The purpose was to map the group's external networks and examine how they fall into patterns along two dimensions. One dimension is the type of institution where the contact works, and the second dimension is chosen by the group. In their analysis of the networks, group members determine how their contacts may facilitate or limit their innovative capacity, and they develop implications for building more effective external networks for the organization as a whole. The exercise should take two hours.
Materials:
Large sheets of butcher paper or two to three "magic boards" (large sheet of rip-stop fabric sprayed with adhesive so that pieces of paper stick to it), depending on the size of the group
Slips of colored paper (approximately 4.25″ × 5.5″, or an 8.5″ × 11″ sheet cut the long way)
Masking tape, to adhere slips of paper if large sheets of butcher paper are used
Colored Post-it dots
Flip charts and markers for each team and for the facilitator
A laptop, projector, and screen
Facilitator preparation (requires two facilitators):
Hang sheets of butcher paper or magic boards. Place the label "Our External Network" in the center of each, and arrange labels for organizational categories in a "solar system" around it.
Put out slips of colored paper and pens at tables, along with a flip chart for each team.
14.7.3.1. Process
Divide the group into teams of up to six people, shifting people around so they work with new colleagues.
Ask each person to write on slips of colored paper the first names and last initials of up to 10 people outside the company whom they turn to for information, advice, ideas, or other types of work-related assistance. It's fine to list fewer than 10 people. If there are more than 10, participants should choose the ones they turn to most frequently.
When they are done, each person should go to the team's sheets of butcher paper or magic board and place their slips of paper in the band corresponding to the appropriate organizational category. Sample of organizational categories:
Academia
Government
Company—in our industry
Company—outside our industry
Start-up company
Supplier/vendor
Consultant
External customer
Ask each team to discuss and be prepared to share with the larger group their collective insights on their external network.
While the teams are in discussion, the cofacilitator counts the number of people in each organizational category and creates a bar chart of these, which is projected on the screen. This enables the teams to see their collective data in summary form (see Figure 14.1).
The teams come together and reflect on their external networks. Sample discussion questions are as follows:
What patterns do you see? Why do you think they exist?
What are the major opportunities to expand our networks in ways that will give us better access to different perspectives?
Does this group reflect the company as a whole? If so, how and why?
Following the full-group reflection, send people back to their teams and ask them to think about a different way to depict their network—that is, a different set of categories that could be used to distinguish the network members (such as generation, nationality, or where they first met). Have them use the flip chart to depict their network in this new way, using Post-it dots to represent people in the network. Ask the group to look at their networks and see where they have "dominant voices" of high influence and where there are "minority voices" that could use better representation. They should record their reflections on flip charts. During the team discussion, the cofacilitator again creates bar charts showing the external network distributions for each team using their new categories.
Figure 14.1. STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS IN THE GROUP'S EXTERNAL NETWORK
Each team presents its analysis to the group. As a group, ask teams to perform a gap analysis, identifying network strengths and weaknesses, incorporating both the initial categorizations and the different perspective.
14.7.4. Exercise 5: The Network Development Board Game
The aim is to enable Innovation Lab members to learn about success factors for building networks by performing a self-assessment of their own behaviors using a board game format. This exercise should take one hour.
Materials:
A deck of "network-building behavior cards" for each participant. The deck consists of approximately 20 cards. Each card describes an important network-building behavior, for example, "I seek out and volunteer for assignments that are cross-functional or in other ways involve people outside my organization" or "Instead of thinking that building a network is something that takes time away from my work, I consider building my network to be an integral and important part of doing my work." Network-building behaviors can be found in resources such as Cross, Davenport, & Cantrell (2003).
A game board for each participant with spaces for "Behaviors you often exhibit," "Behaviors you sometimes exhibit," and "Behaviors you seldom or never exhibit."
Facilitator preparation:
Distribute cards and game boards to each participant.
14.7.4.1. Process
Each person assesses his or her network-building behaviors by using the game board to divide the 20 cards into three piles. One pile is for behaviors they often exhibit, one is for behaviors they sometimes exhibit, and one is for behaviors they seldom or never exhibit.
After the participants have completed their piles, they each find a partner in the room.
The partners then share one or two of the behaviors they exhibit most often and feel are strengths as well as one or two behaviors that they rarely or never exhibit. The partners discuss these behaviors, and each acts as a "coach" to the other, suggesting ways to improve network-building behaviors and enhance their internal connectivity.
The group reconvenes for a collective reflection and sharing of insights gained from the "coaching" sessions. Participants are encouraged to keep their network-building behavior cards to help them remember and build the desired behaviors.
14.7.5. Exercise 6: Network Metaphors
The purpose is to brainstorm ways that the company can support the formation of internal networks, using the Metaphor technique. This exercise takes approximately 75 minutes.
Materials:
A list of sample metaphors
Flip charts and markers for each team and for the facilitator
Colored Post-it dots
Facilitator preparation:
Write out a list of sample metaphors on a flip chart.
Set up flip charts and markers for each team.
14.7.5.1. Process
Divide the group into teams of up to six people, again shifting people around so they work with new colleagues.
Ask each team to choose a metaphor and explain how it exemplifies the process and challenges of building internal connectivity in the company. The exploration of a metaphor provides the group with insight into the complexities of any goal-directed process, stimulates ideas, and provides a new way of looking at a challenge.
Share with the teams a sample list of metaphors and explain that they can use one of these or create their own. Examples of metaphors that can be used:
Going on a diet
Colonizing a territory
Starting a revolution
Going fishing
Arranging flowers
Running for political office
Each group selects a metaphor and discusses how it is—or is not—a way to represent internal network building in the organization. In addition, each teams generates and records a list of ideas about how the company can foster internal network building. While doing so, the teams should keep in mind the issues and concerns raised during earlier meetings, including those generated during the Lego modeling and recorded in the mind map.
Each group presents its ideas. The facilitator looks for shared or common ideas as well as those that generate group energy and support, and records these on a flip chart.
The group prioritizes the ideas to recommend to management by "dot-voting." Each person gets three colored Post-it dots and places them by the three ideas that they think have the greatest worth. The group then discusses the outcome and agrees on its main recommendations.
Following the meeting, recommendations are recorded in an "Idea Bank," which is posted online.
14.7.6. Exercise 7: Organic Ideation and Test Drive of Conversion Process
The purpose is to generate ideas about how to construct a process for converting ideas to new products and practices, using as analogies processes that occur in nature, and then test a prototype conversion process to identify strengths and weaknesses and refine it into a set of recommendations for management. The exercise takes three hours.
Materials:
One-page handouts describing the steps in a few organic processes, such as butterfly metamorphosis, plant propagation, and composting. For instance, the steps of the composting process are as follows:
Organic matter is piled together or put in a bin.
Organisms metabolize the matter, breaking it down with the help of heat, moisture, and oxygen.
Worms and bugs consume the broken-down organic matter.
Those invertebrates eliminate their waste, which is compost, also known as "black gold."
Vegetation grows in the compost, drawing nutrients from it.
Facilitator preparation:
Set up flip charts and markers for each team.
14.7.6.1. Process
Divide the group into teams of up to six people, again shifting people around so they work with new colleagues.
Assign each group one of the organic process prototypes. The team's job is to identify the catalysts of the organic process and determine why it occurs in a repeatable and enduring fashion.
The teams then leverage the organic process to create a "conversion" process for their organization, that is, a process through which ideas can be converted to real products and work practices. While doing so, they should keep in mind the issues and concerns raised during earlier meetings, including those generated during the Lego modeling and recorded in the mind map.
The group reconvenes and shares its proposed processes, looking to see where there are common elements or elements that generate enthusiasm. From this discussion, the group constructs a single process or identifies the key elements that have consensus support. Slight differences of opinion can be recognized and written on a flip chart labeled "parking lot" for the time being.
Participants return to their original teams and perform a "test drive" of the conversion process. They select one of the ideas that have been recorded in the Idea Bank and take it hypothetically through the steps in the conversion process. While doing so, they note strengths and weaknesses of the process, and record ways that it can be improved.
The full group convenes once again to share insights and agree on process refinements.