People — not processes — are what build every great business. The same is true of innovation. Here's how to build a culture of innovation within any company.

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Moving Innovation from
Buzzword to Action
JULY 2018

2. Everyone’s favorite buzzword.

3. The industry-disrupting changes we’ve seen
over the last decade have underscored the shift
from Classic Innovation to Modern Innovation.

4. Classic Innovation
Chases trends
Big bet with risk of big failure
Methodical, linear, incremental
Created by R&D or innovation teams; in-house
Follows processes, rules
Exploits an opportunity
Tested on people through controlled research
Tight progression of approvals, pass off
Modern Innovation
Helps brands evolve
Smaller bets w/ failures expected
Rapid, not fully planned, set forth toward a vision
Created by cross-functional teams, including consumers
Developed outside of existing processes, rules
Built to achieve purpose that’s valuable to people
Tested in real world; iterate as you scale
Advocates all along the way; push forward, step back

5. Classic Innovation
Chases trends
Big bet with risk of big failure
Methodical, linear, incremental
Created by R&D or innovation teams; in-house
Follows processes, rules
Exploits an opportunity
Tested on people through controlled research
Tight progression of approvals, pass off
Modern Innovation
Helps brands evolve
Smaller bets w/ failures expected
Rapid, not fully planned, set forth toward a vision
Created by cross-functional teams, including consumers
Developed outside of existing processes, rules
Built to achieve purpose that’s valuable to people
Tested in real world; iterate as you scale
Advocates all along the way; push forward, step back
This is the evolution we’ve all seen,
read about, and try to work within.

6. But is this really all
we need to make
change and innovate?
For all the available best practices,
methodologies and principles, you’d think
innovation would be a science by now. But
building your process around these techniques
won’t guarantee you’ll be able to make an a
lasting impact with your next innovation project.

7. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

8. The reality is that
everyone pretends to
have innovation
figured out —
but few really do.

9. Reading about methods and
talking about principles is easy.
Adopting innovation within existing companies is really hard.
The cultures we work in — and contribute to — are often
what’s holding us back.

10. 🤔
So how do we move forward
and make real progress?

11. Great brands are built by people,
not processes.
WE BELIEVE
The same applies to innovation.

12. Innovation needs to be built into
the culture of a company to work,
but it rarely is.

13. Three hard truths about creating
a culture of innovation.

14. 🌱
Innovation doesn’t
have to come from
the top.
Leadership doesn’t have to buy in for innovation
to happen. Cultural change is what leads
companies into the future, and it’s just as likely
to come from small groups of big thinkers as it
is from higher-ups with company-wide plans.

15. 💀
Innovation will die if
left in its own dept.
“Innovation teams” might seem like a good
idea, but they tend to get relegated to the
corner of the basement, churning out ideas that
never come to life. Innovation shouldn't have
specific teams — it should be part of the way
everyone thinks.

16. 💭
Innovation isn’t the
inevitable product of
innovative thinking.
Innovation without action is just dream
journaling. It’s writing email drafts in MS Word.
Getting to innovative output is as much about
operations and culture as it is about ideas. The
ideas themselves aren't worth much —
execution is what counts.

17. These are our truths, but
we’re only one side of the
conversation.
So we checked in with
people across a dozen
industries to find out what
was stopping them from
being more innovative.

18. Arming people with small
steps to impact their culture
and change it from the inside.
Making change
-
–
We took what we heard and created a
series of straightforward and honest tips
that encourage progress – no matter what
culture you’re working within.

19. EXPLORE

20. Key Takeaways
😳 Innovation is hard — just admit it
🤷 There is no off-the-shelf method that works best
🚫 Innovation must not be limited to your Innovation Department
🔍 Finding a place within your culture that’s open to innovation experiments is the key to success
(even if it’s a small place)
🖥 Check out our microsite for tips on to gain momentum even if your colleagues, your
leadership, your resources, or your company’s metrics don’t match your ambition
💪 No excuses. Nothing should stop you from making some sort of progress!

21. The Monthly Bolt ⚡
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22. Thank You