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A642.2.3.RB – Organizing for Innovation

            When I first started to think about how innovation was organized or even handled in my organization, I had a hard time figuring out if we were even innovative at all. “The first challenge is to encourage creative behavior that leads to successful innovation. The second challenge is to develop a tradition of creative behavior that keeps leading to more and more successful innovation. Both of these challenges are about the climate and conditions that encourage – or discourage – the effective use of new ideas. They are both about cultural change” (McKeown, 2015). Typically in the medical field world, organizations are more reactive than proactive. Many times laws or regulations are enacted after someone did something wrong. That being said, we do our best to stay ahead of the curve. While we try to remain ahead of the curve, the rules that are implemented on a daily basis are met through careful consideration and constant learning.

            I was surprised to see all of this unfold when I first entered the field. However, in my short time I began to understand the dynamics of our organization as a whole. We have all thought of a way to include everyone through the decision-making processes. Wallin and Von Krogh in Organizing for Open Innovation suggested that open innovation involves everyone in the innovation process. We recently decided to use open innovation to ensure that all parties involved in our organization feel as if their voices are heard. While we may not use their idea, we are giving them an outlet to express their concerns. Nevertheless, this has also allowed us to see any holes in our thinking. Having medical assistants, front office staff, and also some anonymous patient’s feedback has helped influencing our decision making process to create a better environment for everyone involved.

            The medical office I work for is in constant turnover and having new staff is always part of the challenge. Though, having new comers and younger staff, provides the opportunity for fresh innovation that can potentially lead to proposed new ideas. While the safety regulations are constantly changing in the medical industry, the owner and doctor at our office, strives to keep us ahead of any possible problems. Having a close eye on the numerous changes that are made throughout time, we are able to see any unnecessary processes and where certain aspects are lacking. This does not mean that ideas we propose are accepted with open arms.

            In my organization, innovation is met with recoil. This is because there are individuals in the organization who have been there for too many years. Instead of seeing innovation as necessary development, they see it as unnecessary change. In their minds, if it is not broken then why fix it? This forces us to spend time convincing them why a change is necessary. In order to get these individuals to buy in, we need to show the usefulness of the new idea. If we can sell this idea to them; then they will see the importance of innovation and possibly be more welcoming to change in the future. However this is a long process.

            One question that always arises is, how useful this new process would be. When the organization first encountered this question, we were not sure how to react. Yet, this is an extremely important question. If we are creating new ideas for the sake of being innovative, we are wasting our time. Instead, we need to assess how useful it will be on our daily activities. On a day-to-day basis, been that we are a full paperless transitioned medical facility, we are in constant need of our computers. Unfortunately, we use windows computers that after six months loose their battery life and forces medical assistants to be plugged in, while disabling us to move around the office and work faster. Now, I have recommended the organization to acquire apple devices but to our disadvantage, very few medical software have been developed to work on apple computers or tablets. Although, the company continues to strive for better technological equipment, it will take a significant amount of time, before these changes are visible. In the mean time, we continue to use ten-pound old laptop versions.

            In examples of innovation that have not worked, the major factor was the lack of usefulness of the new idea. I still consider myself as new to the organization, because, although I have been working for them for two years, this have been my first two years working as a medical assistant, so I do not have any previous experiences where new ideas have not worked. Instead, I will direct my attention on how to transform resistance to change into something positive. Experiencing skeptical thoughts, allows us to ensure we have all the proper research done before presenting an idea. Therefore, we are more prepared and can essentially weed out ideas that would definitely not work. Through this time we can give our idea a little test run and if it does not work, we will not bring it to anyone’s attention. I look forward to learning more from those within my organization and developing innovative ideas alongside.

            What we need to do in my organization is build a bigger, more collective brain. As Max McKeown mentions in The Innovation Book, “no individual can have all the answer” (p. 43, 2014). That being said we need to welcome any and all ideas we can get. While not all ideas will lead to changes, you never know unless you fully research those ideas. Instead of relying on one individual, we all need to work together to create a more innovative organization. Since not one person has all the answers; the need to listen to other would bring a balanced mix of cultures. In other words, enables the organization to look at the bigger picture and to build meaning relationships with each team member.

            While all of these ideas are great, my organization will take some time in regards to innovation. As we continue to expand and seek new ideas, we will continue to innovate. The medical world is known for drastically undergoing changes everyday but the implication of such changes runs a long side of insecurity when placed in organizations. What we have found gives us leverage is proposing an idea to the owner directly.  Providing the opportunity to express our concerns as well as show any pertinent data to support our theories. Having someone who is welcoming to change and open to innovation is great. No longer will we be afraid to change. Instead, we will embrace the opportunity and take pride in developing new ideas for our organization.

References

Mckeown, M. (2014). The innovation book: How to manage ideas and execution for outstanding results (1^st Ed.). FT Press.

Wallin, M., & Van Krogh, G. (2010). Organizing for Open Innovation:: Focus on the Integration of Knowledge. Designing Organizations for the 21st-Century Global Economy Special Issue, 39(2), 145-154.

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A642.1.4.RB – Your Creative Genius

            As described by Masaru Ibuka, the founder of Sony, “Creativity comes from looking for the unexpected and stepping outside of your own experience” (McKeown, 2014, p. 321). Assessing one self’s talents is not an easy task. I never thought of such talents before, much less had the opportunity to categorize them. However, this program is made to get students and future leaders out of their comfort zone and to think outside the box. By doing so it allows us to be the innovators and leaders we all aspire to be. It has been shown that creativity does have its benefits. “Creativity has clear benefits for individuals and society as a whole” (Runco, 2004). These benefits are constantly researched and while I cannot speak for everyone, I know creativity does help me cope with everyday stressors.

            One creative talent that I developed ever since I was probably seven years old was writing. I used to write long stories out of my imagination. Now, still enjoy writing and do so, when I am down or simply in the mood to be creative. As many people may have experienced, my upbringing was nothing close to perfect. I struggled as a young kid and teenager with life’s difficulties but writing become my way out to express what I need to let out and to distract myself. I had all of these thoughts in my head and once I wrote them down, I felt as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Thankfully, this has come in handy when it comes to this program, as writing is a must and like to know that everything time I write something, my writing skills are only getting better. Nevertheless, it was a bit challenging to become good at it, when it come to writing in English, as a second language.

            Another talent that was discovered by my managers is my tendency to lead rather than following others. By no means, I am trying to imply that I do not follow orders or that I am bossy with my coworkers. However, I have always encounter moments where my proactivity and leadership response were tested without me noticing. In the past three years, I have been able to demonstrate my capacity as a leader and taking this degree has only improved my skills. Little by little, I learn to deal with the day-to-day organizational troubles. I understand people and often times, I am able to deliver a message without risking others feeling underappreciated. I make use of my leadership talent to emphasize the importance of teamwork in any organization. Usually, I encounter younger crowds who are no happy to be where they work, and the environment is compromised. Nevertheless, instead of getting them in trouble, I try teaching them to always give their one hundred percent in everything they do because that is when they will receive compliments and people around them will begin to recognize their hard work.

            Moreover, I like to believe that being humble is another of my qualities. No matter what position I have had, what status I come from, or who is next to me; I have always treated everyone with respect and dignity. For instance, in one of my previous jobs, I was in charge of a group who every night had to pick up the parking lot trash. Yet, every night I was there helping with the trash. Very unlike other coworkers that held the same position, they would all ask me why would I do it, when I had them to do it. And my response has always been the same, you teach others by example. If a leader is capable of completing the same tasks, as his followers, then the followers will always do a great job.

            Believe it or not, another quality I have is being able to work under stress. I find that I work better when chaos is involved. I feel the need to constantly be multi tasking and that is why the medical field is such a great match for my personality. I use this quality to ensure my team is always well assessed and I deal with a numerous of tasks, as my subordinates have a much easier time. I guess in a way, I am constantly seeking to protect my teammates from getting burned out, stressing, or getting frustrated.

            Lastly, I have a very positive outlook when I work. I do not let stress get to me or anything upset my day. Every day, I show up to work with a smile in my face, as I am happy to be there. This quality helps me into dealing with difficult patients and also, sometimes the doctors. Both parties can be really demanding and having the personality I presume, does really help into making others realize that frustrations can only go so far.  

            On the other hand, although these qualities are plenty to be happy about, I do find myself wishing to have other creative qualities that I do not possess. For once, I wish I had the ability understand learning material faster. If there is something I envy my husband, is that he does not require spending so many hours studying. He naturally understands everything and is able to take exams without comprising his grades. If I was granted this wish, I would definitely used it to expedite my progress in school and take more classes but unfortunately, I can only do a maximum of two classes per semester or overlap the classes. Or else, my grades suffer.

            Additionally, I wish I were more athletic. My parents never encourage me to play any sports while growing up and although, I did register for volleyball and basketball when I was about ten, I never pursued it more than just one year. As an adult, I now love running whenever possible but due to my lack of sports’ background, it is difficult to commit to it. I think that if I had been more athletic during my childhood, I now, would be running marathons and would have a healthier life style.

            Further more, one talent I wish I had was an artistic ability. I understand some people are simply extremely talented and lucky, while others can practice and become an artist. Me on the other hand, the more I practice the more frustrated I get. Typically I can pick up things rather easily but an artistic ability is not one of them. Instead of painting or drawing them, I now have to take pictures to capture all the beauty but even then, my non-artistic side does not do a good job at taking picture either. If I were to learn how to paint or draw, I feel this would help me while going through medical school, as most of the learning is done through sketches and drawings of the body’s anatomy. Like the saying goes, a picture is better than a thousand words.

            Last but not least, I wish I could play some sort of instruments. When I was a child, I took about two years of piano lessons; I was able to learn how to read notes and also played in a small school concert but everything takes practice. Soon after the first two years, I stopped playing and little by little I forgot how to play or read notes. This type of talents is a ways of relieving stressors and it is shameful, I never finished learning. If I was able to play some instrument, I would have probably become some kind of private professor to teach kids how to play.

References

McKeown, M. (2014). The innovation book: how to manage ideas and execution for outstanding results (Kindle). Pearson Education Limited. Kindle Edition.

Runco, M. A. (2004). CREATIVITY. Annual Review of Psychology, 55, 657-87. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/205848604?accountid=27203

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A642.9.3.RB – The Innovation Experience

            Generally, innovation is referenced, as a way of creating something that will change the course of older versions of what has been previously created. Additionally, innovation is believed to happen when necessity strikes. Nevertheless, nothing prepared me for what I have learned throughout the course of this class. This course has innovated my leadership skills, mindset, and my own creativity. While this course has been a learning experience in many ways, I do believe, leaders never stop learning. For that reason, although there were many components that influenced my perspective in regards to innovation three were crucial; The Canfield and Smith’s five-step structure, disruptive innovation, and Schroeder’s innovation journey.

            The first element, Canfield and Smith’s five-step structure allow individuals to have creative thinking and innovate new ideas (Canfield & Smith, 2011). Organizations begin to fail when they start getting comfortable where they are. Complacency is the number one factor affecting organizations into succeeding when other competitors do actually seek innovation. Under the five steps, step one, the long search evaluates that creating something takes time and effort. Additionally, step two; little apparent progress explains that advancement occurs with some to no progress at all. The third step, precipitating event talks about the breakthrough happening because something caused the precipitation to change. Moreover, step four, cognitive snap happens once the innovation process has occurred, and a plan to solve a problem is in place. Last but not least, step five, transformation is self explanatory, as it regenerates how the mind processes and changes how the mind usually thinks. Prototypes can be easily handled when this structure is in use, as people have new ideas. More often than expected, I have been able to better complete a task at work if I divide the work into sections through a week or a couple of days. My work is very demanding and concentrating in solely one task drains people’s brain.

            Disruptive innovation did not only influence me but it can sometimes undermine existing products, firms, organizations, etc. With that expectation clear, trying to keep up with innovative ideas is reasonable. Change is inevitable but knowing the perfect timing to accept such changes is a key factor. "If our long study of disruption has led us to any universal conclusion, it is that every industry will eventually face it" (Christensen, Wang & van Bever, 2013, para. 45). Some organizations need to remain almost intact through the years to maintain their starters essence and their customers. Every business is unique and what may work in some, may not work in others. Maxwell Wessel and Clayton Christensen (2013) advised, “disruptive innovations are like missiles launched at your business” (para. 1) and being prepared matters. For that reason, this could be useful in the near future if I indeed become a doctor, as change is expected to happen many times a year. The only way a doctor can remain indispensable, is by accepting change and learning from it.

            Lastly, Schroeder’s innovation journey suggests that, “the smart innovator accepts that the path cannot be known before it is has been made”
(McKeown, 2014, p. 2809). This innovation is a crucial element that has already influenced my innovative perspective many times. Understanding how the innovation journey really works, aids people like myself into having realistic expectations when they are in the process of creating something new. “The challenge is that it’s seldom easy to see where a new idea starts, where it’s going to go next or if it will ever stop developing”
(McKeown, 2014, p. 2809). When this is ignored because we do not have the perfect way of innovating something from scratch, five setbacks are faced; competition and power will determine the criteria in which success is measured; innovation will face undetermined people who will agree and disagree with the ideas and demands; investors; partners; and the interaction between others and the infrastructure. All in all, I could definitely make use of this element while in the medical field that while innovation is great, it can also demonstrate to be a long process and sometimes not work.

            To conclude, this has definitely been a challenging semester in different ways but I am thankful to push myself everyday more and know that I am learning something new. Progress is part of being an innovative leader.

Reference

Canfield, J., & Smith, G. (2011).  Imagine: Ideation Skills for Improvement and Innovation Today.  Holland, MI:  Black Lake Press.

Christensen, C.M., Wang, D. & van Bever, D. (2013). Consulting on the cusp of disruption. Harvard Business Review. 91.10.107-114.

Mckeown, M. (2014). The innovation book: How to manage ideas and execution for outstanding results (1^st Ed.). FT Press.