The 24/7 Innovation
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Unleashing the Inner Innovator
By: Stephen M. Shapiro
tested five years later and only 30 percent of the 10-year-
Here's a question for all upwardly mobile employees: Do
olds were still rated "highly creative". By the age of 15, just
you want to be a contender in today's workplace? Sure you 12 percent of them were ranked in this category, while a
do! Problem is, you've got lots of competition, all vying for mere 2 percent of 200,000 adults over the age 25 who had
a few scarce jobs and promotions. And the marketplace is taken the same tests were still on this level. Creativity is
in such a state of flux that you don't know from one
therefore not learned, but rather unlearned.
moment to the next what companies are looking for. How
can you set yourself apart from the horde? One effective Unless you go through a second childhood or hire a bunch
way is by unleashing your inner innovator. Differentiate of 5-year-olds, what can you do to tap into that innovative
yourself from others by finding new ways of adding value to potential? First it would be useful to consider what
your organization. creativity really is. I contend that creativity is about
collecting and connecting dots ... dots being ideas,
If you are a senior executive, naturally you want your disciplines, ways of looking at problems, and experiences.
company to be a leader in the marketplace. But there are
As Albert Einstein once said, "Imagination is more
so many followers trying to steal your thunder! Think about
important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited.
it. It's discouragingly easy for competitors to copy your Imagination encircles the world." In fact, knowledge is, in
products, rip off your business processes, and go after your my opinion, the enemy of innovation. I am always amused
customer base. Yes, someone is always nipping at your when someone, upon finding a lost item, says, "Can you
heels. So what can your company do that's impossible to
believe it? It was in the last place I looked." Well of
copy? You guessed it. Create a pervasive culture of
course, who finds something and then continues to look for
innovation that allows your organization to outperform the it? The same thing is true when looking for a solution to a
competition and always stay a few jumps ahead. problem. Once your brain finds what it thinks is the best
solution, it stops looking. Where do we look for these
So, what can you do? How can you increase the
solutions? We tend to look into our memory banks of what
innovative ability of yourself and your organization? One has worked in the past. And for those of you out there who
way is to bust open the myth that creativity is a trait a few
are experts, I'll bet you "find" an answer quite quickly.
select people are "born with"... that there are those with
Unfortunately, your solution might not be new, innovative,
"creative personalities" and then there are the rest of us.
or even good. What we need to do is train our brain to
Actually, we all have the potential to be creative. Perhaps
keep looking, even when we have found an answer.
not to the same degree, but we all do have innate creative
abilities. As children, we were all more creative than we are
The reason children are so creative is that they look at the
today. This premise has been tested out many times over
world with fresh eyes. They are always collecting dots that
the years. For example, 1,600 five-year-olds were given a they eventually string together. Everything is a new
creativity test used by NASA to select innovative engineers experience. And rarely do kids jump to quick solutions.
and scientists, and 98 percent of the children scored in the However, once they start going to school and socializing
"highly creative" range. These same children were re-
with other children, they are forced to fit it. Peer pressure

Appears in the May 2003 issue of Control, the official magazine of the Institute of Operations Management (United Kingdom)
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drives conformity. Education focuses on the regurgitation
Thinking Like a … Pack Rat
of facts rather than on gathering new experiences. At
university, you choose a major and then become an expert Children are creative because they are looking through
in that area. As we get older we find things in life that we fresh eyes. As adults, we start to filter everything we see,
like, to the exclusion of all else. We read the same just like a polarized lens that lets in only light that is aligned
sections of the newspaper. We watch the same movies. one way. So to reverse the years of filtered thinking, you
Eat the same food. Socialize with the same people. Read need to start collecting new dots. Start gaining new
the same magazines. And we tend to find ways of experiences. To paraphrase Steve Jobs, "Creativity is just
operating that work for us. We use those modes continually having enough dots to connect ... connect experiences and
without trying anything new. Our communication style. Our synthesize new things. The reason creative people are
view of the world. Our political thoughts. As we get older, able to do that is that they've had more experiences or
instead of collecting dots, we begin a process of dot have thought more about their experiences than other
elimination. We ride down the same path over and over. people." So, our first lens is to get you thinking like a pack
1
rat. Collect and hoard every experience for later use. You
What can be done to reverse the effects of time? The key
never know when some randomly stored experience will be
is to restart the process of collecting and connecting dots.
the catalyst for breakthrough thinking. To do this I
Much has been written on the techniques for sparking
encourage you to use three techniques. The first two
creativity and innovation. In fact, there are over 2,500
should be used on a daily basis. The third is to help
books with the word "innovation" in the title. A large portion
accelerate the process even further during brainstorming
of these are focused on "event-based" techniques for
sessions.
generating new ideas. That is, approaches to be used
during brainstorming sessions. These approaches may be 1. Filters
a "5-step process", "7 techniques" or "9 tools". Although Because we can only see the world through the filter that
these are useful, I want focus on approaches that change we have built up over time, the only way to change
the way you see the world. Approaches that, with practice, perspective is to change the filter. Unfortunately, it is
help make innovation an every day activity. As Aristotle difficult to "see" the filter you are wearing. Therefore, it is
has written, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence easier to replace your existing filter with a new one. So,
then is not an act but a habit". each morning, when you wake up, make believe you are
someone different. Make believe you are a detective, a
Here are, what I call "The Four Thinking Lenses". Try
mechanic, an artist, a gardener ... it really doesn't matter,
thinking like a Pack Rat, a Matchmaker, a Kid, and a
so long as it is someone other than you. You will then
Contrarian. These lenses will help you collect and connect
begin to see things over the course of the day that you
dots. But more importantly, they will shape your view of the
have never seen before -- because what you focus on
world, which will subconsciously change your actions and
expands. By focusing on something different, you will
behavior. And that will ultimately lead to different (and
begin to have new experiences and will gain new dots that
hopefully better) results.
you can use when trying to be creative. On other days,
make believe that people are a particular way. Assume all

people to be kind, agreeable, friendly, or whatever
empowers you. You may find that when you talk to that

jerk in the corner office, you see that he is not so bad after
all. And finally, some days assume the world is a particular

Appears in the May 2003 issue of Control, the official magazine of the Institute of Operations Management (United Kingdom)
The 24/7 Innovation Group 2003. All Rights Reserved. 2The 24/7 Innovation
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SERIES

way. Look at the world as art, as music, as simplicity. You looking at problems is to ask, "What is this like?" Be a
will see, hear, smell, and sense things you've never noticed matchmaker. Make connections. Try and find analogies,
in the past. Changing your filter, whether it be on a daily metaphors, and associations that fit the problem you are
basis or just during specific conversations, can have a looking to solve. Recombine ideas in new ways. If you
profound impact on your view of the world. are redesigning a business process, borrow a best practice
from a different industry. South West Airlines did this when
2. Try Something New
it benchmarked an Indianapolis 500 pit crew. Or when
As adults we tend to do the same things over and over. hospitals benchmarked Marriott Hotels for the check-in
Our lives play out and repeat themselves like a broken processes. But take it a step further and look to non-
record. Predictable. No new experiences gained. So try business analogies and metaphors. Look at nature. Model
something else new. Read magazines you have never
your business after an evolutionary process, an ecosystem,
read before. Listen to music you think you don't like. Try
jazz music, or whatever tickles your fancy. If redesigning a
new hobbies. Meet new people. Eat different food. The product, ask what the product is really like. If redesigning a
more you do this, the more experiences you will gain and computer chip, look to racing circuits, rivers, or anything
the more ideas you will have to draw from in the future. with a flow. When you have many dots collected, you have
limitless ways of recombining them to create something
3. Rip & Rap
new. This is not about invention, which is pulling
What do you do when you want to accelerate the process something out of the thin air. This is about innovation
of collecting dots? Try this fun technique: Rip & Rap. Buy
which is about reconstituting old ideas in new ways. Don't
a number of magazines. A wide variety of magazines.
always go for the obvious solution. Some of the best ideas
Things you would typically not read. Then, when in a
come from some of the most unlikely combinations.
brainstorming session, while trying to solve a problem in a
new way, hand out the magazines to other participants.
Have them look through the pages and find pictures that
call out to them. Some pictures may connect on an
Thinking Like a ... Kid
intellectual level. But others may connect at a more
emotional level. Regardless of why the picture calls to you, The first two lenses enable you to better collect and
cut it out and save it. Make a collage. Try and see how connect dots. This gives you a fresh perspective on things,
everything fits together. Try to make connections across
just like a kid. But fresh eyes are not the only thing that
pictures ... which leads us to our next thinking lens ...
differentiates children from adults. Children love to play.
To them, everything is a game. And if you watch them
Thinking Like a ... Matchmaker play, one of their favorite games is "Yes, and..." This is a
game where kids fully use their imagination. The game
Now that we have collected lots of new experiences by
starts with the first kid concocting a scenario. Let's say,
being a pack rat, we have to do something creative with
making your fingers into a gun, pointing it at another person
them. As adults, when we try to solve a problem, we often
and saying, "I'm zapping you with my laser beam." The
ask, "What does this mean?" We try to pull the answer next person then says, "Yes, and..." and builds on what the
from our knowledge bank, just like finding the solution in an
previous person said. So, the second child may say, "yes,
encyclopedia. Solve the problem the way it has been
and... I am wearing my mirror suit so that it bounces back
solved in the past. This can be useful, but it provides a
at you." And the game continues going back and forth
limited set of possibilities. This is about replication and
between two or more children. Very simple, and the game
regurgitation. An alternative (and more insightful) way of

Appears in the May 2003 issue of Control, the official magazine of the Institute of Operations Management (United Kingdom)
The 24/7 Innovation Group 2003. All Rights Reserved. 3The 24/7 Innovation
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SERIES

can go on for hours. Interestingly, if you watch adults play that are illogical. So think like a contrarian. Turn
this game, they are more likely to respond with "yeah, but" everything upside down. Stand on your head. Here are six
rather than "yes, and…" Instead of contributing back, they "techniques" for thinking like a contrarian. Although there
shoot down the previous idea. So, if the first adult makes are many more, these should get you started thinking
his fingers into a gun, points it at his friend, and says, "I'm differently.
zapping you with my laser beam," the next adult would
1. Oppose the Assumption
probably fall over and say, "I'm dead". Not much of a
This technique has two parts. The first part is to surface
contribution, and the game would end quite quickly. This
any assumptions. The next part is to challenge the
is particularly true of people who are good "implementers".
assumption and think in opposites. How do you surface
They see all of the reasons why things won't work. They
2 hidden assumptions? One clue to an assumption is when
put the "NO" in innovation. So, be a kid, and keep the play
people say, "We always do it this way", or "We never do it
alive. This is a technique that can help you generate new
that way." Then ask, "What if the opposite were true?"
ideas rapidly...and have fun while doing it. In fact,
3 Challenge all assumptions. Another way of surfacing
according to Neil Mullarkey , a well-known comedian, the
hidden, concealed assumptions is to ask "who, what,
"yes, and..." approach is core to improvisational comedy.
where, when, how, how much, and why" questions. I used
Therefore, the next time you have a problem to solve, like
this in challenging some models of consulting. For
inventing the next hot design for a toilet, try this game.
example, in determining the fees paid to a consultant,
Have one person throw out the first idea, and then continue
typically the consultant (who) sets the rate (how much)
with, "Yes, and...", building on the previous idea. The key is
before (when) the work is done. I have introduced a billing
to answer quickly and avoid thinking too much. Top-of-
concept where the client (who) determines how much to
head answers tend to tap into a part of the brain we don't
pay me after (when) my work is done. The amount is solely
use during our normal thinking process. And be sure that
at their discretion. Although this idea could have been
your answer is a contribution. It should build on what the
derived from assumption busting, I in fact got the idea from
previous person said rather than invalidate it. You will
a Chinese restaurant in London that has no prices on its
develop many new ideas over the course of play. Many of
menu. When the customer receives the bill, they pay what
the ideas will be duds. But don't worry. Play with it. Have
they feel the meal was worth. Connecting dots.
fun. You never know when a real gem will be found. After
all, it is only a game. And over time, this will become a 2. Worst Idea
normal mode of operating. You will become the master at Sometimes the best ideas seem like the worst ideas. The
breakthrough thinking on a regular basis by building on the
California Dancing Raisins advertisement came from
ideas of others. asking the question, "What is the worst way we could sell
raisins?" Think about the world prior to vaccines. What

would be the stupidest way to prevent an outbreak of polio?
Inject everyone with the virus. But of course that is exactly
Thinking Like a ... Contrarian
how it is done. Breakthrough answers are often hiding in
illogical solutions.
We now have a number of ways of collecting and
connecting dots. This last thinking lens is about connecting 3. Illogical Combinations
dots in ways that we might never have thought possible. One way of coming up with new ideas is to force illogical
Normally when asking "What is this like?", we look for combinations. The way it works is simple: select some or
logical answers. Sometimes the best answers are ones all of the "who, what, where, when, how, and how much"

Appears in the May 2003 issue of Control, the official magazine of the Institute of Operations Management (United Kingdom)
The 24/7 Innovation Group 2003. All Rights Reserved. 4The 24/7 Innovation
THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SERIES

attributes. Next, come up with various answers for each believe that your can think, breathe, talk, and act like your
attribute to solve your problem. Then randomly mix and competition should you step out of the role play and back
match various combinations. For example, if redesigning into your own shoes. Armed with this valuable information
the supermarket checkout process, we might look at "who", about how your competitors will try and beat you, beat
"where", and "when". The typical combination for checkout them at their own game.
is that it is done by the cashier (who), at the cash register
5. Innovation Targeting Matrix
(where), after all of the purchases are made (when). Try
different random combination. What if the customer (who) Although not specifically a tool for unleashing the inner
innovator, a powerful "contrarian-thinking" tool is the
did the scanning as they make their purchases (when) at
Innovation Targeting Matrix (ITM). The ITM is a useful
their shopping cart (where)? A number of supermarkets
framework for turning the operating model of your
are now experimenting with a similar checkout system
organization on its head. It is a 2 x 3 matrix. Along one
whereby customers scan in prices as they make
purchases. And random audits help prevent theft or axis are two very distinct types of capability: "transaction"
and "knowledge". The other axis is organized around
miscounting. Some of the most creative ideas come from
strategic importance: "differentiating", "core", and "support".
the most unnatural combinations. One amusing tool we
First, map your capabilities on this chart. Next, on a
developed is a "slot machine" that facilitates illogical
separate chart, map your competitor. Companies that are
combinations. You simply enter in different "who, what,
where, when, how, and how much" parameters (e.g., in the in similar businesses can have very different positions on
the matrix. For one firm, its own internal research may be
shopping example above, "who" may include customers,
central to its differentiation, while a rival in the same
checkout clerks, the butcher, the security guard, or the
business may depend on licensing arrangements for its
cleaning lady), you then pull the handle, and see what
new products. Such differences can make you aware that
random combination comes up. Many combinations do
end up being losers. But when you get a winner, the payoff competitors know something you don't. However, looking
at your positions within the boxes of the matrix is only part
can be huge. And using this approach is a great way to
of the story. The real power of the ITM is in the lines, the
uncover implicit assumptions about the business. When
moves that you can make to change your business model.
you generate combinations that are different than have
Try down-skilling a knowledge-based capability and
been done in the past, people will almost surely say, "Hey,
we can't do that because…" You then begin to uncover the transactionalize it. Or up-skill a transactional capability, so
that it is now knowledge-based. Alternatively take a
underlying assumptions. This is where real innovation can
support capability and make it differentiating. The number
emerge. So, you get the idea. So go wild and try lots of
of moves is limitless. Try moving an activity to somewhere
interesting combinations.
on the matrix that seems counter-intuitive and illogical.
4. Competitor War Games This is certain to stimulate some interesting discussion.
The best way to beat your competition is ask the question, The implications of switching activities from what seems to
"What are you most afraid your competition will do to you?" be their "natural" position on the matrix to somewhere else
Only then can you try and beat them to the punch. If you can reveal insights into the rigidities of the existing
really want to see how the competition thinks, immerse structure. And it helps uncover hidden assumptions. I
yourself in their competitor's shoes. Play a competitor war describe the Innovation Targeting Matrix more fully in
game. Have your team act as though they are the Chapter 7 of my book, 24/7 Innovation.
competition vying to make a sale to your target customer.
Play the game for a day. Don't let up. Only after you really

Appears in the May 2003 issue of Control, the official magazine of the Institute of Operations Management (United Kingdom)
The 24/7 Innovation Group 2003. All Rights Reserved. 5The 24/7 Innovation
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Thinking Like a ... Whole Brained Team About the author
Stephen Shapiro is the author of 24/7 Innovation: A
The last way to think is more organizational in nature. It is
Blueprint for Surviving and Thriving in an Age of Change
quite simply to think and work like a whole brained team. It
(McGraw-Hill, 2002, ISBN: 0-07-137626-7, $29.95) and
is human nature to surround ourselves with people we get
founder of The 24/7 Innovation Group. Previously, he spent
along with. Recruiting processes tend to focus highly on
15 years at Accenture. During his last three years, he was
competencies and chemistry. Interestingly, nearly every
based in London and led the firm's European Process
company looks for people who "fit the mold".
Excellence practice. In 1996, he was one of the founders
Unfortunately, all this does is perpetuate the thinking and
and directors of Accenture's Global Process Excellence
culture of the past. Having people on your team that you
practice. And he was one of the leaders of the firm's
get along with and who are "yes" people may make you
reengineering practice from its inception in 1992. Shapiro
feel better and make your job easier. But rarely will it lead
has advised many of the world's leading organizations,
to new and more innovative ideas. When everyone thinks from BMW WilliamsF1, ABB and UPS to Lucent and Xerox.
the same way there is little opportunity for something new. He has also collaborated with other thought leaders
Creativity comes from tension. Differing viewpoints. including Michael Hammer and Peter Keen, and is
Differing ways of solving problems. So, on your team, recognized as one of today's most influential consultants in
surround yourself with people who think differently than the area of process and innovation. Articles by Shapiro
you. Choose people with different analytical, creative, and have appeared in over two dozen newspapers and
personality styles. Welcome the creative tension that is
magazines, and he was recently quoted in The New York
inevitable. Relish not always getting your way. New ideas
Times.
are bound to emerge, and as long as you are open to them,
your whole brained team will create new ideas never For more information, go to: www.24-7Innovation.com.
previously conceived.
Thinking Like an ... Innovator
If you try these techniques and really put them to practice,
you will build the brain muscle necessary to think like an
innovator. If you are already creative, this may help
provide some new angles. If you are an implementer who
rarely likes to challenge norms, this may have a profound
impact on the way you view the world. Not only will you
have more fun, but you'll be able to add more value to your
organization...and to your life.


1 A pack rat is type of rat that collects various objects and bits of material to
deposit in, or use in the construction of, their nests. It is also an expression
used to describe a person who hoards things.

2 My colleague, Brad Kolar, coined this expression.

3 Neil Mullarkey co-founded Britain's most famous improv troupe, the
Comedy Store Players, in 1985 and still performs with them. His other
credits include Whose Line Is it Anyway and two Austin Powers movies.
"Yes, and..." is one of the many improv games he uses in his management
training classes.

Appears in the May 2003 issue of Control, the official magazine of the Institute of Operations Management (United Kingdom)
The 24/7 Innovation Group 2003. All Rights Reserved. 6