TEI 022: How 3M Triggers Innovation through Organizational Development

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you episode
022 of... The Everyday Innovator with host Chad
McAllister, PhD. The podcast is all about helping people involved
in developing and managing products become more successful, grow
their careers, and STANDOUT from their peers. Our Guests: I
have not one, but two guests to discuss product innovation for this
episode. The first is Kimberly Johnson, who I met through the
Global PMI Innovation Practice Area. I learned that Kim had
recently co-authored a chapter for an upcoming book, and the
chapter is titled “Triggering Innovation Through Organizational
Development.” Her co-author is my second guest, AB Reynolds.
Highlights from the discussion include: The concepts are
synthesized from a powerhouse of interviews with 3M innovators,
organized around 3 themes that foster organizational innovation:
Conditions must exist to allow individuals and teams to create
innovative products.Leaders must spot, support, and invest in
valuable innovations.As the product matures, leaders must optimize
the innovation and eventually harvest the business or choose to
renew the organization with a new set of products.To overcome
resistance to incorporating innovation into the culture, create an
organizational conversation about the future to engage people – get
people excited about trends taking place and how the organization
should participate.   A simple tool is to put a question
in a shared area to begin discussions, such as, “How can we
…”If you are an innovator, team up with others that can influence
the right people to make change occur. In organizations, innovation
requires teams to make things happen.