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Learning Innovation – Keep Stumbling
This is the first in a five part series on managing learning teams and how to succeed in the ‘new normal’ of our industry. As the head of a learning function, global education, etc – I see five main components that are the lifeblood of the organization.
- Innovation
- Strategic planning
- Communication/Change Management
- Execution
- Evaluation
Innovation and the Learning team
How much time and effort are you allowing team members to work on innovative projects that might have absolutely no relation to current needs and plans? 3M for the longest time (since the 1950's) has mandated that employees spend 15% of their time on projects of their own choosing and design.
"Our company has, indeed, stumbled onto some of its new products. But never forget that you can only stumble if you're moving." Richard P. Carlton, Former CEO, 3M Corporation, 1950
Google has followed in a similar light and encourages up to 20% for the engineering resources, which have contributed to many successes and even more failures. The point being, you can win if you don’t try. Failure IS an option, and it is encouraged and celebrated as a means to ongoing learning and success.
That certainly doesn’t mean that all the Google engineers are kicking back on Friday’s playing foosball and thinking about the next Google Reader or one of their green initiatives. Nor does it mean that Monday is for chillaxin’ because of that super World Cup party on Sunday that they can hardly remember. No, Googlers work hard and no one is punching a clock or measuring whether everyone lived up to their 20% this week.
Both Google and 3M understand that this ‘allowance’ is just a key part of their overall corporate culture. Although 3M is more hierarchical and Google so anti-that, the respective cultures foster innovation knowing that in order to stay ahead of the game, they need to spend quality time thinking about the next new thing. Clearly, hitting a few singles, doubles and an occasional homer is good for the bottom line.
Hmmm, okay so what the heck does this have to do with our learning organization?
Well, how is it any different? At my previous company, I instituted a similar policy (targeting a reasonable 10-15%, even 'forcing' it into MBOs on one occasion) for our global education team that created several wins (innovative remote labs for partners, technical training for our SEs via RSS and iTunes feeds for their iPhones/iTouch) and a lot of things that never made it past the drawing board but nonetheless stimulated the team into conversation, discussion and engagement for new ideas that would position us as innovators and thought leaders within the company, yes, the quintessential 'knowledge managers'.
Not to say that it was a perfect match. The culture that I wanted to create in the group did not align with the overall corporate culture based on monthly sprints throughout the organization, which in the end, kept everyone stretched at 80hr weeks leaving little time to foster creativity and an attitude of innovation.
This cultural attitude for innovation does align with VMG’s concepts around learning portals and social learning to generate conversations, connect like minds, and bring together passionate people and killer ideas, all of which is supported by a long term vision of competitive differentiation...because that next brainstorm session or napkin doodling might just be the next Post-It or Google Earth.
How do you innovate at your work? I'd love to hear about it. Send me a note at jon@velocitymg.com.