A tips & tricks guide to activating an innovative culture
WHO AM I? Hi, my name is L.E.A.R.N! I am a pocket-sized book for you to take wherever you go! To the left you can see the insights I came from. I’m here to teach you how to change corporate culture using design thinking activities and methods. Together we will listen, experience, authenticate, reflect and narrate with the people around us to help them feel engaged in your new culture! Let’s begin by finding out what type of innovator you are! 2
WHO ARE YOU? Let’s Find Out What Type of Innovator You Are! DISAGREE
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I love starting new hobbies but don’t stick to the same one for too long.
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I frequently run across tasks in my work that seem unnecessarily complicated and wish I had time to fix them.
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When I start a new project in something I don’t understand I like to ask a lot of questions before I start.
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When I have to work with someone new on a long engagement I try to find ways to socialize with them.
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o... t t n a I w STUCK IN THE MUD (4-9) You are someone who can see that changes need to be made but feel like there is no point telling anyone about the things that bother you. In the past no one has listened or done anything about your ideas to fix problems.
RULE BENDER (10-15) You look for the shortcuts. Anything that can make your job easier and get the job done more effectively even if it’s not sanctioned is your mission. You love sharing these new finds with others too. Work smarter not harder is your motto!
DISRUPTER STATUS (16-20) If it ain’t broke, why fix it? And if it is broke, why fix it? Why not just reinvent it. You know there are so many new and different ways to approach problems these days and all you want to do is use all of them and come up with more!
LET’S LISTEN! The first step on the path to changing culture is all about listening. We listen to our audience to send the right message. We listen to our fellow team members to understand where they’re coming from. We listen to our environment to get a sense of what we’re working with and what’s missing. Listen is arguably the most important step on your journey so let’s take a moment and really hear what’s currently going on in your culture before we start to change it.
How can we get to know each other?
Does our brand match our culture?
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As a member of the audience, it is critical that you become an active listening (even if the presenter has used this book yet and is kinda boring). Stay active by taking notes and asking questions! As a presenter of information regarding change, it is your duty to pause frequently to listen to the audience. Turn your presentation into a collaborative conversation by pausing for questions in the middle. When undergoing a culture change effort you must first begin by listening to the existing culture. You’ll want to use contextual research methods to understand the employee on an emotional level. When conducting research on your culture be aware of how much your guide the answers. Don’t be afraid of a silent pause, sometimes the richest insights come directly after you’ve shut your mouth!
TRICKS One-on-one interviews are a great tool! Run surveys at lunch and give out swag! Put cultural probes in the hallways! Be present to see what’s going on! 8
LET’S EXPERIENCE! I don’t know about you but I love a great experience! In fact, I’m built for experience. Just think what a difference it makes to have me in your pocket and not on a shelf or buried in an email folder! These days everyone not only desires delightful experiences they expect them (and I’m not just talking about where we spend our hard earned cash). Our experiences at work at just as important! Especially when introducing change!
How can involve more people? Are we capturing their attention?
Are we keeping it fresh?
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We are all very social beings so lets not forget to involve as many people as possible and introduce tools to make the experience an ongoing social conversation! Try a user content driven newsroom! You know my uber driver brought water bottles for his passengers. I just love that attention to detail, don’t you! I think when it comes to truly delightful experiences the devil’s in the details! Keep in mind that people love to relate new things (like a new culture) back to stuff they already understand. We could create in-house Ted Talks and maybe a quarterly ‘Shark Tank’ event! Remember your employees work hard for you and are really busy. It’s so critical that what your doing has that razzle dazzle to grab their attention. Better yet create rewards for experience participation!
TRICKS Try several mediums in one exhibit! Make everything hands on! Turn it into a game. We love to play! Entertain by copying the pros! 12
LET’S AUTHENTICATE! When was the last time you did anything you didn’t understand without googling it? How bout the last time that random history fact was on the tip of your tongue and for once your remembered without your device, but you still wanted wikapedia to verify? We research and seek proof and guidance in everything we do in life especially when it involves something new and change. Bring on the proof!
How can we help them along the way?
Are we telling people the leaders care?
How can we prove this?
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You know that trust fall game in gym class? Yea, there’s a reason they had us do that at an early age. Trust is everything! You must earn it with your people to see a successful culture change! I mean don’t get me wrong, I love to lead! But there are other times when I need someone to follow. Without clear and passionate commitment from your leaders, your culture change will fail! Before I make any big decisions, like spending my precious time learning something new at the expense of my responsibilities as per my boss, well I need proof. Tell me why this is important! Don’t forget to incentivize! Talk only gets you so far. After that, you had better have some strong motivation in place if you want my commitment to your change to continue!
TRICKS Bring in unexpected speakers! Let your people talk to each other! Make sure your CEO is present! Create a dynamic support location! 16
LET’S REFLECT! “We cannot see our reflection in running water, it is only in still water that we can see” and break from mountain pose. But for real, reflection is so very important. If we don’t take time to assess what we’ve done we are guaranteed to make the same mistakes over again. We have to pause to review and see what worked and what didn’t if we can ever hope to affect longterm and positive change across a enormous culture.
How are we highlighting the good?
Are we breaking it down for each audience?
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Listen, no one likes to make mistakes. It’s embarrassing and why would we want to own up to that. Make mistake sharing a positive interactive activity. Real success comes only from honest failure. So you might run across some people that hands down no matter what you do will not, can not change!! MOVE ON! You heard me, stop being a people pleaser! Let it go! Tackle the curious minds. If you want reflection to have meaning, include the bad and change but do not forget to celebrate the success both old and new. Keep the positive momentum going strong and encourage!! Every audience is different. So reflection should be different. Know your audience when you’re addressing things to change and what’s been done. Don’t waste their time. They won’t come back.
TRICKS Have a forum to individual contributors! Turn mistakes into a positive game! Get together IN PERSON! Make it fun and social. Go out! 20
LET’S NARRATE! Ok, storytime kids! Don’t be afraid of a storyboard. Sounds like kindergarten. I promise, it’s not! You tell stories everyday! At work, at home, everywhere. And you listen to them too! When Sally says, “how was your weekend?” What do you think your response is? A Story! Now it’s time to tell the story of how everyone is doing such a cool job learning this new innovative culture thing! But don’t forget to talk about the speedbumps. Someone else can learn from that. That’s one less mistake!
Are there ample opportunities for collaboration?
How are we helping people improve themselves?
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Give people a reason to tell a story in the first place. Help them grow themselves so they can talk about it with genuine pride and excitement. This will make organic stories real and authentic. Don’t fake it! Another key driver for good ground level story generation is collaborating as a team and celebrating a joint success. If one voice can spread the word than what about 20, each with their own spin! People will tell stories whether you’re asking them to or providing the stories or not. They just talk and it’ll be negative if you don’t give them something positive. It’ll also get lost without some construction. You are to become a curator of stories. Find the best ones (for mistakes and successes). Repeat those, color them in and turn them into culture mantras. Spread them out to the customers. Bring it together!
TRICKS Check out hitrecord. We could do that! Use visuals, they tell the story faster! Repetition is key if you want it to stick!
Find those that align with your values! 24
LET’S DO THIS AGAIN! This was so much fun and I can’t wait to help you through another learning experience with a new audience. It’s important to keep in mind that patience is key as you go through this process. You’re an innovation rockstar and can totally help others learn about L.E.A.R.N. Remember to be flexible! Be engaging! And enjoy the journey! So long for now!
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ISTEN t o the people a r o u n d y o u . We a l l c a n learn from each other! XPERIENCE the new culture first hand. I t’ l l s t i c k w i t h y o u ! U T H E N T I C AT E what you learning and t e l l i n g . We w a n t p r o o f ! E F L E C T o n h o w fa r you’ve come and what you can change! A R R AT E t h e s t o r y of new culture successes. Celebrate wins!
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2017 S. Martin Ltd.