Creating the Conditions for Innovation: An Introduction to the Five Mindsets

Learn how to use the 'Five Mindsets' framework to identify and resolve friction points that impede innovation effectiveness.

Overview

Date: Sunday, Oct. 22, 9am–12pm (local Central time)

Location: Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago (in-person only)

Fee: $100 USD for registered conference attendees

How can you be a better catalyst and identify innovation bottlenecks which hinder the flow of ideas and impede innovation effectiveness in your organization?

While progress has been made in the last few decades on building innovation programs, those programs have focused primarily on creating new ideas and overlooked ensuring the conditions exist for ideas to flow efficiently through the pipeline. Innovation bottlenecks such as redundancy in processes, loss in knowledge transfer between functions, or lack of cooperation cause friction that diminish our ability to create an impact to our fullest potential. In most organizations, no specific role is tasked with solving these bottlenecks, and there is no holistic approach to help the organization think about what is needed for innovation effectiveness.

These unaddressed bottlenecks can limit performance and, in some organizations, have led to the loss of innovation program support at the highest levels. Empowering individuals working within innovation programs to identify and eliminate sources of friction creates a virtuous cycle of improvement because they often have the best ability to tune into what’s not working. With training and tools, the squeaky wheel can become seen as a musical call to action instead of an annoying sound to avoid. Based on our research, Khoj Lab has developed “The Five Mindsets,” critical to innovation success to guide and inform organizations aiming to improve their innovation flow.

Through a mix of presentations, group discussions, and activities, in this session, you will:

● Build on your current experiences working in innovation to gain a comprehensive
approach to identifying and tackling sources of friction in your innovation program.
● Experience how to use an innovation maturity model to discuss and align innovation
expectations within your organization.
● Understand ways to use the ‘Five Mindsets’ framework to distinguish where your
organization is focused and where improvements are needed.
● Define specific actions to move your organization forward in its innovation journey.

    Instructors

    Shilpi Kumar
    Shilpi Kumar

    Innovation Catalyst and Founder, Khoj Lab LLC

    Shilpi is the founder and CEO of Khoj Lab, an innovation consultancy based in Chicago. Her mission is to help business leaders discover new growth opportunities and optimize the process as they scale innovation within their organizations using a human-centered approach. Her expertise lies in being a liaison between design and business while engaging her clients in design-led methods and frameworks to enhance their businesses’ value. Shilpi has successfully brought shifts in innovation programs at Herman Miller (Now MillerKnoll), and General Electric Transportation (Now Wabtech) by introducing a design-led approach. She also teaches ‘Corporate Innovation Effectiveness’ to graduate students at the Institute of Design at Illinois Tech, Chicago.

    Cris Beilstein
    Cris Beilstein

    Leadership & Collaboration Consultant, Elevation Collaborative LLC

    With over two decades of business leadership experience in innovation, product development, training, and coaching, Cris is known for her ability to see new possibilities in challenging situations and her coaching skills that bring out the best in people. As Founder of Elevation Collaborative, Cris aims to support leaders and their teams in translating talent, vision, and ideas into fulfilling results and experiences. She has an open and inclusive style, and her fusion of creative curiosity and technical practicality benefits clients as she guides them from thinking big to planning strategically and taking action. Rubbermaid, Rolodex, Raid, Off!, Scrubbing Bubbles, Glade, and Ziploc have benefited from Cris’s creativity and strategic leadership.

    How to Register

    Workshops at IIT in Chicago are open to EPIC2023 attendees on a first-come, first-served basis. You can buy a ticket (additional fee of $100) when you register for the EPIC2023 conference, or add a ticket to your existing EPIC2023 registration by contacting registration@epicpeople.org. You must have a conference ticket to register for a workshop. Some workshops will be recorded and made available in our video library to EPIC Members.

    Price: Tickets are $100 USD for each workshop

    Enrollment: Maximum 30 participants

    Date: Monday, Oct. 22, 9am–12pm Central

    Location: Illionis Institute of Design, Chicago

    Questions? Contact registration@epicpeople.org