The MTP drives innovation DNA

Organizations that make innovation part of their DNA are more successful in the long run than those that treat innovation as a trend. The innovation process is not a one-off practice. It should be a culture to solve problems as they arise or culture to pre-empting challenge for resolution.

It is best to start innovating in small steps. Things that require a lot of work are unlikely to be implemented and sustained in the long term, but what is useful is to break things down into small steps so that each step is imminently scalable. In other words, one single act of innovation does not make a company's success.

Based on the above, how do we then make innovation as part of organizational DNA? From my perspective, a massive transformative purpose (MTP) drives people's behaviors and mindsets towards the journey of innovation in creating something new in the world.

An MTP is a higher, aspirational purpose of the organization, and it is not about the company vision nor the business. It expresses the company's passion that creates an emotional connection with others. It is the source of inspiration that drives the company and others towards meaningful and impactful change.

A highly aspirational MTP attracts people within and outside the company, and it defines the problem space that the organization is aspired to solve for the betterment of the world. Some MTP examples are Spotify's Music for everyone, Waze's Outsmarting traffic together, Tesla's Accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy, Ikea's Create a better everyday life for people, Phillips' Make the world healthier.

The MTP also defines the organizational beliefs and values in making impactful changes. Therefore, the MTP helps to incorporate innovation DNA into the organization. For example, Google's MTP to organize the world's information is unleashing people's creativity to change the lives of billions of people.

Design thinking creates a harmonious balance of constraints

Most large established companies innovate from the direction of technical feasibility based on their long-term research and development programs. Given the speed of industry changes, many companies are shifting to shorter-term applied innovation.

Small technology-driven and innovation-minded companies often innovate from the direction of user needs or problems. Such an approach is commonly known as design thinking, a human-centered, desirability-based approach.

Driving corporate innovation from a consumer-centered perspective will allow companies to exploit their assets, customer base, brands, customer service, distribution, and supply chain networks. Companies will be well-positioned to discover breakthroughs within their existing or adjacent markets.

The design thinking process will bring about a harmonious balance between the constraints of desirability-feasibility-viability. In contrast to the technical design and management, design thinking practitioners adopt a system of overlapping innovation spaces that are not in sequential order. The starting points of innovation can be at any step or innovation space of the design thinking process.

Each step allows the design thinking practitioners to loop back through the innovation spaces more than once in refining the problem-solution fit. Through the innovation journey, design thinking practitioners adopt the approach of identifying the real human needs and generating ideas to meet these needs.

Rapid prototyping and testing of ideas provide the opportunity to validate or invalidate the problem-solution fit. The iterative process facilitates the experimentation of the boundaries and constraints of the desirability-feasibility-viability of the conceptual solution.

The pursuit of the Sweet Spot does not mean that all constraints are created equal. The innovation project could be driven disproportionately by technology, budget, and human factors. Design thinking practitioners will emphasize real human needs - unlike innovation based on artificially manipulated needs, throughout the innovation project implementation considerations.

Becoming a Design Thinking Coach

When I first attended a Design Thinking course in Potsdam, I was quite puzzled as to why the trainers were called coaches. I subsequently learned that the practical application of the Design Thinking process requires a lot of coaching skills. Therefore, a good Design Thinking practitioner will make a good Design Thinking coach.

Of course, the Design Thinking practitioner would have already acquired or learned the essential coaching skills if the practitioner intends to progress to becoming a Design Thinking coach. On the other hand, practicing the Design Thinking process provides the opportunity to sharpen coaching skills.

From my point-of-view, the following are the essential coaching skills needed in Design Thinking coaching:

1. Passionate to unleash individual potential

As a coach, we need to be passionate to help others. In Design Thinking coaching, our coaching purpose is to unleash the creative confidence of the coachees. Every individual has the potential to build their creative self-confidence.

2. Lead with questions, and not instructions

Unlike class lecturing, coaches lead with the right questions to provide coachees with the opportunity to uncover their answers. Instructions will be minimal so that the coachees will learn by doing; i.e. experiential learning. Such questioning skills are also essential in applying the Design Thinking process.

3. Listen deeply with empathy

Another essential skill in the Design Thinking process is the deep listening skill needed for us to gain empathy towards people of whom we are designing our solution. As a coach, we will need to listen deeply with empathy to provide appropriate guidance to our coachees.

4. Maintain a positive attitude

Throughout the Design Thinking process learning, coachees will experience a journey of ambiguity and volatility. Coaches will need to maintain a positive attitude to help and energize the coachees through the learning journey.

5. Give honest, supportive feedback

For continuous improvement, coaches will need to give honest, supportive feedback. Feedback with specific details and evidence or observations will be required. Coaches should provide a positive motivation that concludes specific actions that coachees can take to improve.

6. Learn to learn and share

Having a growth mindset is essential. Coaches will continue to learn to improve themselves and to share their learnings with other coaches. Coaches can learn from each other as well as learn from their coachees.

7. Encourage collaborative learning

The Design Thinking process encourages collaborative learning, and hence coaches will need to promote teamwork and collaborative learning. Working with people of diverse backgrounds and disciplines will be required in the Design Thinking process.

8. Adapt the coaching style appropriately

As described above, one uniqueness of the Design Thinking process involves dealing with people with various experiences and knowledge. Therefore, coaches will need to be flexible to adapt their coaching style appropriately. Coaches must also be open to seeking help from other coaches in certain situations.

9. Model behaviors

Finally, as a coach, we will need to model behaviors that we wish our coachees to learn. The above essential coaching skills and expected behaviors are also core skills developed from applying the Design Thinking process and mindset.