Innovation, The Art of Being Wrong

Presenter: Stefana Saxton, Business Excellence Innovation Leader, Black & Veatch, Overland Park,  KS, USA

Keywords: Innovation, Disruption, Creativity

Industry: All

Level: Intermediate

ABSTRACT 

The word ‘failure’ is littered with negative connotations. Elon Musk financed three failed Space X rocket launches. Edison designed over 2,000 light bulbs that did not work. The Wright brothers crashed dozens of planes and gliders before one took off. Dupont discovered Teflon through failed experiments and the Americas were discovered through failed circumnavigation. Some failed small, and learned. And some failed big, but survived and thrived. Organizations must embrace failure to accelerate innovation. Through mental framing, learn to create freedom from the fear of failure using adaptive analytical perspectives that encourage ideas and discovery. Keep your organization innovative and successful by creating a culture of passion, drive and ambition in the midst of failure. 1. Identify when to use innovation instead of optimization 2. Learn how to identify, develop and mentor the next generation of leaders 3. Gain an understanding of how to create the maximum value in your organization.