By:Jeffrey H. Dyer, Hal B. Gregersen,

and Clayton M. Christensen

THE INNOVATOR’S DNA

WHAT MAKES INNOVATORS DIFFERENT

Associating Questioning

ObservingExperimenting

Networking

• Ability to successfully connect seemingly unrelated questions, problems or ideas from different fields

• The more diverse our experience, the more diverse is the association.

• Innovators spent time in exploring new and unrelated things

• Understand, categorize and store new knowledge which helps the brain in recombining association

Example: Steve job, the art of calligraphy, meditation practices in

Indian ashram, the fine details of Mercedes Benz

ASSOCIATING

• Innovators ask questions that are provocative and challenge common wisdom

• Emphasizes on asking “Why?” and “Why not?” and “What if?”

• Build the capacity to imagine opposites and reaching a synthesis which is better than the opposite ideas.

• Embracing constraints to get out of the box insights.

Example: Michael Dell hitting on his revolutionary business model

QUESTIONING

• Scrutinize the common phenomenon, observe the behavior of potential customers

• New business ideas come from observing other people and trying to live their life.

• Carefully and consistently look out for small behavioral details – in the activities of customers, suppliers and other companies

Example: Ratan Tata stumbling upon the idea of Nano car.

OBSERVING

• Experimentation can be, intellectual exploration, physical tinkering or engagement in new surrounding.

• Make experiment in everything which you do

• Create a culture that foster experimentation

• One of the most powerful experimentation is engaging in living and working overseas

Example: Steve Jobs disassembling Sony Walkman, Howard Shultz roaming Italy coffee bars

EXPERIMENTING

• Devote time and energy to find and test ideas through a network of diverse individual

• Meet people with different kind of ideas and perspectives to extend knowledge domains

• Attend idea conferences to get newest ideas, passions and projects.

Example: Michael Lazaridis inspiration for Blackberry occurred at conference in 1987, wireless data system for coke

NETWORKING

• Increase confidence in your creative abilities

• Strengthened your innovative thinking

• Try to ask questions like - “Why?” and “Why not?” and “What if?”

• To sharpen your observational skills, watch how certain customer experience a product

• Don’t squander the opportunities and learn different lifestyles and local behavior.

• To improve your networking skill, contact the five most creative people you know and ask them to share what they do to stimulate creative thinking

AUGMENTING INNOVATIVE SKILLS

Thank You

Group 6 – PGDM 2011 – 2013

Deepak RajaAmit KanabarBharti Verma

Anil BehalKumar Gaurav