A Person-Centered Approach to Innovation Management: Experiences and Learnings Klaus Haasis
1 Introduction "Speaking Personally" "Communication-creativity-innovation" describe and encapsulate the focus of my professional life. For the last 16 years, I have worked as CEO of a public regional development agency to improve competitiveness and regional, national and international collaboration. Moving from the private to the public sector requires a certain adjustment. Step by step T grew into the business of managing innovation, networks, and relationships-building on my extensive private sector experience and along the way developing new competences and insights. The offer, 5 years ago, to participate in a training course for a Person-Centered Approach (PCA) to counseling was a turning point for me. Today, PCA is a very important part of my professional and private life. Here, I would like to share with you some of the experiences of my professional work. The first challenge is "to share." T feel a bit like Rogers (1961) in the chapter "Speaking Personally" in his book "On Becoming a Person" where he points out: 1would like to make it very plain that these are learnings which have significance for me. I do not know whether they would hold true for you. I have no desire to present them as a guide for anyone else. Yet 1 have found that when another person has been willing to tell me something of his inner direction this has been of value to me, if only in sharpening my realization that my directions are difTerent. So it is in that spirit that I afTer the learnings which follow (p. 17).
Adopting this attitude as an author is very relieving for me. Thus, the following need not be right or wrong, good or bad, it is just "my experience."
K. Haasis (f8l) Rebhalde 7 70191 Stullgart, Germany e-mail: klaushaasis@web.e1e
J. H. D. Cornelius-White el al. (eels.), Interdisciplinary Applications oj the Person-Centered Approach, 001: 10.1007/978-1-4614-7144-8_17, Š Springer Science+Business Meelia New York 2013
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2 Linking the Concept of Creativity by Carl Rogers to Innovation In the first half of the last century, the Austrian economist Josef Schumpeter came up with the term "creative destruction" to link innovation and creativity and to illustrate the disruptive process of transformation that accompanies innovative entrepreneurs as change makers. In the 1950s, Carl Rogers as a psychotherapist presented a completely different approach talking about "constructive creativity." And at the end of his book "On Becoming a Person" (Rogers 1961), he describes his view of a theory of creativity (p. 353). He writes: "It has been found that when tbe individual is 'open' to all of his experience ... then his behavior will be creative, and his creativity may be trusted to be essentially constructive" (p. 352). For Rogers, the outcome of creativity "has to be something observable, some product of creation ... symbolized in words, or written in a poem, or translated into a work of art, or fashioned into an invention. These products must be novel constructions" (p. 349). Rogers defines the "creative process" as "the emergence in action of a novel relational product, growing out of the uniqueness of the individual on the one hand, and the material, events, people or circumstances of his life on the other" (p. 350). Reading this first I was both surprised and impressed because I realized that Rogers was also an avant-garde thinker in the field of creativity and the "relational" dimension of creativity which today is more and more called "social innovation." And he was avant-garde in describing the crucial aspect of reducing anxiety and insecurity to create openness for new and trusted ideas, which is the first step in a successful innovation process.
3 My Model for the Innovation Process I find it useful to have my own models. They help me to symbolize my experiences. So, how do I see the innovation process today? Even if the so-called linear model of innovation has been surpassed by other models, in my opinion, there is a creative development process in the beginning and an implementation process at the end. Particularly, there is a dialog process in the middle to bridge the gap between research and development on the one side and application and implementation on the other. It is not a simple transfer. As seen in Fig. I, I call it a "transfer dialog" because it is a learning process and not a one-way action.
Fig. 1 The idea to value innovation Illodel. 漏 Klaus 1路1aasis, Stuttgart 2012
INNOVATION
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to Innovation
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In every step of the innovation process, we have to deal with "action," and since actions always have the potential to concern people, we have to deal with
e o e It
people relationships. People taking part in any innovation process have to change, adapt and to adopt it. They have to change perspectives to get new ideas, they have to leave their comfort zone to believe in something new, and they have to change their former habits to use a new product, service, or process. This can cause anxiety and lead to resistance and conAicts. According to Thom and Etienne (2000), there are four characteristics of "innovation tasks," which I like a lot:
n
y f
e
• • • •
degree of novelty, complexity, uncertai nty and risk, possible conAicts. Being
in relationships
as a member
of a network,
a business
community
or a
cluster initiative can reduce this anxiety and uncertainties. My experience is that today being innovative is more and more about being social. Being social means being connected with others, working in teams, collaborating and sharing. Where do we have to be innovative and social today? Everywhere-at our place of work, in business partnerships, in networks, communities and cluster initiatives. Networks can have a positive impact on the innovation process. I see a three-step value chain for successful and innovative networking in teams, organizations, and communities: • Building • Sharing
up relationships knowledge
• Open collaboration
and linking
and learning and developing
to each other.
from each other. common
projects.
But what are fruitful conditions for change and collaboration? [ would like to define collaboration culture and innovation climate as the crucial conditions to achieve a fruitful atmosphere for successful innovation processes.
4 A Short View on Collaboration Culture and Innovation Climate The view on innovation and collaboration is normally directed toward enterprises and their employees. I would like to expand the perspective to "systems" like organizations, communities and networks and even regions. For my PCA to innovation management, I focus on the concept of "innovation climate" and "collaboration culture" as depicted in Fig. 2. Based on the idea of organizational culture by Svyantek/Bott, the collahoration culture can also be defined as "a set of shared values and norms ... that guide ... interactions with peers, management and clients" (Patterson et al. 2005, pp. 380-381). The innovation climate could be defined as the relation between the
196 Fig. 2 The idea to value innovation model. ©Klaus Haasis, Stullgarl 2012
K. Haasis
"novation
INNOVATION
Clima •
PROCESS
Collaboration
context of a system and the behavior of its members including experience the system (Patterson et al. 2005). Indicators for a climate could be innovation competence (l can.) and innovation (Thom and Etienne 2000). This framework is a good tool to tasks and to navigate through innovation processes.
utture
how the members fruitful innovation readiness (l want!) handle innovation
5 The Role of the Innovation Manager Seen from a Person-Centered Perspective My role in dealing with complexity, novelty, uncertainties, risk and possible conflicts brought by innovation could be defined as being an "innovation manager." In the last four years, this role has led me in understanding that being innovative and managing innovation nearly always means breaking some rules; and that breaking rules often leads to severe conflicts. I learned that conflicts are part of my professional role as an innovator, change maker, and "rule breaker" and that these conflicts have nothing to do with me as a person but with my role in the innovation process. So, 1 started to develop a concept of my professional role as a "person-centered rule breaker." For me, it was very relieving to understand that resistance is part of my professional role. It prepared me for possible conflicts in the innovation process and enabled me to search for solutions in a stress-free way. 1 was able to look at the collaboration partners in an empathic way conscious of the anxieties my ideas, proposals, and actions were causing. Even in these controversial situations I, as a "person-centered rule breaker," was able to show positive regard to people involved in the innovation process and at the same time feel completely congruent with the process. I would like to share some concrete experiences: • I have found in meeting discussions that it is helpful for the innovation and collaboration process to actually write down the concerns and complaints of others on a wall or f1ipchart, even if these concerns and complaints have to do with me in my role as an innovator-and even if I feel attacked and criticized as a rule breaker. It improves the atmosphere and the energy in the room if this is articulated and visible, that is, written large somewhere . • I have found that it is helpful if 1 try to address concerns and resistances that I feel in an innovation process in group meetings in a very person-centered way of positive regard and congruence. I tried this in a meeting with civil servants when
is
A Person-Cenlered
we discussed relieved
)
s
Approach
to Innovalion
responsibilities
that I had provided
Management:
and competences
Experiences
and Learnings
and I saw the civil servants
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being
them with at least the means to talk about the issue.
• 1 have found that it is helpful to reveal my personal feelings about a lack of transparency in a negotiation process about future collaboration of two networks. As a consequence, 1 saw more willingness to open up and to share more information about purposes and actions. • I have found that working groups in clusters and networks become much more creative and innovative when they learn to practice a self-revealing communication and to give emotional feedback. 1 also practice this in group sessions with employees and I am still overwhelmed by the great results we achieve.
6 Conclusions and Lessons Learnt in Person-Centered Innovation Management would like to summarize my experience in innovation and collaboration management. While it is difficult to distill 16 years of experience in designing and developing flourishing and constructive innovation processes in innovation systems, organizations, networks, and regions, J nevertheless offer the following:
• Process over Project 1 learned that "process" is always underestimated. I learned that many persons in their wish to be output oriented plan a meeting by always looking at the project facts. Only rarely do they consider the process of the meeting, for example how do we begin, how can people open up, how can they start to share experiences, how should decisions being taken?
• Context over Text I learned that in innovation and cluster management, the context of behavior and feelings and the special environment often is much more important than what has been said, planned, and scheduled. The mental and physical environment of an innovation or collaboration process is very important for success.
• Dialog over Discussion 1 learned that it is more important to listen to others and to try to understand the realities of the others. J f this is understood it is possible to work on a common reality in the group, the paltnership, the cluster, or the organization.
• Innovating means rule breaking I learned that innovation and change mean breaking rules and this can sometimes mean disturbing the realities of other persons, which causes anxiety and leads to conflicts with them. I learned that conflicts are part of my life as an innovator and a change maker. This learning helped me to show more empathy and positive regard towards people in a conflict and to understand that the conflict does not reflect on me as a person.
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• Self-revealing communication style 1 learned to work on my communication style. According to a quote of one of my trainers, "Language is the house of thinking." I learned that it is often helpful to open up and reveal my feelings, my concerns, and my thoughts to build up trust. And 1 learned how important it is to use I-messages, to stay true to myself, and to talk always about my feelings, my perception and what I had heard-especially in conflicts and anxious situations brought by innovation tasks. • ... and one tip at the end: "No Tables" There is one action, which is really a "low hanging fruit": Do not sit around tables. They are barriers and individual shelters, which inhibit a collaborative and open atmosphere and can reduce the rlow of constructive energy in a room. In many meetings, [ have achieved much better, appreciative, and cooperative results when the group of participants was sitting in a circle of chairs without table barriers between each other. Throw the tables out of your meeting rooms. Now that I have gone through this process of writing down my experiences and learnings in innovation management I feel even more like Carl Rogers who gave the aforementioned chapter "Speaking Personally" in his book "On Becoming a Person" the subtitle "This is Me." In his fourteen learnings, he writes: "Experience is, for me, the highest authority ... What is most personal is most general .... The facts are friendly" (Rogers 1961, pp. 23, 25, 26). The knowledge and the experiences 1 have had through the PCA have enriched my professional and private life enormously. 1 am now on my way to deeply "trust the process!" Acknowledgments I want to thank Daniela Tausch for recommending Helmut Beutel to me. I would like to thank Helmut Beutel, Dot'Othea Kunze, Hans Jellouschek, and Schorsch Wilms for great educational courses, Dr. Klaus Antons for empathic and constructive supervision, Renate Motschnig for inviting me to write this article and my team, especially Bianca Kolb and Jonas Lander, for supporting me in my role as a person-centered "ule breaker.
References Patterson, M. G., West, M. A., Shackleton, V. J., Dawson, 1. F., Lawthom, R., Maitlis, S., et al. (200S). Validating the organizational climate measure: Links to managerial practices, productivity and innovation. Journa! of OrganiZaliono! Behavior, 26(4), 379-408. Rogers, R. C. (1961). On becoming 0 persun: A Ihempis!'s view of psychOlhempy. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Tholn, N., & Etienne, M. (2000). Organisatorische und personelle Ansatzpunkte wr Forderung eines Innovationsklimas iln Unternehmen. (Organisational and personal starting points for the facilitation of the innovation climate in an enterprise). In G. E. Hiifliger & J. Meier (Eds.), Aklue/le Tendenzen im Innuvwionsm.allogemelll (Current trends in innovation management) (pp. 269-281). Heidelberg: Physica- Verlag. http://www.innopool.ch/pdf/l-Th-Et-OO-lnnkl.pdf . Accessed 07 March 2012.