The Innovation Show

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The Social Animal with Elliot Aronson Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

Our guest today is an American psychologist who has carried out experiments on the theory of cognitive dissonance and invented the Jigsaw Classroom, a cooperative teaching technique that facilitates learning while reducing interethnic hostility and prejudice.

In his 1972 social psychology textbook, The Social Animal, he stated his First Law: "People who do crazy things are not necessarily crazy," thus asserting the importance of situational factors in bizarre behavior.

He is the only person in the 120-year history of the American Psychological Association to have won all three of its major awards: for writing, for teaching, and for research.

In 2007 he received the William James Award for Lifetime Achievement from the Association for Psychological Science, in which he was cited as the scientist who "fundamentally changed the way we look at everyday life."

A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked him as one of the most cited psychologists of the 20th century.

He officially retired in 1994 but continues to teach and write.

It is an immense honour to host him on today's show to share his brilliant work.

We welcome the author of The Social Animal, amongst a plethora of others, Elliot Aronson, welcome to the show

Jigsaw Classroom: https://www.jigsaw.org

You Are What You Risk with Michele Wucker Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

How you see risk and what you do about it depend on your personality and experiences. How you make these cost-benefit calculations depend on your culture, your values, the people in the room, and even unexpected things like what you've eaten recently, the temperature, the music playing, or the fragrance in the air. Being alert to these often-unconscious influences will help you to seize opportunities and avoid danger.

Today's book is a clarion call for an entirely new conversation about our relationship with risk and uncertainty.

Our guest examines why it's so important to understand your risk fingerprint and how to make your risk relationship work better in business, life, and the world. She shares insights, practical tools, and proven strategies that will help you to understand what makes you who you are –and, in turn, to make better choices, both big and small.

We welcome a friend of the Innovation Show and the author of "You Are What You Risk: The New Art and Science of Navigating an Uncertain World", Michele Wucker, welcome back.

More about Michele: https://www.wucker.com

Learn or Die with Ed Hess Nov 10, 2021

Show notes

To compete with today's increasing globalisation and rapidly evolving technologies, individuals and organisations must take their ability to learn to a much higher level.

Today's guest combines recent advances in neuroscience, psychology, behavioural economics, and education with key research on high-performance businesses to create an actionable blueprint for becoming a leading-edge learning organisation. Today's book examines the process of learning from an individual and an organisational standpoint.

From an individual perspective, the book discusses the cognitive, emotional, motivational, attitudinal, and behavioural factors that promote better learning.

Organisationally, it focuses on the kinds of structures, culture, leadership, employee learning behaviours, and human resource policies that are necessary to create an environment that enables critical and innovative thinking, learning conversations, and collaboration. His work also provides strategies to mitigate the reality that humans can be reflexive, lazy thinkers who seek confirmation of what they believe to be true and affirmation of their self-image. Humility is the New Smart is his emotions book. Hyper-Learning is his behavioural and philosophy book.

Learn or Die is his science book. It is always a pleasure to welcome a great friend of the Innovation show , Ed Hess.

More about Ed:

www.edhess.org

Kodak, The Inside Story with Inventor of the Digital Camera - Steve Sasson Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

We have the real pleasure of exploring what it was like trying to innovate from within Kodak with none other than the Inventor of the Digital Camera - Steve Sasson.

We discuss so many aspects of Innovation and the struggle to let go of a successful business model. In 1880, George Eastman invented and patented a dry-plate formula and a machine for preparing large numbers of plates.

He also founded the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York. In 1884, he replaced glass photographic plates with a roll of film, believing in "the future of the film business."

Like many startups, Kodak faced severe challenges but soon became a household name. When selling cameras, Kodak used a razor-blade strategy: selling the cameras for a low cost, fuelling growth and profits from the film.

With success came blind spots and little by little Kodak leadership paid less and less attention to hardware. This was the case despite Eastman's original guiding principles: mass production at low-cost International distribution extensive advertising customer focus and growth through continuous research. Kodak did spend a lot on R&D but lacked an appetite to bring the findings of their R&D outputs to life and this would contribute to the downfall of an iconic brand.

Don't forget Kodak had remarkable engineers, amazing innovators, and even invented the digital camera. It is hard to imagine it today, a world without the smartphone, Instagram, a world where only one company dominated an industry, a world where it was a chore to capture a moment.

This was the world in 1975, when a young 24-year-old engineer invented digital photography and built the first digital camera.

Disrupting Class Part 2 with Michael B. Horn Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Part 2 leans more on the theories of disruptive innovation:

What is Cramming?
The Nypro case study
The case study of RCA versus Sony Long-life learning
The death of "4 in 40" and the growth of adult learning.

We welcome back the author of "Disrupting Class, How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns: Michael B Horn.

More about Michael:

https://michaelbhorn.com

Disrupting Class with Michael B. Horn Oct 20, 2021

Show notes

Part 2 coming week of 25th Oct 2021 A groundbreaking and timely prescription for education reform―from a leading expert in innovation and growth Recent studies in neuroscience reveal that the way we learn doesn't always match up with the way we are taught. To stay competitive―academically, economically, and technologically―we need to rethink our understanding of intelligence and reevaluate our educational system. Disrupting Class offers a groundbreaking and timely prescription for education reform that incorporates customized learning, student-centric classrooms, and new technology. Featuring fascinating case studies, scientific findings, and unprecedented insights on how innovation must be managed, this book will open your eyes to new possibilities, unlock hidden potential, and get you to think differently about learning and education.

We welcome the author of "Disrupting Class, How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns: Michael B Horn.

More about Michael here: https://michaelbhorn.com

The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life with Robin Hanson Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

Human beings are primates, and primates are political animals. Our brains, therefore, are designed not just to hunt and gather but also to help us get ahead socially, often via deception and self-deception. But while we may be self-interested schemers, we benefit by pretending otherwise.

The less we know about our own ugly motives, the better - and thus, we don't like to talk, or even think, about the extent of our selfishness. This is "the elephant in the brain". Such an introspective taboo makes it hard for us to think clearly about our nature and the explanations for our behaviour. The aim of this book, then, is to confront our hidden motives directly - to track down the darker, unexamined corners of our psyches and blast them with floodlights. Then, once everything is clearly visible, we can work to better understand ourselves:

Why do we laugh?

Why are artists sexy?

Why do we brag about travel?

You won't see yourself - or the world - the same after confronting the elephant in the brain.

We welcome the author of a multitude of titles including the focus for today's episode: "The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life" Robin Hanson.

Metaphors We Live By with George Lakoff Oct 06, 2021

Show notes

The now-classic Metaphors We Live By changed our understanding of metaphor and its role in language and the mind.

Metaphor, our guest explains, is a fundamental mechanism of mind, one that allows us to use what we know about our physical and social experience to provide an understanding of countless other subjects. Because such metaphors structure our most basic understandings of our experience, they are "metaphors we live by"—metaphors that can shape our perceptions and actions without our ever noticing them.

It is an immense honour and real treat to welcome the author of a plethora of titles including the focus of today's show: Metaphors we Live By", George Lakoff.

The Creativity Leap with Natalie Nixon Sep 29, 2021

Show notes

Today's book is a provocation. Its goal is to help you to increase your CQ and your organization's CQ. It encourages you to integrate both wonder and rigour into your daily life in order to produce new and novel products, services, and experiences that deliver greater value to your community and your organization.

To this end, you'll gain three major tools from this book: Catalyzing inquiry Integrating improvisation, and elevating intuition. When you build these three practices into your work on a daily basis, you will discover true creativity— and its output, innovation— beginning to take place.

We welcome the author of "The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation, and Intuition at Work", Natalie Nixon

More about Natalie https://www.figure8thinking.com

The Heart of Business with Hubert Joly Sep 22, 2021

Show notes

Our guest today is a learner who courageously took on challenging turnaround roles in industries where he had no prior experience. He used his rigorous French education and elite training as a McKinsey consultant to lead five companies as CEO, culminating in the transformation of Best Buy.

During these years, he went through a personal transformation, from seeking to be the smartest person at the table to becoming a passionate and compassionate leader of people. By the time he became CEO of Best Buy in 2012, he had led turnarounds as head of EDS France, Vivendi's video game division, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, and Carlson Companies.

Despite his achievements by his early forties he was feeling disillusioned from chasing success. This is what inspired him to take "a step back and spend time looking into his soul to find a better direction for his life." In his study with Catholic monks and a number of CEOs in France, he realized that work is a noble calling to serve others and an expression of love.

He believes work must be guided by the pursuit of a purpose with people at its center. This conviction has shaped his life and his career. It is a great pleasure to welcome: Senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, former chairman and CEO of Best Buy, and author of, "The Heart of Business - Leadership Principles for the Next Era of Capitalism", Hubert Joly

Find Hubert here:

https://www.hubertjoly.org

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