The Collective Genius simulation
Inspire action, nourish creativity, and build a culture of innovation
Discover and apply the mindsets and behaviors that can simultaneously unleash and harness the collective genius in your organization, a paradox in cultures that are able to drive innovation again and again.
Download/view more about The Collective Genius simulation
Innovation, defined.
At our flyover for the Collective Genius simulation on Dec. 5, 2023, Jim Perry, Richard Hodge, and Cheryl Whaley from Paradox Strategies share their take on how we define innovation skills, who needs them and why. The answer is simple: Innovation is for everyone. The Collective Genius simulation helps leaders nurture an environment rich for generating innovation time and again. Innovation has become vital for organizations to survive the fast-moving changes and challenges of our modern world. Watch the full replay and learn more here.
Related:
Related event: In 2022, we held a special preview of this simulation with special guest Greg Brandau, co-author of Collective Genius and a former executive at Pixar and Disney. Access a recap of the event here featuring all of Greg's stories, audio highlights, and more!
Its roots are grounded in research
In 2014, Harvard Business School Professor Dr. Linda Hill and colleagues released groundbreaking research on leadership and innovation in their book Collective Genius, which became an instant classic and was recognized with a rare Thinkers50 innovation award.
Its premise: Great leaders of innovation don't fit the conventional mold of “good” leadership. They’re not visionaries who set direction and inspire others to follow. Instead, they create the context in which others are both willing and able to innovate. As one leader said, “My job is to set the stage, not to perform on it.”
Now, it has spawned an exciting, interactive new virtual learning journey from our thought leader partners at Paradox Strategies to help leaders discover and apply the right mindsets and new leadership behaviors that can simultaneously unleash and harness the collective genius in their organization, a paradox in cultures that are able to drive innovation again and again.
Dr. Hill's most recent research is finding the same kind of leadership style is at work in organizations that have been able to make successful digital transformations and in those incorporating respectful conflict and debate into their decision-making.
Core concepts for Collective Genius simulation include a framework for how to create an environment where employees are both willing and able to do the hard work that innovation and problem solving requires. Wise leaders begin with the realization that innovation is voluntary. The multifaceted journey includes a combination of self-reflection on research-based leadership behaviors, group-based self-discovery learning, team-based competitive decision-making, and a set of step-by-step, practical and interactive tools.
What you'll learn:
- A framework for enabling both the culture and capability organizations need to drive and sustain innovation
- 6 paradoxes of innovation within which leaders need operate to simultaneously unleash and harness the creative potential in their organization
- 3 components of a culture that generates the willingness for individuals and groups to do the hard work that innovation requires
- 3 dimensions of capability that drive an organization's ability to deliver effective new solutions and insights and how to activate them
- 9 leadership behaviors that support change and set the stage for innovation
The Collective Genius learning journey
- The journey begins with our Innovative Leader Survey, a self-assessment to provide insight and comparative points.
- Then, a web-based, leader-led discovery session helps a cohort of learners embrace new mindsets and build muscle for leading innovation.
- Next, a team-based, competitive digital simulation transports players through 6 realistic scenarios that test their decision-making skills against consequences and measurable business impact.
- Finally, participants launch their own individual journeys powered by an implementation guide with a prescription for success and
6 tools to bring to life and reinforce the most important principles from Dr. Hill’s research. As a result, leaders develop a robust process that inspires action, nourishes creativity, and helps them build a culture where innovation can flourish.
Implementation: Collective Genius can be facilitated virtually in one 4.5- to 5-hour session or two 2.5-hour sessions with a 1- 2-week break in between. The in-person simulation is a full day from 9-12 and 1-4 (or 7 hours including a 1-hour break).
Activating your organization's ability to innovate:
To create an organization capable of sustained innovation, leaders must enable 3 critical dimensions:
- Creative Abrasion (generate a marketplace of diverse ideas through discourse and debate),
- Creative Agility (test and refine ideas through iterative experimentation), and
- Creative Resolution (make integrative decisions that combine even opposing ideas and reconfigure them to produce a solution that is new and useful).
The Collective Genius simulation is from Paradox Strategies.
Practice Area: Helping Leaders Lead
Let us know if you'd like to learn more about how this can work for you, and we'll be in touch.