Imagine a thrilling Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) match, where skilled fighters seamlessly pull techniques from Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai, Kickboxing, Wrestling and more to bring themselves to peak martial prowess. Moves are expertly mixed & matched across traditions -- reflecting a flexibility of mind not available from traditional martial arts.
Surprisingly, this multifaceted approach to fighting has parallels in the world of innovation processes. As a graduate of Stanford University, my expertise in innovation revolved around Design Thinking. However, it wasn't until I embarked on Corina Almagro's Exponential Innovator (ExO) course from EADA that I grasped the existence of a methodology that interwove what I'd perceived to be orthogonal innovation approaches like Design Thinking, Lean Product Development, Business Model Canvas, Agile, and the Purpose Dashboard into a coherent whole.
MMA fighters draw from a multitude of disciplines to adapt to various opponents. Similarly, ExO fuses together a range of innovation processes, each possessing unique strengths, to create a powerful and versatile multi-threaded framework. This approach resonates with me deeply, as I believe in embracing flexibility and improvisation—adapting to the needs of the moment rather than sticking to rigid rules.
- My own innovation foundation is firmly rooted in Design Thinking from my time at Stanford University, where I earned a Masters Degree in Product Design under the tutelage of design luminaries like David Kelley (co-founder of IDEO) and Michael Barry (design ethnography). Design Thinking taught me to empathize with users, brainstorm creative solutions, prototype, and iterate based on feedback. These principles became the pillars of my approach to problem-solving and product design. However, I soon realized that while Design Thinking was invaluable, there were other constructs like Lean Product Development and Agile. I didn't know how to fit these pieces together.
Enter ExO, the MMA of innovation processes. ExO shifted my orientation on how to think across innovation lines:
- By integrating Lean Product Development, I discovered the art of efficiency - streamlining processes and maximizing value while minimizing waste. It was like honing my strikes, ensuring each move counts and delivers the most significant impact.
- But innovation is not just about being efficient; it's about being agile, adaptive, and ultimately EXPANSIVE. One of the most compelling aspects of ExO is its integration of Exponential Attributes. ExO harnesses the power of exponential attributes like the IDEAS and SCALE frameworks to open doors to new possibilities and expansive ways of thinking. I felt like we were unlocking the door to a previously unacknowledged reserve of Chi, a framework for drawing power and strength from an untapped source that had been lying in plain sight. All this made sense to me intuitively. It’s just that I had never heard it explicitly systematized and named. I no longer needed to feel like a fish swimming upstream. These were my peeps!
As I delved deeper into the ExO framework, I experienced firsthand the magic of synergy - the true hallmark of any MMA champion. The seamless blending of Design Thinking's human-centered approach with Lean Product Development's efficiency and Agile's adaptability brings a level of harmony and coherence that I had unknowingly been scratching for. It was an epiphany – that flash of clarity where everything makes sense in the world.
Today, I stand humbled. Like a fledgling MMA student, I’m
working on honing and diversifying my skill set across these innovation
methodologies, including to new ones (to me) like Purpose Dashboard. I’m eager to
see what the future will hold.
But one thing’s for sure; it will be exponential
and non-linear. The sky’s the limit!
