1. What is the purpose of the Innovation Lab? The Innovation Lab or “i-Lab” is a process that was created and refined over many years. It will accelerate identification and adoption of relevant trends and opportunities, while developing an agile teams process. Based on the research undertaken, the specific goals of the Innovation Lab are to deliver practical recommendations and insights that will enhance existing business while providing executive development, training and coaching.

 

  1. How does i-Lab benefit organizations?
    1. Improves innovation, agility, communications, and rapid decision making
    2. Actively supports diversity and inclusion
    3. Deepens existing stakeholder relationships and may identify / build new ones
    4. Leads to higher profitability
    5. Shifts culture through focus on retention, leader development, and results-driven change

 

  1. How are participants chosen for this program? Participants may be selected by leadership based on qualifications, Employee Resource Group, or the organization may open participation via an application process.

 

  1. What are the specific benefits for participants?
    1. Gain more direct access to senior leadership
    2. Meet and collaborate with colleagues in other geographies and across business functions, where applicable
    3. Further develop and practice soft skills such as: powerful presenting, researching, analysis, interpersonal interaction and rapid innovation development
    4. Obtain AEM-Cube preference type and understand how each preference relates to the Growth Curve (the natural business cycle), as well as the organization’s current and future needs related to its specific location on the Growth Curve
    5. Extend beyond day-to-day role into strategic topics
    6. Grow knowledge around topics important to senior leadership

 

  1. How can team members participate across many office locations? Communicating virtually is a critical component of modern leadership.  The team will use a mix of: in person, conference calls, WebEx, and virtual conferences.  Key in person meeting dates, deliverables and correspondence for the group are determined by executive leadership in advance.

 

  1. How are the problems chosen? It is critical that any i-Lab focus its recommendations on a problem relevant to organizational leadership. Executives will be involved in selecting the topic to ensure their support for its resolution and implementation.

 

  1. How many participants are in an i-Lab? Between 6 and 15 Participants are recommended to maximize interaction while allowing enough diverse perspectives to generate original ideas and add significant value.

 

  1. How long does it last? Since i-Labs use actual existing employees, time availability can be sensitive. Depending on the amount of time allowed for participation, we recommend a 10 to 12-month program to allow for holidays, vacation times, workload balance and other factors. If participants are granted time to work on the i-Lab, it may be done in less time. Multiple i-Labs may be run in unison.