Eyeworld

July 2018 • Ophthalmology Business 7 Innovative organizations often have very little in common; money is seldom a barrier to innovation and competitors often innovate in opposite ways. Diversity is the only known key to success, according to Mr. DeGraff. "The only thing we know about innovation for sure is the most innovative places on the planet are diverse," he said. Creating tension for a higher purpose Bring together the four types of inno- vators to create constructive conflict, allow them to respectfully engage in that conflict, and establish a shared vision or goal. This process will allow the participants to construct hybrid solutions and innovate, Mr. DeGraff said. Bringing the four innovator types together within the competing values framework fosters innovation by overriding the concept of domi- nant logic. Dominant logic is believ- ing in something so strongly that you can't see other points of view. We all have blind spots, and with dominant logic, we often don't know it, Mr. DeGraff said. But by fostering constructive conflict, organizations can help individuals recognize and see past their own blind spots, he said. The ultimate goal is to take a higher point of view that is outside of any one individual's perspective, he concluded. OB Editors' note: Mr. DeGraff has no finan- cial interests related to his comments. Contact information DeGraff: Qumuse@umich.edu "Normally, people are going to tell you that this [tension] is a very destructive thing," he said. "But I'm going to prove to you that actually, this tension is the best thing that could happen to you because it's generative energy that creates inno- vation." The first value is to create, or do new things, represented by the Artist. These individuals are creative risk-takers; they value creativity, artistic expression, and spiritual exploration. The second value is to control, or do things right, represent- ed by the Engineer. These individuals are more predictable but not usually risk-takers; they value safety, security, quality, and predictability. The third value is to collaborate, or do things that last, represented by the Sage. These individuals are cooperative and focus on communi- ty; they value fairness, service, and continual learning. The fourth and fi- nal value is to compete, or do things now, represented by the Athlete. These individuals are fast yet can be contentious and demanding; they value speed, prosperity, and being the best. The key to innovation is har- nessing the tension between these individuals and the values they represent, according to Mr. De- Graff. He recommended pairing the high risk-taking Artist with the low risk-taking Engineer and the short- term performing Athlete with the long-term performing Sage. Bringing these types of people together will create hybrid ideas and better ways of doing things, he said. It's important to make sure all perspectives are accounted for and that everyone has a seat at the table. often only become innovative when the risk of trying something radically new outweighs the reward of staying where they are. It can also be difficult for physi- cians and practice managers to em- brace innovation because it requires failure, according to Mr. DeGraff. "Really smart people haven't had the opportunity to consider what happens when they fail because they've never failed," he said. But in fact, innovation isn't about avoiding the failure cycle, it's about accelerat- ing the failure cycle. The only way to try something new that works is to first try new things that don't work, he said. Mr. DeGraff likens this idea to two different parenting styles: the type of parent who tells the child "No, don't do that, you'll get hurt," versus the parent who lets the child do it and says afterward, "Hurt, didn't it?" To be innovative, he recom- mended taking the second approach. "The way in which we develop com- petencies is by going through the 'Hurt, didn't it?' cycle," he said. Competing values create conflict Conflict arises naturally when differ- ent personalities work together, but Mr. DeGraff suggests organizations can harness that tension to create innovation through what he calls the competing values framework. The framework identifies and analyzes four different types of innovators and the values of the individuals who represent them. Mr. DeGraff's prem- ise, which he calls radical, is that tension between these competing values is actually a good thing.

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