MGSM DEBATE in Managing for Innovation module: Debate Innovation is process driven rather than people-driven.

quote: "Success is a thought process"
By Jerery Wong, Victor Lee, Teng Choon Ming

I like to commend Jeremy and his team for a well written piece of article/proposition. As most people would have assumed that being the proposition for a topic like Innovation being process-driven is like driving a horse cart up a slippery slope, slippery and hard.

But, no beers for guessing correctly that my team of 2 people suffered defeat at Jeremy's hand and now I have invited Jeremy to put up his piece of great work to constantly remind myself of my defeat. (No hard feelings, I like this article so much that I have to show this to you what a brilliant piece of work this is)

For current new and future MGSM students, there is no other place that gives you such fun, flexibility as well as an intellectually stimulating experience. There is a lot of hard work as well, but it has been worth it.


Topic : Innovation is process-driven rather than people-driven.

Jeremy Wong

1. We the proposition would like to make the case to you, that innovation is process-driven rather than people-driven.

2. We define innovation as creativity in action. Looked at in this way, innovation is a strategic lifestyle choice.

3. By claiming that innovation is process-driven, we mean that innovation is spearheaded by processes that have been put into place.

4. As my 2nd and 3rd speakers will elaborate, innovation, for the most part, can be nurtured.

5. Put it another way, among a variety of factors, in this case, between processes and people, processes are dominant to the extent that their effects can and often will supercede those of the other factor – people.

6. My 2nd and 3rd speakers will show you conclusively that innovation is predominantly process-driven because both formal and informal factors that make up the external environment can either kill or nourish innovation.

7. The formal element of the external environment which greatly influences the level of innovation in any given context is the rules, policies, and procedures that are officially put into place.

As my 2nd speaker will prove to you, official rules, policies, and procedures can either inhibit or unleash creativity which drives innovation.

In doing so, my 2nd speaker, will among other things, explain to you how purposeful attention being paid to the thinking process, working styles, and individual motivation can all contribute to substantially fostering innovation in any given context.

8. The key informal element of the external environment which has a very high influence on innovation is culture.
As my 3rd speaker will expound, culture is something that can be consciously shaped and re-shaped.

As underscored by Wilson and Hoppe in the article “Managing Across Cultures”, “culture strongly influences how one behaves and how one understands the behavior of others, and cultures vary in the behaviors they find proper and acceptable”.

In other words, culture both determines and reflects values and norms which guide goals and actions.

My 3rd speaker will prove to you how culture is often an overwhelmingly powerful force, simply because it is highly pervasive by nature. Culture, be it that of society at large or that of an organization, is also something that is always there – it is not something you can turn on and off.

Given the immense influence of culture, and given that culture is essentially a human construction, culture can be shaped and re-shaped by human processes over an extended period of time.

Culture after all, is dynamic, not static.

9. Ladies and gentlemen, the opposition today will obviously have you believe, that ultimately, people need to be innovative, and hence innovation is people-driven – since even the processes implemented to ensure innovation must be not just logical and coherent, but also, to some extent, innovative.

We the proposition do concede that for innovation to work, you do, to some extent, need the right people, but this should be no different from the people initially deemed competent enough to work for the organization.

Innovation is therefore NOT people-driven because, the external environment is almost always more powerful than individual persons, and the external environment can either stifle or unlock people’s ability and desire to innovate.

And make no mistake, this external environment can and must be consciously created and modified by human processes for the promotion of innovation.


Victor Lee

Innovation through a formal process to create a sense of wonderment

1. Requires rules and procedures and policies

2. This can either inhibit or unleash creativity which drives innovation

3. Further more you have to deal with diversity of conflicting ideas and even egos. Important point here is not to loose the target objective which can be reliably controlled though clear objectives in the process

Evidence of innovation as a process is clearly seen in 2 areas:

a. Techniques in thinking processes
i. You can brain storm but you still need a formal process to discipline the entire creative process and converge to the critical state of the art innovation.

ii. Playing devils advocate – We think that playing devil’s advocate is an important. But if there isn’t a process to control the devil’s advocate coming in at the right time, ideas can be snuffed out too early.

b. Styles of working
i. The Garage tool kit - Flexibility and accommodation built in.

ii. Making sure the end objective is clear while ensuring the approach and means are allowed to room to move.

4. Institutionalizing the right motivation to innovate.

Examples to cite:
1. IDEO – “Yellow Creative” ideas from the people are structured through a “Blue / Green Framework” in order to diverge and converge the creativity.
2. IDEO – “ Process is managing the creativity of people. Dave allowed the staff to be creative while ensuring that they work within processes to ensure the energies are channeled correctly.
3. Aussie Farmer and water – You can have creativity but if you don’t complete the structured process to optimize the creative spirit, you are not innovating.

Models to apply:
1) Amibile : How to kill creativity
i. Enterprise must include New Idea Mechanisms to manage the creativity

2) Kanter : The change Masters : Important to establish, from the beginning, ground rules and boundary conditions
i. Out of bound Markers are created from which creative ideas are not allowed to cross over in order to manage and develop innovation.

3) Organisational Control of Innovation:
a. Robert Simon: “Control in the Age of Empowerment”
i. When there is hunger for innovation e.g. STSS case, there is control to ensure that decisions made are based on sound judgements and decisions with the key stake holders though processes in place to ensure discipline and control of the Hunger.

Potential Counter Question: Won’t process stifle creativity?
Choon Ming

Innovation through an Informal Processes and Conclusion

1. Re-emphasize the meaning of Innovation (Creativity in Action; Creativity Implemented).

2. For an innovation to materialize into a product for the masses, frameworks and processes present the avenues for collaboration within a diversified work force to combine their area of expertise. Without the processes, an idea is just well an idea at the back of a person’s head.

3. Without the processes, a good idea may not appear eye pleasing if the diversified workforce failed to work together closely (designer and engineer).

4. Innovation demands managing an intricate balance of many moving parts and the influence of many players while manoeuvring in a constantly changing environment.

5. Culture within an organization has great influence on innovation and it can be consciously shaped and re-shaped to suit the ever-changing environment.

6. Culture in an organization can be in the form of working atmosphere, vision of the organization / CEO, norms and values that an organization was in existence in the 1st place.

7. Even in a company like IDEO, (one of the world Top 25 Most Innovative Company in 2006) there are creative processes that the company adopt for them to remain competitive. Innovative without losing sight of the top-level organization goals.

8. Focus chaos strategy; where the process may appears messy to an outsider however it never divert them from their main tasks. Being playful is considered an attribute required in the company. Again without the necessary processes in place, how much can a company benefited from their employees playfulness.

9. Tolerant to failure and error; top management support “Fail often to succeed sooner”. Failure is termed as “enlightened trial and error”.

10. Studying of the workplace interactions is considered an alternative in getting informal feedback from the employees in optimizing the office design (hang-up bicycle at one’s work space).

11. Encouraged to walk around when encountered mental blocks.

12. Ending with David Kelley’s quote “ We’re not good at innovating because of our flawless intellects, but because we’ve done thousands of products, and we’ve been mindful”.

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