Creating a Culture for Government Innovation following the Feng Shui

or ways to increase Government agility and effectiveness

Paul Boos

But first . some definitions

feng shui / f ng shw / Noun: (in Chinese thought) A system of laws considered to govern arrangement and orientation in relation to the flow of energy (qi) culture / k lch r / Noun: The total of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge, which constitute the shared bases of social action.

innovate / in v t / Verb:

1. Make changes in something established, esp. by introducing new methods, ideas, or products. 2. Introduce something new, esp. a product. Change has to become the norm for good flow.
Definitions from dictionary.com.

Put another way

to

And second . some limitations

Statutory Requirements Federal Policies Budget Public Trust

What s Right
Limits inhibit innovation.
While we must remain aligned to these,

i.e.Do

don t artificially add any.

So we re going start to sow some seeds to harvest innovation.

Let s start with a question

And that is

WHY?
Why doesn t the Gov t innovate? This will be answered by yourselves as we take the Path to Enlightenment.

The Path of Enlightenment

1 Vision to bind them
Ummm wait that s bring them into focus

2 Types of Innovation to encourage 3 Organization Elements to develop 4 Team Values to support 5 Personae Characteristics to grow

Let s explore the innovation personae.

What characteristics do we need to grow in our people

Learning
through experience

When was the last time you read something and tried to put it into practice? feed your brain

and

Unlearning

There is no such thing as best practices. We won t always do it this way. Unravel the need. Simplify.

Experiments!

creating

Fail early to succeed. Each failure succeed. is a learning experience to succeed in your context. context.

Commitment

making a

Self. Customer. Team. Change.

maintaining

Passion

What s the Feng Shui for the 5 persona characteristics?

In Feng Shui, the Number 5 carries the energy of -

change, resourcefulness, adventure

Without the 5, innovation can t happen.

Let s explore the innovation team.

What values do we need to grow in a team

People and Interactions

It s more than one of us.

It gives confidence & instills trust.

Customer Collaboration
Pulling together; no one loses.

Welcoming
Change

New opportunities arise only through change.

What s the Feng Shui for these 4 team values?

In Feng Shui, the Number 4 carries the meaning of

stability, grounding, security

The team provides stability during the changes.

Let s explore the innovation organization.

What do we need to put in place to grow in the organization

Servant Leadership

Helping others grow to their full capacity unleashes loyal talent and energy.

Increased

Authority & Reponsibility

Greater experimentation happens when no one takes ownership away.

Cross-Functional Structures
Broaden knowledge and spur new ideas by helping diverse backgrounds come together.

What s the Feng Shui for the 3 elements of the organization?

In Feng Shui, the Number 3 carries the energy of -

creativity, family, self-expression

With safety, comes inventiveness.

There are two types of innovation.

Lay seed for both.

Kaizen
Small innovations improve existing products and services.

Kaikaku

Disruptive innovations create new products and services.

What s the Feng Shui for the types of innovation?

In Feng Shui, the Number 2 carries the energy of -

balance, choice, cooperation

Continuously pursue Kaizen while leveraging Kaikaku.

How do you bring innovations together into a cohesive direction?

Innovation still must support your organizational mission.

A clearly communicated vision will bring the multitude of possible innovations together into focus.

The vision helps everyone understand the effectiveness of their innovations.

What s the Feng Shui for the vision?

In Feng Shui, the Number 1 carries the energy of -

unobstructed flow of energy, new beginnings

Visualize the flow.

Visualize

the flow.

The portfolio roadmap is the flow of innovation. The value stream is the execution of vision.

What s the Feng Shui for these put together?

5 persona characteristics + 4 team principles + 3 organizational elements + 2 types of innovation + 1 vision/envisioning as a flow 15 1 + 5 = 6

In Feng Shui the number 6 yields -

calm, patience
Exactly what one needs during change

Innovation (change) seems to lack calmness when we are missing one of these

but wait there s one more thing

You can t innovate unless you reflect on what can be better

Put another way

To generate innovations for the vision (of the future), you reflect on the gaps (of the past).

Past & Future Back to the Feng Shui of 2

Retrospection adds balance or choice to the change; it is a reminder of why, our feedback loop.
It keeps us on the path or tells us when a new path is needed.

So when retrospection is added the Feng Shui is

6 (yielding calm, patience) + 2 for Retrospection 8
In Feng Shui, the number 8 represents

infinity, abundance, success in business

like is

Missing any of

It could become a difficult step to innovation.

A summary of the Feng Shui for Government Innovation:

5 People-Oriented Characteristics to Encourage 4 Team Values to Support 3 Organizational Elements to Develop 2 Innovation Choices to Utilize Set 1 Vision and Reflect to Know How You re Doing

Sow. Grow. Harvest.

Innovation

Thanks!

boos.paul@epa.gov @paul_boos