I love conferences. I always look for new inspiration and connect with people from other companies and industries. It is key for my role as innovation ninja at Johnson & Johnson.
The funny thing is that those so-called innovation conferences and design events are hardly innovative. They all look the same. So, if you preach disruption but cannot put it into action, why would I bother about your conference or event in 2019?
#1 – Less superficial case studies, more depth
I adore good case studies and learn a lot from the experiences of other companies. Unfortunately, case studies are often too superficial.
Usually case studies go like this. “Our company went through a digital transformation. You can now access our old system through an app in the cloud. We also have a chatbot but it still talks nonsense. In the future, we will use blockchain for EVERYTHING. Today we have no clue what to do with it.”
“In the future, we will use blockchain for EVERYTHING. Today we have no clue what to do with it.”
Bravo. I am sure this was a great endeavor, but there is nothing that I can learn from. If you have 45 minutes, don’t give a complete overview of all stuff you ever did. Pick one thing. Zoom in. Tell me about your hurdles and how you overcame these. I’ll applaud at the end for the courage to share the bad and the ugly.
Talking about obstacles… One recurring obstacle in innovation and design is senior management support. Honestly, I don’t know any company where senior management support is not important (unless you are self-employed, or you ARE at the executive level). If you don’t find a way to get management buy-in, work on something different or move on. Without it, you are throwing water to the sea.
Next to being superficial, case studies can also be too basic. If you are at a conference for innovation managers, assume that people already know what design thinking or blockchain is.
Tip for conference organizers: take your audience serious. Organize a pre-conference if you believe that innovation professionals have never heard about artificial intelligence or design thinking. This way, you are not diluting the actual conference with stuff that is basic knowledge for experienced practitioners.
#2 – Less globally-accepted ideas, more provocative thoughts
One of the innovation basics is that innovation can come from everywhere. It may come from visiting a Guggenheim museum or watching a nature documentary. Now compare that with the speaker lists of big conferences.
Most speakers are corporate executives, business school professors and the typical innovation rock stars (think ‘Elon Musk’ or ‘Jeff Bezos’). I never encounter modern painters or biologists. What a pity! When all the same people attend and present all the same conferences, the level of the discussion will also be “all the same”.
When all the same people attend all the same conferences, the level of the discussion will also be “all the same”.
Okay, there is nothing wrong with a “Tom-Kelley-Keynote” about creative confidence, nor with another smart professor that analyzed every single word Steve Jobs ever said, but is that truly thought-provoking in the year 2018?
(No, no, no. I am really not jealous of the people who managed to get a selfie with Tom Kelley from IDEO.)
I suggest that at least 10% of the topics at a conference should be outside the attendees’ expertise or “comfort zone”. If people are saying afterwards that the speaker was a little crazy, I bet they continue to think about his/her message.
Anyone who ever attended a talk from Jef Staes on red monkeys? I am sure you still remember Jef and his message.
More provocation can also come from the problems that are being discussed. Currently, digital transformation and artificial intelligence are hot topics for big corporates. But, are these the only things that keep their people awake at night? I am sure there can be other “real” problems too. At one big innovation conference, the world “climate change” for example was not mentioned a single time. I am still astonished by that.
Tip for conference organizers: what if you give this large crowd of people a chance to brainstorm collectively on major world problems like climate change or public health? I am sure it will spark great discussion and may lead to new collaborations across industries.
#3 – Less Steve Jobs’ quotes, more scientific rigor
I totally get why speakers use quotes from innovation rock stars, like Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos. Quotes catch people’s attention and support comprehension of the message. At best, quotes can illustrate a well-researched topic. Unfortunately, quotes also conceal the lack of scientific rigor with some (academic) speakers.
When you quote successful people as proof for your message, you are most likely fooled by survivorship bias. This bias is the logical error that people make when they solely focus on people that were successful. Let me give an example.
If someone tells you that successful Fortune 500 CEOs meditate, it does not tell anything about the impact of meditation on success. Before you can make a sound statement you also need to study the people that that did not meditate and those that were not successful at all (regardless of a meditation practice). Basically, if there are two parameters, you need to study all its combinations, not just one. That’s basic scientific rigor.
A Steve Jobs biography or 1000 page KODAK case study is not a scientific publication.
Tip for conference organizers: ask your academic speakers for a scientific literature list. I mean: a literature list with peer-reviewed articles published in scientific magazines. A Steve Jobs biography or 1000 page KODAK case study has no place there.
#3bis – Less blah-blah-blah theory, even more scientific rigor
I have just heard too many theories. Theories that were derived from case studies, but never tested thereafter. Theories that were tested but only included MBA or psychology students instead of real employees.
Conducting an experiment about innovation or design is not the easiest thing to do. I admit that. But, it’s not impossible. It’s not because people practice design thinking and use an iterative method that the methodology as such cannot be researched.
A nice example was recently published in Creativity and Innovation Management. The scientists used a 2 x 2 experiment with 240 real employees in their sample to test strategies that improve the selection of creative ideas. One of their assumptions failed, but it still provides useful advice for innovation managers. Difficult yes, impossible no.
Speakers who still claim that humans have a shorter attention span than goldfishes should be pulled from the stage.
Tip for conference organizers: get speakers with a real scientific background. If someone mentions at your conference that humans have a shorter attention span than goldfishes, pull them gently from the stage, or I will. Clickbait has no place at serious conferences.
#4 – Less all-white-male-panels, more diversity
The lack of diversity among speakers is sometimes stunning. I was attending a big conference last year and counted the amount of women among attendees and speakers. 50/50 for the attendees and about 15% for the speakers.
How is that even possible in the 21st century? Either, the organizers were not aware of their unconscious bias. Or, they have not been trying hard enough. I am not sure what is worst. Next to gender, the same was unfortunately true for ethnic background.
This becomes even worse if you consider the specific context. Diversity is seen as a critical factor for innovation and creativity. That makes it even more difficult to understand why the share of women or minorities was not higher.
Tip for conference organizers: if you invite speakers to preach about innovation and diversity, walk your talk. If you are already trying, try harder. And if that does not work, well… delete your account.
Final words
To conclude this series of articles, this is want I want to see in 2019 at events and conferences:
- Less superficial case studies, more depth
- Less globally-accepted ideas, more provocative thoughts
- Less Steve Jobs’ quotes, less blah-blah-blah theory and more scientific rigor
- Less all-male-panels, more diversity
Final tip for conference organizers: if you need someone that brings in-depth cases studies, provocative thoughts and cares about science, I can be your man. In any case, I am also happy to recommended a dozen of smart, talented and funny women and for your event.
