A MORE HUMAN APPROACH TO INNOVATION RESEARCH 2 INTRODUCTION Successful innvatin f cnsumer prducts and services relies n the ideas and feedback f real peple. Each persn has unique skills and abilities that can be leveraged in the innvatin prcess frm understanding needs and pain pints, brainstrming, and building prduct cncepts. Particularly imprtant are innvatin archetypes. Understanding each archetype and hw t leverage them during an innvatin assignment can significantly imprve engagement, achieve better insights, and deliver better results. THE FOUR ARECHTYPES The science f archetypes is based n the wrk f Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychtherapist wh funded analytical psychlgy. Jung prpsed and develped the cncepts f extraversin and intrversin and behaviral archetypes. His wrk has been influential in psychiatry and in the study f religin, philsphy, archelgy, anthrplgy, literature, and related fields. He was a prlific writer; many f his wrks were nt published until after his death. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicatr (MBTI), a ppular psychmetric instrument, was develped frm Jung's thery f psychlgical types. There are several adaptatins f the MBTI including ur assessment, TeamBuilder. (http://teambuilder.standpintgrup.cm) TeamBuilder classifies each persn int ne f fur archetypes: Implementer, Stryteller, Prblem Slver, and Creative. Archetypes are determined by determining tw things: hw yu acquire infrmatin (senses vs. intuitin) and hw yu prcess infrmatin (impersnal vs. persnal cnsideratins). Hw we take in infrmatin and what infrmatin we like & trust Sensing Intuitin Thinking Feeling Pays mre attentin t infrmatin cming in thrugh the five senses Pays mre attentin t the patterns and pssibilities f infrmatin received Hw we decide Puts mre weight n bjective principles and impersnal facts Puts mre weight n persnal cncerns and the peple invlved
A MORE HUMAN APPROACH TO INNOVATION RESEARCH 3 In the U.S., Strytellers are the dminant archetype because nearly 6 in 10 wmen share that characteristic. Amng men, Implementers are the dminant archetype. Cmbined, Prblem Slvers and Creatives make up arund a quarter f the U.S. adult ppulatin. Key differences between the archetypes are summarized belw. THE FOUR TEAMBUILDER ARCHETYPES IMPLEMENTER PROBLEM SOLVER Detail riented Linear thinker Organized Fact-driven Analytical Synthesizer f infrmatin Lgical Seeker f alternate slutins Thrives n cmplex challenges STORYTELLER Sciable Experiential Emtinal Mtivated t help thers slve prblems Skilled at facilitatin, mediatin and articulatin CREATIVE Insightful Imaginative Glbal thinker Makes new cnnectins easily Naturally curius Skilled at generating new slutins
A MORE HUMAN APPROACH TO INNOVATION RESEARCH 4 Each archetype als has specific needs in a research engagement. Meeting these needs is critical t maximizing verall effectiveness. And, there are specific activities where each archetype excels. This infrmatin is used t ensure the activities we use during a research engagement are ptimal.
A MORE HUMAN APPROACH TO INNOVATION RESEARCH 5 ARCHETYPES IN THE FEI When wrking with research participants in Frnt End f Innvatin (FEI) assignments, we use ur TeamBuilder assessment t assign individuals t the best task. T explain this, let s first examine a typical framewrk fr managing the FEI. The first step is prper scping that is, understanding what is inbunds and ut-f-bunds. Parameters such as the industry f study, research participants, learning bjectives, and mre are determined in advance. An integral part f innvatin is understanding custmer needs and pain pints, which is dne during the CONSULT phase (as indicated n the abve graphic.) This is a very cncrete exercise that entails interviews, fcus grups, and ethngraphies. A skilled interviewer can guide study participants t articulate what s n their mind and uncver the underlying beliefs and mtivatins that drive a persn s behavir. Smetimes, even the mst skilled interviewers find this difficult t achieve. Nt everyne is gd at digging this deep. During the CONSULT phase, we shw a strng preference fr the Stryteller because they are hardwired t better express individual needs and pain pints than their cunterparts. Because they make up 44% f the adult ppulatin, they are relatively easy t enrll in studies. After the CONSULT phase, the prject team uses the feedback t generate the insights and frame the pprtunities. These are increasingly abstract activities and ften dne withut the help f the cnsumer. Frequently, the cnsumer is re-engaged fr ideatin. Referred t as ORIGINATE in the abve graphic, ideatin is designed t generate new slutins fr the cnsumer needs and pain pints discvered in the CONSULT phase. In these sessins, we strive t limit participatin t the Creatives and Prblem Slvers, as they are generative thinkers and quite cmfrtable with the abstract exercise. The rhythm
A MORE HUMAN APPROACH TO INNOVATION RESEARCH 6 they establish during ideatin can be amazing t watch: The Creative usually lbs the wild idea and the Prblem Slver respnds with and here s hw we can d this. During cncept building and refinement (REFINE), the Prblem Slver and the Implementer are at their best. The Prblem Slver is very gd at bridging the gap between the abstract and cncrete. When wrking tgether, the Implementer is adept at taking the riginal ideas frm the Prblem Slver and wrking thrugh the cncrete details especially the size, the shape, and the precise language t describe the cncept. The last phase (EXPERIMENT) invlves testing a minimally viable prduct r prttype. As a cmpletely cncrete exercise, we invlve the Implementers and Strytellers. Because they largely take in infrmatin via their senses, they are the best equipped t articulate hw a physical prduct will (r will nt) incrprate int their lives. Fr mst rganizatins the last step ften invlves cncept testing. While this apprach is gd at narrwing ptins, the apprach s lack f cncreteness is its biggest failing. If yu d the math, nearly three-quarters f the adult ppulatin are highly-sensry thinkers and testing written cncepts is a purely abstract exercise. The argument can be made that in traditinal cncept testing we are asking a lt f peple t cmprehend a ptential new slutin that is cunter t hw they prefer t take in infrmatin. As a result, ur rule f thumb is t make the last step in the FEI as cncrete as pssible. In ur view, having peple interact with a 3D representatin (even if it is made f pipe cleaners and ppsicle sticks) in tandem with a written cncept is a far better practice. As discussed thrughut, when we engage cnsumers thrughut a FEI assignment, we shw preference fr particular archetypes because they are the best fr the task at hand. In the fllwing graphic, we verlap where t incrprate each archetype.
A MORE HUMAN APPROACH TO INNOVATION RESEARCH 7 THE PEOPLE PARADOX The discvery f insights requires an interactin between researcher and the research participant. This interactin can be dne numerus ways such as interviews, fcus grups, ethngraphies and mre. While the methds matter, it is the mastery f three essential skills that makes fr a great researcher: active listening, bservatin, and empathy. Amng the giver f feedback r the study participant, the gal shuld be t enable peple t tell better stries, be creative, r help with slving prblems. As discussed earlier, these skills dn t cme naturally t everyne. Interestingly, we find that mst peple in innvatin, marketing, insights, and research and develpment skew very heavily tward Prblem Slvers and Creatives. Case in pint: at the 2018 Frnt-End-f-Innvatin Cnference, we administered ur archetype assessment tl, TeamBuilder, t 89 delegates. There, 70% were classified as Prblem Slvers + Creatives. If yu recall, 75% f the general ppulatin are just the ppsite: Implementers + Strytellers. Archetype Frequency at the 2018 FEI Cnfernece 10% 30% 20% 40% Implementer Stryteller Prblem Slver Creative
A MORE HUMAN APPROACH TO INNOVATION RESEARCH 8 Here s the paradx: the skills needed t be an effective receiver f feedback dn t cme naturally t Prblem Slvers and Creatives! As a rule f thumb, these tw highly-intuitive archetypes are the weakest at active listening, bservatin, and empathy. The skills we need amng ur givers f feedback such as prblem slving, creativity, and strytelling are in shrt supply. This paradx is the reasn that careful cnsideratin is required fr the peple we engage in the FEI. The primary gal is t match the best-equipped cnsumers t the task at hand. Secndly, the research team must have the requisite skills t be gd listeners and gd bservers. It takes the feedback f real peple fr maximizing the effectiveness f yur FEI assignment. When yu can, pick cnsumers wh are ging t be best fr the assignment at hand. Fr example, the Strytellers are the best equipped t articulate needs and pain pints. While the Creative is highly-empathic, the envirnment must be right fr them t share their great new ideas. Prblem Slvers are great at putting the pieces f the puzzle tgether. Tgether, hwever, they are in shrt supply and scalable slutins are needed t ensure we engage these archetypes in the innvatin prcess. The Implementer is the persn wh keeps things real. Use them t give yu hnest and direct feedback n hw smething will (r will nt) fit int their lives. While yur prcess fr cmpleting yur next FEI is imprtant, we recmmend that yu pay careful cnsideratin t the peple invlved. Fr mre infrmatin n hw t achieve a mre human apprach t innvatin research: Kip Creel, President StandPint, Inc. kcreel@standpintgrup.cm www.standpintgrup.cm (770) 270-4800
A MORE HUMAN APPROACH TO INNOVATION RESEARCH 9 ABOUT KIP CREEL & STANDPOINT KIP CREEL is the president and funder f StandPint. Kip has chief respnsibility fr business develpment and methdlgy and is the firm s verall research supervisr. Prir t funding StandPint in 2002, Kip spent 8 years at anther Atlanta-based market research firm in psitins f increasing respnsibility, including Directr f Research and Vice President. Previusly, Kip wrked fr a divisin f Merck Pharmaceuticals, and InfQuest, a clinical research rganizatin, in analytical rles. Kip is a thught leader in insight-driven innvatin and is n the faculty fr Stage-Gate Internatinal and teaches marketing management in an executive educatin prgram affiliated with Texas A&M University. Kip hlds a BS in Micrbilgy and Statistics and an MBA in Hspital Administratin frm The University f Flrida. Backgrund infrmatin n Carl Jung was adapted frm the fllwing Wikipedia citatin. http://en.wikipedia.rg/wiki/carl_jung