Evans Baiya PhD Archives - Page 3 of 5

Evans Baiya of The Innovators Advantage: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Began Leading My Company

Dr. Evans Baiya, Authority Magazine, April 2022

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?

I am a trained scientist, engineer, and I worked in Silicon Valley. My background is in engineering and chemistry, so I didn’t know much about strategy until I started moving up the ranks. When you’re in management you’re responsible for the execution of strategy. I was constantly asking myself, “What is strategy?” This was one of the reasons I decided to get an MBA because I really wanted to understand this language of business. Read More

How to Strategize for Disruption

What we can learn from Peloton about creating a resilient strategy

By Dr. Evans Baiya

The idea of creating a resilient strategy seems to come up in conversation again and again these days. It’s certainly a sign of the times that Optimizing Strategy for Results, my latest book co-authored with Ron Price and Professor Timothy Waema, is launching two years after COVID-19 lockdowns began in the U.S. People and organizations are now looking for ways to move forward and prepare for the next disruption.

The Bedrock Of Successful Strategy: Purpose

Dr. Evans Baiya, HR.com, February 2022

Creating a long-lasting strategic foundation for your organization is not easy. Many leaders struggle in creating a successful strategy—often because the organization’s purpose is not clear.

A good strategy offers clarity to stakeholders, both on what the company is doing and where it plans to go in the future. If the path is clear, measuring and monitoring the execution is far easier. A clear purpose statement summarizes why a company exists. It answers the questions: why is the organization needed, who are its customers, and what do they value? Without these answers, a strategy isn’t specific or actionable enough to show the what and the where.Read More

Is Communication Sabotaging Your Ability to Innovate?

Dr. Evans Baiya InnovationManagement.se, February 2022

Avoid these four communications landmines as you navigate the stages of innovation.

Innovation can sometimes feel like a winding journey that includes steps forward, backward and sideways. There are even landmines along the way that can stall or derail the process. These landmines are often communication points that, if not properly structured, will cause dysfunction, disengagement, lack of ownership, and lack of creativity within a team or an organization.

When this happens, what could be a groundbreaking idea is as good as dead. You need successful communication during each of the Six Stages of Innovation, or your team will fail to complete the innovation journey. Avoid communication sabotage by being aware of these four landmines.Read More

5 Ways People Managers Can Become Innovation Champions

Dr. Evans Baiya, Hr.com, November 2021

How to help everyone find their role in creating innovation

Does this innovation challenge sound familiar? Your team leaders and managers acknowledge the importance of innovation and even sing its praises—but if you ask them how they routinely champion innovation within their teams, you might get crickets.

The problem is that most people managers, while they recognize the need for innovation initiatives, don’t engage in these initiatives themselves. Innovation isn’t their job; their main concern is ensuring employees get the necessary day-to-day work done. People managers are good at directing and growing what already exists but often struggle to guide their teams to new ways of thinking and creating.Read More

Your Company is One Disruption Away From Becoming Irrelevant

Dr. Evans Baiya, Fast Company, November 2021

Your company is one disruption away from becoming irrelevant. A few years ago, I spoke at a conference where I told the leaders in attendance this exact statement.

It struck a chord with one attendee: the chief innovation officer of the Great NW + Pacific BBB. He reached out to me to talk about his goals to move his regional Better Business Bureau forward, and we created an innovation academy designed to inspire innovation across every department—the ultimate goal was to jumpstart a culture of innovation. Fast forward 2 years, and 50 employees have graduated from the in-house training, innovation efforts have increased across departments, and the organization continues to report cost savings as departments find more efficient ways to work. Read More

Is Data Hindering Your Innovation Efforts?

Dr. Evans Baiya, InnovationManagement.se, November 2021

Five Data Missteps That Paralyze Innovation

Data can be a powerful enabler for innovation, but when used incorrectly, it can be a paralyzing force. It’s a critical component in measuring and understanding the need for innovation—if you cannot measure something, you cannot improve it. Whether you collect data based on historical perspectives or through experiments, it can bring the insights needed for truly great innovations.

How to Break the 5 Habits That Hurt Ideation

Dr. Evans Baiya, InnovationManagement.se, October 2021

Many companies find it hard to prioritize ideation. Here are five ways to break the pattern and gather a wealth of ideas for your organization.

In today’s rapidly changing world, it’s easy to think that most companies are innovation factories—full of ideas for new products, services, and processes. They need to be, right? Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Most organizations only innovate when they are forced to do so. Many still rely on old knowledge or even guesswork to face challenges that arise. Read More

Brainstorm Sessions Are Great. But What Comes Next is What Really Matters

Dr. Evans Baiya, Fast Company, September 2021

There is nothing quite as energizing as a well-run brainstorming session. When I work with clients on innovation projects, the Ideation stage is one of my favorites. There is a distinct energy and creativity generated when a group of people have come together to work toward solving a common problem. When ideas start flowing without constraint, great things are possible. Read More

Prepare Employees to Look to the Future

By Dr. Evans Baiya

Without imagination, innovation stalls in the present. Futuristic thinking is a critical skill for everyone—business owners, leaders, veteran team members, and new hires alike. Without it, teams can’t imagine what the organization will look like in five, 10, or 20 years. They can’t imagine their future customers, sources of revenue, competitors, or even what it will be like to work at the organization.

These questions take imagination, and without the skills to answer them, an organization’s strategy and ability to innovate are at risk. As a skill, futuristic thinking requires the ability to see the big picture, roleplay long-term plans, make accurate predictions of possible outcomes, and determine the direction to take to fulfill those outcomes. If an organization can’t think beyond the present, taking advantage of changing landscapes in the market becomes much harder.

1 234 5

OUR THINKING