CUES' Strategic Innovation Institute explores the importance of prototypes and pilots. By Lisa Hochgraf
The motto of the MIT Media Lab, “Demo or die,” suggests an important innovation concept--that only the act of trying an idea out can transform it into something truly valuable. Conversely, a demo (or prototype or pilot) could also show you why the idea you love really isn't the best path for your credit union. At CUES' Strategic Innovation Institute I (slated for Sept. 20-25 at MIT), Zeynep Ton will take attendees through a case study of the highly successful Spanish grocery chain Mercadona. An adjunct associate professor in the operations management group at MIT's Sloan School of Management, Ton suggests that the Mercadona corporate culture makes sure employees have time to look for improvements. And they are encouraged to take their ideas and pilot them. One Mercadona employee, for example, worked with his manager to pilot a change in the packaging for the store's brand of cold cream. The new package allowed the store to stack more bottles of cold cream on a shelf, saving space and ensuring available inventory for a customer. Another employee explored putting stew vegetables near the meats so customers could get what they needed in one place. Long ago in my career as an editor, I helped design a pilot for a newsletter that would reach its readers via fax. The process of setting up the faxed newsletter trial drove the decision not to move forward. Are employees encouraged to really try out new things in your shop, through prototypes or pilots? Are time and resources to do so made available to them? What new idea would you yourself like to explore? Please answer in the comments. Lisa Hochgraf is a CUES senior editor. The value of using prototypes to explore potential solutions is a recommendation in the Harvard Business Review article, "Design Thinking Comes of Age." It's not too late to register for Strategic Innovation Institute I, hosted by MIT. The event will be held Sept. 20-25. In addition to gaining knowledge about how to implement the latest in innovation theory, you'll leave MIT ready to become even more expert at innovation--by attending Strategic Innovation Institute II at Stanford in 2016.
