7 Levels Of Change (Part 7 of 9) - Level 6: Doing Things No One Else Is Doing
Table of contents for 7 Levels Of Change
- The 7 Levels Of Change - Introduction (Part 1 of 9)
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 2 of 9) - Level 1: Effectiveness
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 3 of 9) - Level 2: Efficiency
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 4 of 9) - Level 3: Improving
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 5 of 9) - Level 4: Cutting
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 6 of 9) - Level 5: Copying
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 7 of 9) - Level 6: Doing Things No One Else Is Doing
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 8 of 9) - Level 7: Doing Things That Can’t Be Done
- 7 Levels Of Change (Part 9 of 9) - Bringing It All Together
The seventh in a nine-part series on Rolf Smith’s 7 Levels of Change, I introduce the sixth level of change - Different (Doing Things No One Else Is Doing).
Part 2 - Level 1: Effectiveness
Levels 1-5 were very different but all had one thing in common - they basically used the tried and true. Continuous improvement (Levels 1-3) techniques are well-documented and widespread, the Pareto Principle (Level 4) is generally accepted as fact, and the very essence of copying (Level 5) is to adapt something that already works for someone else. Using Levels 1-5 is liking hiking on a well-traveled trail or driving down a paved road with ready supplies of gas, food, and lodging at the next exit.
Level 6 is truly doing different. It’s more like forging your own path through the wilderness, or blazing your own trail up the mountain. There aren’t any amenities, there aren’t many success stories to build confidence. It pushes most people far out of their comfort zone, as it is a lot riskier, but the rewards are potentially far greater.
The risk aspect drives people away from Level 6. Avoiding this kind of change is the foundation of Doblin’s Ten Types of Innovation. Doblin’s data reveals that most attempts at innovation - well over 90 percent - fail, as they generally occur in the category of new products. Doblin’s innovation effectiveness strategy is focused on Level 5. You can make a strong argument that Level 6 should only be attempted when you’ve exhausted all your alternatives at Level 5. But there are times when Level 6 is the only alternative - and true disruptive change occurs at this level.
The first Apple personal computer is an example of a Level 6 change. Prior to the Apple, computers were big expensive mainframes and complex minicomputers that required arcane operating systems usable only by the adept. They appealed to scientists, engineerings, and programmers as analytical tools. The Apple PC was targeted at a totally different segment of the population - the business user, the home user. It was more user-friendly, less powerful and complex, and a lot cheaper. The Apple PC was a calculated risk - no one really knew if it would appeal to this new market. Thirty years and billions of sales later, personal computer sales dominate the computer industry.
What level change is the EEStor ultracapacitor? As far as ultracapacitors go it is a Level 3 change - improved materials yielding better performance. But you can argue that it is a Level 6 change as well - using ultracapacitor technology to innovate the high performance battery field, in an attempt to obsolete batteries altogether.
KAI adapters view Level 6 as far too risky, and rarely find themselves comfortable when confronted with a problem that requires such innovative thinking. KAI innovators crave Level 6 change as necessary to their creative impulses.
Thinking
To get different results, you have to do things no one else is doing. To do things no one else is doing , you have to practice lateral thinking. Level 6 thinking is focused outward, like Level 5, but it questions many of the assumptions that make Level 5 work. You have to get outside of your comfort zone and look at problems from new and novel perspectives.
Unlike Level 4 (Pareto Principle), and Level 5 (benchmarking), there is no one broad principle for effecting Level 6 change. It involves more abstract thinking tools and procedures to generate off-the-wall, novel ideas. Abstract thinking is necessary in order to force the change in perspective.
Who
Level 6 thinkers are the high KAI innovators who are viewed by others as the rule breakers, the mavericks, the ones who have a vital need to implement drastic change. They are predominately Myers-Briggs types xNxJ and xNxP. They may have messy offices with piles of papers, they may like to rearrange their workspace periodically in order to create an environment more conductive to their ways of thinking and personalities. They may be habitual jokers and pranksters. They love to talk about the newest thing they’ve seen in other worlds, and look for ways to apply it in their world.
Ideas
Level 6 ideas challenge the fundamental assumptions of the current situation. How do you get Level 6 ideas? If you notice something in another field that is brand new and innovative, you might want to copy and adapt it to your field even though it’s too new to be considered “proven.” That differentiates it from a pure Level 5 idea. As I discussed in Level 5, another similar Level 6 technique involves adapting someone else’s technology in a totally different field to solve a problem in my field.
Tools
Since challenging assumptions is the foundation upon which Level 6 is built, let’s start with:
- Challenging Assumptions - Use this tool to identify and reverse all assumptions associated with your situation to generate novel ideas.
- FCB Grid - The FCB grid shows us visually where there might be opportunities for focusing on new markets
- Random Words - Random words and other forms of forced connections generate novel ideas by connecting our problem to the aspects of seemingly unrelated words and images.
- Mindmaps - Mindmapping was developed by Tony Buzan in the late 60s. Mindmaps depict information in a visual manner, as opposed to tables and charts. A good source for learning mindmapping is here. Use mindmaps to discuss the problem in a freeform visual fashion.
Moving to Level 6 has taken us into uncharted territory. Our next stop is the end of the line - Level 7 - Doing the Impossible.
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[...] Part 7 - Level 6: Different [...]
[...] Pro 7 is an excellent mindmapping tool from Mindjet. Mindmapping is a “Level 6″ creativity tool for depicting ideas in a highly visual fashion, more in line with how our cognitive [...]
[...] Levels 1-5 all have something in common - by and large, they deal with ‘knowns.’ Moving beyond Level 5 takes us into uncharted territory. The risks, as well as the rewards, are higher, but it’s not for the timid. Our next installment will focus on Level 6: Doing Things No One Else Is Doing. [...]
[...] 7 Levels Of Change (Part 7 of 9) - Level [...]
[...] Part 7 - Level 6: Different [...]
[...] 7 Levels Of Change (Part 7 of 9) - Level 6: Doing Things No One Else Is Doing Posted on October 21, 2007 by Innovation Catalyst Open Source Innovation has moved - here is the new link to 7 Levels Of Change (Part 7 of 9) - Level 6: Doing Things No One Else Is Doing. [...]