DataPalooza 2022

Create a center of excellence – A center of excellence is a dedicated organization that is focused on promoting innovation and running innovation projects. This can be an expansion of the “Choose ambassadors” tool mentioned previously. The advantage of creating a center of excellence is that the organization can establish goals and receive funding to promote innovation and oversee other innovation activities. This organization can support other groups that are performing innovation by establishing office hours, hosting training, and providing mentoring services. Good when: You have many different organizations that need support for innovation work. You have several innovation tools and activities that you would like to implement. Use detail assignments or temporary duty rotations devoted to innovation – If your organization has a mechanism for assigning employees to formal detail assignments or temporary duty rotations, these are very effective for innovation related work. Examples include 90-day or 120-day assignments where an employee takes a break from their normal work and focuses entirely on an innovation project for a period. The employees who work on this project will gain new skills and experience that they can bring back to their original organization and share with coworkers. This is a way to allow complete focus on a new project and learning new skills without the normal work interrupting. This work can also be used to achieve development goals for employees. Good when: Your organization does not have funds available for outside training or conferences. Your organization has a method of formally (or informally) assigning employees to temporary assignments. Combine with: Center of excellence – Employees can be assigned to the Center of Excellence to work on innovation projects. Resources: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-key-questions-ask-yourself-before-starting-temporary-ryan-day/

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