Week 3: Value
Written by: Maurice Bateman, Techincal Support Specialist at the Office of Innovation & Technology
Week three of the AMI course was all about VALUE.
Incorporating the proposition of ‘value’ is essential when trying to develop an innovative solution.
The first half of our day revolved around understanding the key innovative principle of Value. We started by learning about the Golden Circle (if you have the chance, search the internet for “The Golden Circle Simon Sinek.” This short TED Talk video will give you insight on what it means to inspire, establish a connection with those around you, and create value for a given idea.) The main take-away from the talk is that at the center of any idea, there must be a compelling WHY? We can’t just focus solely just the How or the What of what we do. When developing an innovative solution, it is important to start with the connection you are making with the people involved, and consider what kind of value that solution can bring to the table. It’s the exact reason my Academy cohort meets every Tuesday afternoon. After three weeks of working with my fellow City colleagues, I know that we are all here to tackle some major challenges in efforts to add value to the lives of people in across Philadelphia.
I mauled over my problem statement throughout this class: How to create a more secure means of information transfer between employee and IT Technicians when troubleshooting issues. I knew my problem statement was not framed correctly. I was missing the Why. Why is it important to the employee that there is a more secure way to exchange their passwords or credentials? How can an IT challenge be addressed in the most effective manner for the employee while at the same time getting the technician the information they need? My innovative solution needed to be more humanized. Before this session, my solution was purely technology based. I was eager and excited to bring to the table and discuss Blockchain solutions, a cutting-edge technology that is still in its infancy stage regarding its application in government. But, Blockchain as a solution doesn’t consider the possible pain points employees may have. It also doesn’t consider issues on the back-end that technicians would face. Yes, the technology is “New” and “Innovative” but that doesn’t necessarily mean it is the right one for this job.
For our fifteen-minute class break, I needed to gather my thought and get some caffeine. I grabbed my phone and headed for the fire escape. I took a stroll downtown— my mind filled and racing with the concept of creating ‘Value.’ With each pedestrian I passed, I tried to consider what they would look for in a solution to my problem statement. “Simple,” “Get it right the first time,” “Make it easy,” “Listen to me”— a common empathetic theme.
I made it back in time for the second half of the class (after realizing I left so quickly I forgot my wallet and couldn’t buy a coffee!) The second half of the day was our breakout time, where we divided into groups to practice using our new innovation tools to help us understand and identify a solid ‘Value’ while creating solutions to our challenges. We have a long way to go towards developing solutions, but I know we’ll get there.
I took a lot away from this week’s class. Not only did I learn new tools to help me design and develop solutions, but I learned something a little deeper: at the core of Innovation lies an innate, almost philosophical proof – Begin with WHY.
What is the Academy for Municipal Innovation?
AMI is a seven-week program that introduces participants to the principles and practice of innovation. Participants will learn to integrate tools and techniques of innovation drawn from design thinking, system thinking, business analytics, and ethnographic research to discover innovative solutions to complex real-world problems. The program will be delivered in a studio setting, anchored in Jefferson University’s (formerly Philadelphia University) signature nexus learning pedagogy of active, collaborative, and real-world learning. Each session will introduce practical techniques & tools that can be immediately applied at work to inspire innovation through collaboration.
Throughout the program, the City (Innovation Management) will offer opportunities to further develop the skills and tools that participants are learning in the classroom. Brown bag lunches, innovation consulting sessions, and workshops will take place throughout the fall to encourage students to engage with the material in the context of their everyday portfolios, and to provide them with a space to meet past graduates and learn about how they’ve integrated innovative thinking into their roles.
