We would like your help in exploring trust as it relates to innovation. If you are part of an organization of more than 10 people, we would like to have you respond to this Trust Survey.
There is information on the survey about how to receive a copy of the report which will be generated from the survey results. Thank you very much for your help!
IIR is very careful about your privacy and does NOT make mailing lists available to attendees. That's great -- except it makes it harder to network ... so we are creating a voluntary mailing list. If you would like to be on and receive this list, please send an email to us with the following information:
Name:
Title:
Organization:
Email:
Phone:
What the Bleep Do We Know?
This award-winning movie is creating quite a buzz in the industry. When I first saw it in early July, the reaction to the movie was almost as stunning as the movie. When the movie ended, the audience just sat in their seats talking about it ... until the cleaning crew chased us out! Apparently that is happening all over the country. Additionally, people are seeing it over and over. One guy saw it 30 times in three weeks! (which might be a bit obsessive!)
The movie, which combines quantum physics, multi-dimensional visual effects and animation, a dramatic story and interviews with leading scientists and mystics, is just now going into general distribution and we are delighted to be able to offer you a private screening at Convergence. So be sure to join us Monday night at 7:30 (just after the reception) -- and we can stay and talk about it as long as we want!
Click here if you'd like to get some advance info or see the trailer.
See you in Minneapolis! Joyce Wycoff
"What we need is a new logic of innovation." -- Henry Chesbrough
Occasionally someone innovates the very discipline of innovation. Henry is one of those innovators of innovation and it's a gift to have him join us at Convergence. Henry is Visiting Assistant Professor
Institute of Management, Innovation & Organization, Management of Technology Program, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkley, and author of the ground-breaking book, Open Innovation.
Henry in a nutshell:
Overeducated, disk drive industry retread.
Proud father, likes jazz and wine, secretly wishes he could cook well.
Slams MBAs and graduate engineers together in his technology management classes at Berkeley.
"What if instead of seeing organizations as problems to be solved, we saw them as miracles to be appreciated." -- David Cooperrider
It is an honor to have David Cooperrider join us at Convergence. After all, how often do you get a chance to spend time with someone who created a new movement in management? David is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University and the developer of the methodology for organizational renewal known as Appreciative Inquiry.
David in a nutshell: Among his highest honors David was invited to design a series of dialogues among 25 of the world's top religious leaders, started by His Holiness the Dalai Lama who said, "If only the world's religious leaders could just know each other, the world will be a better place." Using AI, the group has had meetings in Jerusalem and at the Carter Center with President Jimmy Carter in Atlanta.
David was recognized in 2000 as among “the top ten visionaries” in the field by Training Magazine and in 2004 received a prestigious award in Washington D.C. for “distinguished contribution” to the field of organizational learning from the American Society for Training and Development.
"Our species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories." -- Mary Cathering Bateson
"Through a story, life invites us to come inside as a participant." -- Stephen Denning
We are delighted to have Steve at the 10th annual Convergence because we've been trying to entice him to join us for several years but our schedules kept missing. Steve has been enormously influential in bringing storytelling into organizations. His eureka! moment came during his time with the World Bank when a 28-word story changed his life.
Steve in a nutshell:
This sharp, crisp left-brained analyst discovered -- just a few years ago -- the warm, fuzzy, right-brained storyteller within.
Now inspires other left-brained types to find the storyteller lurking within them and to tell their story.
Writes novels and Elizabethan sonnets for fun.
"Innovation can be the submarine that you sneak into the safe harbor of an unwary competitor, or it can be the clever entreaty you use to begin a fantastic lifelong relationship with your customer." -- Larry Keeley
We are very excited about having Larry at Convergence. He is one of the strong, emerging voices of innovation and will be presenting an innovation model from his research and client work of the past several years. This work will also be featured in his new Harvard Business School Press book to be released January, 2005. Get the inside track here first!
Larry in a nutshell: Secretly wants to be a research biologist
Loves literature, jazz music, and tacky pop-culture stuff
Teaches famously grueling courses on innovation at the Institute of Design
"Prototyping is the language of innovation." -- Tom Kelley
Tom Kelley, general manager of IDEO, wowed us at Convergence 2000 shortly before his book "The Art of Innovation" came out. We're delighted to have him back and look forward to hearing what he's learned on his recent journeys.
Tom in a Nutshell:
Cycles to work. Watches too many movies. Hopeless navigator.
Swore he’d absolutely, positively never write a second book. Started on the manuscript this spring.
Been to Japan 20 times and still surprised by something on every visit.
OPENING WELCOME SESSION FOR ALL ATTENDEES: WORLD CAFE, Sunday, September 26, 4:00 p.m.
Conversations Around Innovation - Questions that Matter
Don't miss this great opportunity to meet your fellow attendees and talk about some important issues of innovation.
This session will begin the conversations at Convergence through open questions. The discussion will engage one of several questions: What does a gift create? What is more important than hope? What creates possibility? Where do we need more trust? Each of us brings our own frame to these conversations and any of us can draw lines to the core questions of innovation.
The session will be organized as a World Cafe, an open facilitation process which allows for intimate conversation and also enables ideas to spread throughout the gathering. There will be a brief report at the end, but the primary purpose is to serve as host for a series of conversations that engage questions that matter. The conversations will spark connections, feed later discussions, and foster new relationships.
Joy Anderson, Ph.D. is founder of Criterion Consulting (www.criterionconsulting.net), a professional services firm that is built on the principles of an open network. She spends her time traveling the country engaging organizational leaders, academics, consultants and free ions in service of her clients. Dr. Anderson began her professional career in the New York City public school system and holds a Ph.D. from New York University in American History. Joy lives on an apple orchard in Connecticut with her husband and daughter.
Joy Anderson, Ph.D., Founder, CRITERION CONSULTING
The weather should be lovely in Minneapolis in late September ... but we recommend that you check out the Weather Channel to make sure.
There are some things about Convergence that are different from other conferences ... here's a quick glimpse.
C3 Dress Code --
Casual, Comfortable and Creative!
To help break the power-suit complex, we have a dress theme for each day. Here's the schedule for this year:
Sunday—Bright Beginnings (think flash and glitter)(All of this is completely optional, of course!)
Monday – Hats Off to Innovation (no hat is too weird)
Tuesday – T-Shirt Abondanza (the wearable bumper stickers of life)
Wednesday - Something green (after all this day is about measurement!)
No Gurus
This is a learning place where everyone is a learner and a teacher. While some folks have learned more lessons, when it comes to innovation, we don't believe anyone has all the answers. Sharing your experiences, ideas and information is a critical part of the Convergence learning process.
Gifting -- creates artifacts of Convergence
This fun custom started at the first Convergence. Each participant brings small tokens (corporate logo items, toys, or anything that represents who you are) to share with other attendees. It helps break the ice, promotes deeper connections and represents the sharing environment we try to build. We’ve seen everything from finger puppets to miners’ coveralls … from hats to stress balls … almost anything goes. However, remember that big bulky, heavy items are hard to pack. The picture above comes from the first Convergence when one attendee brought finger puppets, which were very popular.
Historically, we've found that about 25-35 of your "gifts" is enough to share with the people you make connections with.
No Sales Zone
Convergence is a learning place ... not a selling place. Relationship building, sharing and problem solving are encouraged ... selling is a conference taboo. A great deal of business comes out of Convergence but it is based upon the relationships built there, not hard sell tactics. If you feel that someone is breaking this custom, please tell the staff and we'll gently remind the person of the custom.
Convergence Agenda:
Sunday, September 26: Workshops
Sunday, September 26: 4:30 -- Opening Session - Conversations around Innovation
Monday, September 27: 8:00 - 5:30 -- General Sessions and Breakouts
Monday, Setpember 27: 6:00 - 7:30 -- Reception sponsored by SAP
Monday, September 27: 7:30 - ??? Movie Screening: What the Bleep Do We Know?
Tuesday, September 28: 7:45 - 5:00 -- General Sessions and Breakouts
Wednesday, September 29: 8:30 - 5:15 -- Measuring, Managing & Rewarding Innovation Symposium
Marriott City Center
30 South 7th Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Tel: 1-800-228-9290 (information only - not for registration)
Join innovation leaders (and beginners) from around the world in this unique sharing, learning and fun environment. The keynote speakers are cutting edge, the program is designed to give you take home value that you can share and learn, and the environment is designed to nurture you and send you back renewed with energy and new ideas, tools, and friends to call on in times of uncertainty.
Recent Comments