Innovation is an abstract concept, how to turn innovation training into practical results? What are the benefits innovation and change program brings to different management level?

Current high-end interview guests is a master trainer, through the "innovation and learning development" and a series of courses, he assists many well-known organizations, outstanding managers and professionals to achieve breakthrough growth, chairman of the ICT Singapore, a former Chairman of International Professional Trainers Association Singapore and China famous business school (Beijing university and Fudan university) CEO classes teacher, he is Chen Qingxin (James Chin) from Singapore. Let's review in this release carefully, how he assists world fortune 500 enterprises save $5 million in six months through the "innovation and change" training transformation, what exactly the secret?

1. Vision: Hello James! Thank you for your precious time for this interview. We hope that through the following ten questions for career in HR management and the manager's friends bring more in-depth understanding of innovation, and help to the development of enterprises and individuals. First of all, the first question is about "innovation", it is just a concept, are abstract, can't see, can’t touch. According to your experience, how does the practice of the innovation training course benefits?

James: This is a common issue of concern. The implementation of innovative practice is required four key links: cognitive - skills - implementation - field exercise. Is like the four legs of a table, the lack of any one may cause the collapse of the table.

About the importance of the innovation system of the first four practice, you can use an example to illustrate: an innovation at the end of the training courses, one senior cadres student said to me: "before the similar content of courses, the teacher speaks well, also gave a lot of cases, but when it is applied the feeling is the course is vary with our actual situation, which makes learning always stagnant in concept level, the problem is not solved. But your innovation of the course is like a 'thinking gymnasium, each trainee from entering the classroom, he began to examine himself, and find out the core position of the need to "exercise ", and using the tools of your teaching method, with two days and you can really learn to accomplish specific' homework '." Thus, knowledge and skills of learning must be combined with field practice. We examine "fitness" by ourselves, "see" other "fitness" (case) can't let oneself become strong, must be taken seriously, grasp and practice each innovation thinking tool, until get the answer.

2. Vision: so specifically, what is the pre-requirement to adopt "innovation and change"?

James: let me do a metaphor. The seeds of innovation, from the "concept" to the "fruit" of the harvest, need to continuously watering and fertilizing, we call this process "change", so the innovation is inseparable from the change. Causality is like the waves of the sea and water can't be divided. Innovation is part of the change, change is part of the innovation.

In recent years, we found that the domestic enterprises to change the innovation of training and consulting in rising demand, from the perspective of customer group, sorting, found that it is revolving the enterprise merger and acquisition, internal restructuring, achieve rapid development, solve the new problems, develop new market, update, competitive advantages, etc., they reflect the needs of four different stages: companies seek innovation breakthrough solution is the need of strategic level (more); Assist in preparation for the leader to organize the implementation of innovative concepts (need more is how to lead change);

In the process of implementation of innovation to maintain stable and harmonious, and to ensure innovation execution and team collaboration (change is more tactical ability and management innovation process requirements); Fostering innovation thinking become a habit and culture throughout the enterprise overall. Training objectives can be divided into three categories: to create value and the others haven't the products and services; Optimization of the status quo, through the establishment of more perfect, more convenient and save resources or product service advantage breakthrough; Haven't dealt with entirely new problems.

3. Vision: according to your coaching and consulting experience, what’s the difference in terms of “innovation and change” between domestic organization and the organization in other Asian countries?

James: I think this is mainly embodied in the aspect of management paradigm shift. In the rapid development of the market economy society, human resource is the key to realize the goal of organization. Although each year more than millions of college graduates in talent market, but still "recruit suitable talents" is always take great pains to organization human resources managers.

To achieve the short term, the quickest and the most common method is to headhunt the other companies’ managers with rich experiences. But a second question is, when those with different corporate culture blood elite, especially the decision-making roles of managers, meet together, it is easy to appear culture conflict across the organization. This is a common and special phenomenon in the organization in China. To address this challenge, you can take through the guidance of "innovation and change" training we use objective point of view to cognitive, thinking, and deal with the problem, so as to shorten the running-in time within the organization, reduce unnecessary loss of talent, and build a harmonious consistent organizational culture.

4. Vision: we thought more innovation and change can only appear in the technology industry technical post, or more consist in product research and development. But have you ever been to guide according to our understanding of many well-known enterprises from different industries, different types, the benefit of students also covers different areas, please talk about the "innovation and change" is applicable to all industries and jobs?

James: many people have such an error, think that innovation is built around technology. As mentioned earlier, innovation is a systematic mode of thinking, can help in various fields, including products and services, different types of businesses and individuals to improve work efficiency. For example, can help the listed company management through innovative thinking to develop business solutions, improve business model, to strengthen the strategic position;

Can help the central enterprises in the short term to achieve the economic benefits of the company soared; Can help the foreign capital enterprise, can make the key personnel to better cooperate with the latest industry policy, response to market shocks, establish enterprise market positioning; Can help private production-oriented enterprise product development engineer in lower cost under the premise of improving the quality of products, through product features simplicity and scalable to win more market share, "impossible" to complete the task quickly; Can also help the state-owned old service-oriented businesses reshape the key personnel in the company competitive advantage, build enterprise innovation culture and promote the sustainable development of the enterprise.

Visible, innovation mode is just like a man's skeleton, according to the different needs of enterprises to adjust the corresponding tools, asked the participants to make flesh plump, and then to eventually form a healthy people "face", with different character and utility.

5. Vision: innovation and change to the different level of enterprise management can bring different help?

James: according to the difference of character, different level managers must be different to the requirement of innovation and change. For example, top managers generally prefer to strategic innovation, including how to improve enterprise value, open up new markets, channels, source of income and strategic partners, play a key resource, cost structure, etc, thus to enterprises to a higher strategic level. The demand of middle managers prefer to how to effectively implement the strategy and solve the problem of individual in the field of management, such as marketing, sales, human resource development and management, quality, production, and so on.

6. Vision: From your interpretation, we seem to "innovation" can be understood that everyone can master through focus on thinking skills, and is not abstract and distant, so, in fact, it really does not need to be a creative talent to achieve?

James: innovation is a skill, each normal people who is capable of thinking can learn and master. The key point is not "have", but in the "ready". According to the previous training experience, a lot of habit engineers trained slant to the left brain thinking and analysis can be sewn up in two days to grasp and develop the innovative ideas to solve the problem, of course, if you are a subjective resistance to the skills, this way, even when you are clever and creative sales staff can't master this skills that can benefit the a person’s life time. Therefore, as long as you are open minded, always willing to accept and try and giving in persistent efforts, everyone who is capable of normal thinking can become an "innovative architect".

7. Vision: What is the common challenges for enterprise managers in facing the development of innovation, restructuring and rapid growth?

James: there are two things to note: to assist the team in each member "settle" down the heart, at the same time proposes clear vision for everyone.

Implementing innovation for enterprises will encounter employee's resistance, especially for those working life with more than 8 to 10 years, they have generally built a "comfort zone" in the psychological sense, and not willing to change the status quo.

In the process of implementation of innovative change, once need to break their original "comfort zone", this will make them fear of the unknown, doubt and guess. Although it is a normal phenomenon, but negative emotions will greatly affect the team's executive ability and creativity, affect the team and trust between enterprises, leading to low morale and brain drain.

For the change to the enterprise, the enterprise top managers shall well communicate prior to implementing change to minimizing the negative impact, make the team and staff aware of: innovation is necessary and the only way to change, so as to guide people with positive thinking and attitude to cope with change and teach the workers necessary skills in the process of innovation. Sometimes, many enterprises also use external trainers from neutral point for guiding effect.

Managers must also realize the truth of the innovation. Innovation is not a destination, but a journey. Therefore, the enterprise leaders must see beyond and make innovation. For example, a foreign enterprise wants to consolidate their market leadership and further planning. They realized the necessity of "innovation" as process, so the company under the help guide to innovation training, implemented a series of innovation execution plan, in the different stages of 6-12 months penetrating innovation concept and instilled new habits for the entire company. In the process, the enterprise internal and external parties, from the highest level of leadership to the lowest level of employees are attending the related skills training, and make the effort to promote the establishment of the innovation culture;

At the same time, the establishment of innovative member of the group responsible for monitoring, measurement and promote the innovation in six different horizontal task (marketing, operations management, personnel management, product development, customer service, strategic mode). Eventually make the enterprise every employee the innovation way as part of the work and life and gradually formed the enterprise culture of innovation.

Thus, in the process of innovation or high-speed development, enterprises must pay attention to team in the corresponding ability, thinking, the change of mindset and assist its stability, and to support sustainable behavior change.

8. Vision: What are the problems an enterprise in the process of innovation boost for high-speed development shall pay special attention to?

James: There are a lot of problems should pay attention to, but I think the most important thing is to focus on the ultimate goal of innovation and vision. Only with a clear goal, energy to focus, innovation can be implemented. I recall one of the foreign enterprise China CEO that I have interviewed prior to conduct the innovation and change training, I asked him what is his vision and results he wants to see after the success of the training? He said "I would like to see the company managers' able to be proactive thinking". Later I learned that the company had been original losses for five years, the company hope that employees can learn to "actively thinking about how to profit". Presumably these are the key words that were not communicate clearly lead to them to do a series of training years ago without getting satisfied effect.

So I guided by "profit" for the training goal, the design innovation of the courses, the effect is very significant, finally the students work out a plan for the company's profit and blueprint, the fate of the company development quickly reversed. We can see from this example, clear vision and goals will help managers focus on energy more effectively in the busy, outwit benefit from key things. As management guru Peter Drucker said: "do the right thing is more important than doing things right!"

9. Vision: Are you one of the projects in cooperation with CIIC in the international professional trainer certification course is injected into the concept of innovation, and a high market perception, what do you think of the enterprise HR can learn from the project to which the essence to import enterprise human resources development work?

James: the success of the course, of course, thanks to the project team and everyone's "heart". How the enterprise human resources managers of human resources development of more effective? The answer is: the heart! Avoid to do training for training.

Every meaningful for talent training must be able to identify key figures (enterprise customers, students, student services) and changing demand, for learning into valuable soul, through innovative solutions and teaching means to teach them how to put the human resource development to a higher level, will make them feel proud for this job and more meaningful.

Understand customer requirements into the transformation and continuous innovative elements is also the course to keep strong and the essence of life. Each lesson we are innovative and ascend. So students after graduation came back to assist and/or attend refreshing course, often ask me: "teacher, why every time I hear something different?" While my answer is: "no one leg can step into the same river."

In fact, we this course was originally developed to help human resource managers and experienced professional managers in retirement or consider career transition of taking into account other factors such as the training design and development. However, we found that in the process of teaching, transfer of thinking and wisdom which helped students made positive transformation is far beyond the effect and influential than the teaching skills, inspire span greater career transition target. According to statistics, only 10% - 10% of the students after graduation in the training market has become a very outstanding trainer, more other students is not can't become a trainer, but because the innovation breakthrough and thinking pattern of change to let them in the workplace won a very good promotion and development space, our training to be a turning point in their life.

10. Vision: at the end of this interview, you still have what valuable Suggestions can be left to the reader?

James: for enterprises: from ancient to now, there is the only constant is "change". To accelerate the change of market environment in the 21st century, innovation and change is the enterprise survival and sustainable development path. Take the initiative to change much better than passive change. Create a keep enterprise organic sensitive response and development of the ecological environment, is toward to the goal of every enterprise.

To personally: even though we do everything may encounter obstacles and challenges, but we need to ask ourselves not whether "can do", but "is it worth doing," as long as it is worthwhile, focus thinking, you will find the answer. Like ford's founder engineer design V6 engine, it's impossible to run it for the time of the technology, but when the engineer said after the "impossible" words but instantly by ford counter back: "What I want to hear is not is it possible, but in what ways we could design a V6 engine!" So engineers in cracking their brains thinking about a week later, finally invented the V6 engine. Thinking decision destiny! Everyone's greatest asset and wealth is his own thinking, interesting is, however, the scientists found that most people only use less than 10% of the ability to think, so we should play to their potential strength unceasingly, the innovation thinking, for themselves, for the enterprise, for the society, for the country, to create a better future for the development of human beings, believe that you will be proud of their contribution and proud!

Vision: Thanks James for your sharing, starting from this issue, we will open a column to teacher James, specific to the general reader friends to share his rich experience in the field of innovation, how to change through innovation to assist companies in different fields to obtain breakthrough improvement. Please concern the CIIC vision teacher James Chin column.

Some people see change as a threat, while others are taking advantage of changing dynamic. 

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