# Presentation: 365500

## Unlocking a Culture of Innovation: unleashing a generation of innovators who lead “from the middle”!

**CAPT Geoff Abbott   (Chief, Quality & Management Effectiveness; Chairman, Coast Guard Innovation Council)**

*Given at  NOAA  Leadership Seminar Aug 26, 2004, *

## Admiral Thomas H. Collins

- Commandant, United States Coast Guard

*Aggressively reinforce our stewardship of the public trust. *

*“****Inspire a culture of innovation and process change, and ensure the creative infusion of technology in all mission areas to enhance productivity and reduce workload, while driving toward quality outcomes.”***

**Notes:**
The Coast Guard’s top leadership including our Commandant, ADM Collins, and our Chief of Staff, VADM Allen, are strong supporters of innovation and leveraging technology to better perform our missions.

## Philosophy

- “The Coast Guard recognizes the potential of the individual to solve key organizational challenges through the ingenious application of existing resources focused and applied towards the many and diverse challenges facing the organization...”

## Why?

- To create a highly energized work force with an amazing ability to resolve challenges and create opportunities at all levels!
- To “Accelerate the Future” – despite fiscal, program & personnel stovepipes and constraints!
-  Benefits: improved morale & retention, recruiting talent, increased productivity & improved service to our ultimate customer – the American public

**Notes:**
CG members knowing individually and collectively they can truly “make a difference”,

## What?

- Promote an innovative culture that entertains fresh ideas to resolve organizational challenges
- Infuse innovation & risk-based decision making as a cultural tenet
- Promote enabling technology for significant productivity and efficiency gains
- Champion innovative solutions to Program Managers for enterprise-wide implementation

## How?

- Use the collective knowledge of the work force to address challenges closest to those who are most familiar with the problems and potential solutions
- Encourage maximum use of “distributed leadership”, to capitalize on the experience and motivation found at _*ALL*_ levels of the organization.  Encourage our people to “lead from the middle”

## Leading from the Middle:Corporate Leadership Competencies

- Vision, Strategies, Guiding Principles – Communicating them: Make sure your people “Get It”
- Develop and nurture a Culture that Embraces Change and Innovation
- Corporate “Info-share” – How are we doing?  Alignment!
- Building Organizational Trust – Encouragement of Calculated Risk-Taking and Mistake Tolerance
- “Grow the Team” – Lifelong Organizational Learning
- Leadership Credibility – Walk the Talk
- Recognize/Reward Change Efforts – Even Some Unsuccessful Ones!

## Leading from the Middle:Strategies for Creating a Culture that Accepts/Expects Change

- True Empowerment/Accountability for Results
-        - Info-Sharing-Information is most powerful when shared
-        - Risk Management- Operate “Inside the Box”
- “ Waterline Philosophy of Risk Management” & Mistake Tolerance - Situation Empowerment
-        - Working from “Yes” to “No”
-        - Accountability
- TQM – “Team” Quality Management – the value of relationships
- Personal/Organization Recognition

## Leading from the Middle:Individual Leadership Competencies

- Understand Organizational Goals and Values – the “big” and “little” pictures – Sequin Lighthouse
- Be Proactive and Innovative
- Build the Business Case – based on facts!
- Overcome Obstacles thru P3 – Perspective, Personal Courage and Persistence
- Judgment – Taking Calculated Risks
- Team Play
- Continual Thirst for Knowledge, Lifelong Learning

## Leading from the Middle:Strategies You Can Use to Lead Change – Wherever you are in the organization

- Become an expert – Charlie Pugh
- Honestly Assess Benefits, Costs and Risk of Proposals
- Network/Team/Partner for Success
-        - When Stakeholders don’t “play well with others”
- Find a Mentor or Champion
- Prototype the Model or Change – R&D
- Use a Third Party or Consultant to “Market” Your Initiative to Decision Makers
- “Bootlegging” – Finding “unofficial” resources – 3M
- Be “Intelligently Persistent”
- Begging Forgiveness vs. Asking Permission – It’s amazing what you can initiate when nobody says “No”

## So What? – does it really make a difference?

- Can the efforts of individuals truly influence the actions of an entire organization?

**Notes:**
Power of CG/Govt, CG/Industry partnerships
Criticality of clearly conveying govt requirements so industry can focus its extensive resources & efforts (saves time and $)
Chief of Staff proclamation that all Innovation Awards would be reviewed by process owners who would develop implementation strategies or explain why they should not implement initiatives – bias for positive action!
Identify members of the “Innovation Community”

## Leading from the Middle:True Stories: Change Agents in Action!

- “David vs Goliath” – A  GS-12 Environmental Change Agent takes on the Navy Bureaucracy to Create Win-Win
- “Monopoly – NOT!” – A single GS-12 Real Property specialist Challenges Traditional Practices to Lighthouse Management Creating Win  Cubed!!
- “Ivy League” Comes to the Work Place – A Mid-grade CG Officer initiates a Results-Focused Program which hundreds are using to earn masters degrees while saving the taxpayers millions – WIN to the Fourth!!!

## So What? – does it really make a difference?

- How do you avoid Innovation for Innovation’s sake and align efforts with organizational goals?

**Notes:**
Power of CG/Govt, CG/Industry partnerships
Criticality of clearly conveying govt requirements so industry can focus its extensive resources & efforts (saves time and $)
Chief of Staff proclamation that all Innovation Awards would be reviewed by process owners who would develop implementation strategies or explain why they should not implement initiatives – bias for positive action!
Identify members of the “Innovation Community”

## Innovation Expo Purpose

- Capture and Share Efforts (CG, Govt Agencies & Industry)
- Identify Proven Practices
- Elevate Best Ideas to Decision Makers
- Present Innovation Awards – energize innovators, implementers and Commands
- Create a culture that thrives on constructive change - Involve Everyone!

**Notes:**
Power of CG/Govt, CG/Industry partnerships
Criticality of clearly conveying govt requirements so industry can focus its extensive resources & efforts (saves time and $)
Chief of Staff proclamation that all Innovation Awards would be reviewed by process owners who would develop implementation strategies or explain why they should not implement initiatives – bias for positive action!
Identify members of the “Innovation Community”

## Innovation Expo 2004Innovation Awards (Innovators & Implementers)

- Science and Technology
- Operational Readiness
- Admin, Training and Support
- Management
-  Boat Spec Café   Damage Control University    CG Central    CG Web Search
-     Differential LORAN             Integrated Application of Search Patterns
-  Tracking Hazardous Cargo w/GIS        Activity-Based Costing Model
-                   ALMIS Analytics---Web-based Decisioning Capability

**Notes:**
Recognition of individuals and teams
Incentive for commands creating an environment at their unit that encourages and supports those who proactively challenge the status quo with constructive initiatives.

## Growing Culture with Innovation Labs:   CG/National Graduate School Partnership

- 12 mo. MS in Quality Systems Mgmt
- Masters Business Project vs Thesis
- Team-based vs Individual Projects/Thesis
- Actual Work vs Theory
- Requires Tangible Results
- 2002/03 - New England
- 27 Coast Guard Graduate Students (Mar 03)
- Active Duty, Reservists & Civilians
- Boston, AirSta Cape Cod & Portland, Maine

**Notes:**
Quality Systems Mgmt – Activity-Based Costing, Baldrige Performance Excellence Criteria, Six Sigma, Benchmarking, Project Mgmt, Financial Systems....

## New England NGS Projects

- Mariners Credentials                                                 $85K
-        (90% cycle time reduction)
-  Foam Buoy Repair                                                   $62K
-        (avoided funding shortfall)
- Cutter Fleet Readiness                                             $4.8M
-        (capability improvement - reduction of lost
-        cutter days due to maintenance casualties)
- Canadian/US Port Inspections                                  $24K
-        (time saved due to redundancy of  US &
-        Canadian port inspections – re-invested to
-        meet MSTA requirements)

## New England NGS Projects (Cont.)

- Housing Inventory Control System                   $150K
-        (savings in spare parts & warehouse
-        space reductions)
-  Aviation Maint. Error Trend Analysis             $2.2M
-        (avoided aviation mishaps/casualties)
- Aviation Law Enforcement IT                          $1.7M
-       Notebook PC  (500% improvement in
-        Law Enforcement sightings effectiveness)
- Total Value – Capability enhancement,
-        Cost avoidance & Savings                       $9M+

- LDC (9)-Grads! 6/03	HQ     9/03 (38)   West Palm 11/03 (1)
- ARSC	(37)	9/03	Boston 6/03 (1)
- April 2004 Sites:  120+ Students: 35-45 Teams Baltimore        HQ     Ballston         VA Tidewater
-        San Francisco      Petaluma       San Diego
- Sept 2004 Sites: Est. 100 Students: 30 Teams
- Miami        Honolulu      Topeka      CGHQ     AR&SC
- Supporting Initiatives:
-     Scholarships available via Innovation Council ($2000)
-     Strategic “seeding” of project ideas (PMA, DHS
-         Initiatives, CG Priorities, OMB PART Review)

## How Are We Doing? – Progress Chart

|  | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| # Innovations      Implemented | * | * | * | * |
| #Expo Exhibits
    CG/Total | 38 | 65 | 108 | 243 |
| Expo Attendance | 200 | 500 | 900 | 1400 |
| # Award Submissions | --- | --- | 20 | 54 |
| # CG/NGS Innovation Teams Initiated | --- | 7 | 26 | 65
By 9/04 |
| New NGS Students enrolled | --- | 27 | 86 | 200
By 9/04 |
| Org. Survey: Innovation (+) Response | --- | 44% | --- | 50% |

## * Impact:  Innovation Results/Initiatives

- Cutters provided computer connectivity 24x7
- Electronic Unit Travel System  (travel claims)
- Eliminated time consuming situation reports by operational units and command centers
- Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) – developed for boarding officers, aviators, logistics
- Coast Guard Portal: won international IT award
- Innovation Awards for Innovators **AND** Implementers – reviewed for broad implementation
- 36 Innovation Revolutionaries graduated, 200 in progress, plans for up to 200 graduates per year
-          ...and many others

**Notes:**
Footnote.... While moving the agency from DOT to DHS and working diligently to improve maritime security of our ports and waterways.

- DISCUSSION/QUESTIONS
- CAPT Geoff Abbott – Chief, Quality & Management Effectiveness; Chairman, Innovation Council (_[gabbott@comdt.uscg.mil](mailto:gabbott@comdt.uscg.mil)__, 202-267-2353)_

- Unlocking a Culture of Innovation:
- Leading from the Middle!