Cultures of Innovation

A Framework for Thriving Organizations

Goals for our Session• Understand the challenges and barriers to 

innovation and learn how other organizations have successfully overcome them.

• Discover your true organizational culture and identify the aspects of that are currently supporting innovation and those that may be hindering it.

• Take home resources to help you create cultures that foster innovation, thoughtful experimentation and adoption of effective programs and practices.

Cabinet Charge

LeadingAge and its members must have a culture that fosters innovation, thoughtful

experimentation, and ensures that effective programs and practices are adopted. Through members’ long history of innovation in aging

services, the not-for-profit sector has been – and 9s expected to be – the crucible of creativity and

entrepreneurship to meet consumer’s ever-changing needs.

Cabinet Members

Leadership Academy

• Member Site Visits• Action Learning Projects

Innovations Fund

The LeadingAge Innovations Fund is designed to catalyze innovation among our members to 

develop programs that have the potential for demonstrable impact on residents, clients, 

families, employees or the broader community and have the potential for replication.

Barriers to Innovation

Table Conversations

• Why do you think innovation is important to your organization?

• In what ways do you see your board most involved in your organization’s innovation?  In what ways might they become more involved?

• What do you see are the keys to maintaining a disciplined culture that supports innovation?

• How do you and will you evaluate progress?

Conversation Debrief

• What surprised you?• What will you take home?

Additional Questions to Take Home

• How do you think you can best attain total organizational commitment?  What are some examples that have worked for you?

• Who do you see are the biggest champions of innovation within your organization?  What about them makes them good at this?

• What do you see as the most effective platforms for collaboration within your organization?

• How do you currently reward/recognize staff?  How might you do so in the future?

• What do you see are the best ways to make it safe for staff to take risks?

CABINET MEMBER EXAMPLES

North Hill

Evangelical Homes of Michigan

EMA

For More Resources…

http://www.leadingage.org/innovations.aspx

And Remember…

Innovation is in the eye of the beholder. Not everything is nor has to be Thomas Edison and

the light bulb.-Unknown