Dave, we do want to assist individuals in being ready to innovate, but what I mean when I say it’s not individual is that notion that one person will go away and come back with the new innovation shouldn’t be the expectation. As you point out, though, helping people develop the mindset and skills so they can interact effectively is part of it, certainly. And yes, there are specific techniques for group interaction that we can map more or less to the specific types of goals we desire. As I said, we need to understand what works (and what doesn’t!). And it’s not just embed innovation in the culture (saying it in a Miranda org just isn’t going to make a difference), it’s change the culture to be an innovation-friendly org. Which includes the elements you mention, model it, develop it, support it, reward it.

At an individual level, we’re looking for specific attitudes (eg risk tolerance) and skills (eg systems thinking) that promote innovation. We’re also looking for individuals to support other individuals. This is where good coaching and peer support come into play.

At a group level we need specific tools and processes that provide the scaffolding for innovation to take place. Things like Gamestorming, HCD and Future Search come to mind. Note that these processes will fail to deliver if the individuals involved don’t have the right attitudes and skills.

Finally at the organizational level, we need to recognize that simply sprinkling the term “innovation” liberally through a strategic plan (I’ve seen this) is not sufficient. I think there are 5 things organizations need to do to embed innovation into their culture. In no particular order, the organization needs to celebrate it, reward it, train for it, make space for it, and demonstrate it, from the top down.

I’ve lots more to say, but I’ll leave it there for now.