The "Unlocking the Innovative Mindset" Video Training Series offers a deep dive into the Six Keys to an Innovative Mindset, emphasizing essential skills for fostering innovation. This eight-part series features insights from faculty experts on critical aspects of innovation, including effective questioning, listening, creating a safe environment, courage, risk assessment, and trust-building. Designed to equip viewers with the knowledge to enhance creativity and collaborative problem-solving, the series is a valuable resource for organizations aiming to cultivate an innovative culture.

Learning Objectives

• Gain an awareness and understanding of the key elements of an innovation mindset, such as curiosity, creativity, listening, courage, risk-taking, and trust

• Develop practical techniques to foster critical thinking, generate fresh ideas, and overcome challenges that hinder innovation

• Acquire actionable skills in empathy, perspective-taking, and collaboration to better understand customer needs, adapt to market trends, and create a culture of innovation

• Cultivate confidence, resilience, and effective decision-making abilities to take responsible risks, influence stakeholders, and drive innovation within the organization

Video 1: The Power of an Innovative Mindset

Explores the concept of an innovative mindset, highlighting how mindset influences thoughts, behaviors, and actions. It contrasts fixed and growth mindsets, focusing on the importance of creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration, and introduces the 'Six Keys to Unlocking Innovation.'

A Conversation with Nancy Michael, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Behavior, College of Science, University of Notre Dame
Delves deeper into the unique characteristics of growth and innovative mindsets, and how they differ from a fixed mindset. Professor Nancy Michael draws on her background in neuroscience to explain the impact of deeply ingrained societal norms in the development of a fixed mindset. She describes the physical manifestations of having a fixed mindset when confronted with a new problem to solve and highlights the benefits of adopting an innovative mindset.

Video 2: The Power of Questions

Delves into the importance of questions, underlining how curiosity and creativity are driven by asking insightful questions. It introduces various question types to stimulate innovation and problem-solving, from open-ended to imaginative​​.

A Conversation with Amanda McKendree, Teaching Professor of Management & Organization, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame
Emphasizes the importance of asking new questions to understand your audience and their context. Professor Amanda McKendree notes that the act of pausing to reflect on what has been said, not said and the non-verbal clues is what leads to the discovery of deep insight that fuels creativity.

Video 3: The Power of Listening

Emphasizes the crucial role of effective listening, discussing various listening styles beneficial for innovators. It covers understanding emotions, perspectives, and the broader context of conversations for genuine empathy and insight​​.

A Conversation with Amanda McKendree, Teaching Professor of Management & Organization, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame
Explores the ethical responsibility of the listener and the various types of listening that come into play, particularly when perspectives different from your own are being expressed. Professor Amanda McKendree underscores that the goal is “learning or understanding”, not necessarily “agreement”.

Video 4: The Power of Safety

Highlights the multifaceted concept of safety in the workplace, including physical, cyber, environmental, and operational aspects, with a special focus on psychological safety. It elucidates how psychological safety fosters a secure, productive, and sustainable workplace environment​​.

A Conversation with Angela Logan, Associate Teaching Professor of Management & Organization, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame
This conversation with Professor Angela Logan centers around embracing and honoring our own and others’ uniqueness as a means of building a cohesive team, and unleashing its collective power. It describes the positive outcomes when team members feel safe, free to contribute ideas and play to their strengths.

Video 5: The Power of Courage

Focuses on the diverse aspects of courage in the innovation process, describing different types, including intellectual, emotional, moral, physical, social, and spiritual courage. It underscores the importance of recognizing and respectfully challenging belief systems and embracing continuous improvement and ethical practices​​.

A Conversation with Angela Logan, Associate Teaching Professor of Management & Organization, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame
All individuals, teams, organizations and societies have deeply held belief systems. This conversation with Professor Angela Logan delves into the skills, personal qualities and attributes that can help summon the courage to expose and respectfully challenge those beliefs or practices that are no longer effective or that limit our potential.

Video 6: The Power of Responsible Risk-Taking

Discusses the critical aspect of risk assessment in innovation, emphasizing the importance of understanding and managing various risk types. It underscores the need for due diligence in innovation, ensuring responsible decision-making and success​​.

A Conversation with Sam Miller, Teaching Professor of Management & Organization, Mendoza College of Business, University of Notre Dame
An in-depth discussion with futurist and professor, Sam Miller, about three key strategies for managing risk or uncertainty in the pursuit of potentially game-changing innovations. He also offers suggestions on how to build a culture of innovation into the DNA of an organization.

Video 7: The Power of Trust

Underlines the indispensable role of trust in innovation, defining key concepts of 'influence' and 'relationship.' It provides practical trust-building tips, focusing on honesty, transparency, and respect, which are essential for fostering collaboration and collective success​​.

A Conversation with Nancy Michael, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Behavior, College of Science, University of Notre Dame
This conversation with Professor Nancy Michael explores the foundational nature of trust and its essential role in team cohesion and collaboration. The discussion offers insight to leaders and team members into actions that help to earn trust and build an environment where all individuals have confidence to share ideas, contribute and develop to their full potential.

Video 8: Putting it All Together

Synthesizes the key elements of an innovative mindset, revisiting concepts like asking powerful questions, listening effectively, ensuring safety, having courage, taking risks responsibly, and building trust. It includes reflections from faculty on integrating these skills in the innovation process​​.

Voices from the Field - Faculty Messages
Each faculty member offers reflections on a particular element of the innovative mindset that, when facing new challenges, can illuminate a path forward. Their insights reinforce the need for everyone to adopt an innovative mindset and to foster a supportive culture of innovation that leads to dynamic growth and meaningful results.

Contact us at futuresgroup@nd.edu to participate in the program or to introduce it to your team or organization.