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Student Workbook
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BSBINN301 Promote innovation in

a team environment
Part of a suite of support materials for the
BSB Business Services Training Package
1st Edition 2015
Acknowledgement
Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council (IBSA) would like to acknowledge
HASCOM Pty Ltd for their assistance with the development of The resource for
BSBINN301A.
BSBINN301A Writer: Kensington Budgewater, Kevin Dwyer, Murray Cree
BSBINN301A Industry reviewer: Peter Veal (Corporate Partners)
Updated for BSBINN301 by IBSA (2015)
Copyright and Trade Mark Statement
2015 Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd
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All rights reserved. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, Innovation and Business Industry Skills Council Ltd (IBSA).
Use of this work for purposes other than those indicated above, requires the prior written permission of IBSA. Requests
should be addressed to Products and Services Manager, IBSA, Level 11, 176 Wellington Pde, East Melbourne VIC 3002 or
email sales@ibsa.org.au.
Innovation and Business Skills Australia, IBSA and the IBSA logo are trade marks of IBSA.
Disclaimer
Care has been taken in the preparation of the material in this document, but, to the extent permitted by law, IBSA and the
original developer do not warrant that any licensing or registration requirements specified in this document are either
complete or up-to-date for your State or Territory or that the information contained in this document is error-free or fit for
any particular purpose. To the extent permitted by law, IBSA and the original developer do not accept any liability for any
damage or loss (including loss of profits, loss of revenue, indirect and consequential loss) incurred by any person as a result
of relying on the information contained in this document.
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The information is provided on the basis that all persons accessing the information contained in this document undertake
responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. If this information appears online, no responsibility is
taken for any information or services which may appear on any linked websites, or other linked information sources, that are
not controlled by IBSA. Use of versions of this document made available online or in other electronic formats is subject to the
applicable terms of use.
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To the extent permitted by law, all implied terms are excluded from the arrangement under which this document is purchased
from IBSA, and, if any term or condition that cannot lawfully be excluded is implied by law into, or deemed to apply to, that
arrangement, then the liability of IBSA, and the purchasers sole remedy, for a breach of the term or condition is limited, at
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(b)
if the breach relates to services: (i) re-supplying; or (ii) paying the cost of re-supplying, the services.
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(a)
Published by: Innovation and Business Industry First published: May 2015
Skills Council Ltd
1st edition version: 1
Level 11
Release date: May 2015
176 Wellington Parade
East Melbourne VIC 3002
Phone: +61 3 9815 7000
Fax: +61 3 9815 7001
Email: reception@ibsa.org.au
www.ibsa.org.au
ISBN: 978-1-925123-96-8
Stock code: BSBINN3011W
Table of Contents
Introduction .........................................................................................................................1
Features of the training program .................................................................................1
Structure of the training program ................................................................................1
About the Student Workbook .......................................................................................1
Further reading .............................................................................................................2
Section 1 Defining Innovation .........................................................................................3
What skills will you need? ............................................................................................3
What is innovation? ......................................................................................................3
Types of innovation .................................................................................................... 10
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Innovation tools ......................................................................................................... 14

Innovation at work ..................................................................................................... 15
Innovation in Australia ............................................................................................... 17
Section summary ....................................................................................................... 17
Further reading .......................................................................................................... 17
Section checklist ........................................................................................................ 18
Section 2 Innovation Skills ........................................................................................... 19
What skills will you need? ......................................................................................... 19
Innovative attitudes and behaviours ........................................................................ 19
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Creativity techniques ................................................................................................. 28

Communication techniques ...................................................................................... 33
Problem-solving techniques ...................................................................................... 36
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Decision-making techniques ..................................................................................... 38

Further reading .......................................................................................................... 40
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Section 3 Supporting Innovation ................................................................................. 41

What skills will you need? ......................................................................................... 41
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Principles and guidelines .......................................................................................... 41

Systems and structures............................................................................................. 43
Continuous improvement methods .......................................................................... 44
Develop teams ........................................................................................................... 50
Review processes ...................................................................................................... 54
Section summary ....................................................................................................... 59
Further reading .......................................................................................................... 59
Glossary ............................................................................................................................ 60
Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 61
Appendix 1: Project plan............................................................................................ 61
Appendix 2: Work schedule ....................................................................................... 63
Appendix 3: Answers to select learning activities .................................................... 64
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Student Workbook
Introduction
Introduction
Welcome to this unit of competency Promote innovation in a team environment. This
unit is about how you can be more innovative in the Australian workplace.
Features of the training program

The key features of this program are the:
Student Workbook Self-paced learning activities to help you to understand key
concepts and terms. The Student Workbook is broken down into several sections.
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Facilitator-led sessions Challenging and interesting learning activities that can be
completed in the classroom or by distance learning that will help you consolidate
and apply what you have learned in the Student Workbook.
Assessment Tasks Summative assessments where you can apply your new skills
and knowledge to solve authentic workplace tasks and problems.
Structure of the training program
The learning material focuses on defining, developing and supporting innovation. This
workbook includes the following sections:
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1. Defining Innovation This section deals with the definitions of innovation and
provides a framework for the types of innovation you will encounter in the
workplace. It also provides some background on Australias place in an innovative
world.
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2. Innovation Skills This section will provide you with some skills and ideas for being
more innovative in the workplace.
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3. Supporting Innovation The final section of the Student Workbook examines some
of the systems and structures that will assist your workplace to be more innovative.
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This material takes as a given that innovation must occur at all levels and areas of
operation of the organisation and that you and your colleagues are (or soon will be) key
agents of this innovation.
About the Student Workbook

Each section of this Student Workbook contains a number of learning activities to support
and consolidate your reading and research and help you to develop effective presentation
skills. You will gain most from these by reading each section and completing the activities
in prior to attending your group session, where you will undertake group activities to
extend and consolidate your skills.
BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment


Page 1 of 65
Introduction
Student Workbook
Innovation & Business Skills Australia has licensed the use of over 200 video vignettes
from the Channel 9 television program, Your Business Success. The videos have been
carefully selected and embedded into relevant learning and assessment resources in
order to assist education providers and students in the learning process.
Each video is accompanied by a learning activity. Videos can be found on IBSAs YouTube
channel at <http://www.youtube.com/ibsachannel>.
Further reading
Please note that any URLs contained in the recommended reading, learning content and
learning activities of this publication were checked for currency during the production
process. Note, however, IBSA cannot vouch for the ongoing currency of URLs.
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Every endeavour has been made to provide a full reference for all web links. Where URLs
are not current, we recommend using the reference information provided to search for
the source in your chosen search engine.

Page 2 of 65

Student Workbook
Section 1 Defining Innovation

This section is about the definitions of innovation and provides and explains the types of
innovation you will encounter in the workplace. It also provides some background on
Australias place in an innovative world.
Scenario: Welcome to your new workplace
Paul just started work at his new workplace. He has just finished his schooling and is
full of enthusiasm about what he can achieve at work.
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He has just met his team leader and manager. They inform Paul that as a business they
pride themselves on their innovation. They say that its what separates them from their
competitors and they expect Paul to be innovative.
Paul can see that this is going to be different. Even though he is in an entry level
position, his team leader asks for his opinion on important things at work. But he needs
to do some research and get his head around what innovation is exactly
We will need to define innovation before we can look at developing and supporting
innovation.
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What skills will you need?
What is innovation?
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Before you can innovate effectively at work, you must have some knowledge about the
following concepts.
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Types and levels of innovation
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Innovation at work 1
Innovation in Australia.
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What is innovation?
Innovation is a term that is often used interchangeably with things like invention,
continuous improvement, creativity or just thinking differently. Since the focus of this unit
is on innovation at work, however, the following definition provides a good starting point.
Innovation is a process by which an idea or invention is translated into a good or
service for which people will pay. To be called an innovation, an idea must be
replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy a specific need.
Innovation: definition, Business Dictionary, viewed May 2015,

<http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/innovation.html>.


Page 3 of 65
Student Workbook
When defining innovation in a work context, the needs of the customer are always a key
consideration. The innovation has to be providing a benefit or value to the customer. This
includes both external and internal customers.
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Innovation must benefit your customers
Learning activity: Innovation
Search the internet to find some definitions of innovation and write down some ideas
on what innovation means to you below.
You may want to try looking up some terms that are commonly used as synonyms for
innovation such as:
thinking outside of the box/square
invention
left brain/right brain
creativity.
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lateral thinking

Page 4 of 65

Student Workbook
Its all about adding value

Hopefully, one thing that you noticed about most definitions of innovation you have found
is that they focus on addressing customer needs or adding value for the customer. An
innovation must either:
Add
value
or
Eliminate
waste
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Learning activity: Meeting customer needs

Search the internet for innovators. You may want to have a look at this link:
<http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/magazine/content/10_17/b4175034779697
.htm>, viewed May 2015.
Pick two of these innovators and identify what makes them innovative. Answer the
following questions about each innovator.
1. Who are their customers? (Consider both internal and external customers).
2. What need does the innovation meet for those customers?
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For example: Dell computers customers are home and business computer buyers and
Dells direct to the customer innovation ensures that customers get high quality
custom computers at a very competitive price.


Page 5 of 65
Student Workbook
Innovation versus invention

There can be a lot of confusion between innovation and invention.
An invention is a new configuration, composition of matter, device, or process. Some
inventions are based on pre-existing models or ideas and others are radical
breakthroughs. Innovations are inventions that become common in usage and may be
a major breakthrough or have a minor impact.
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Both innovation and invention involve the development of something new, but the term
innovation is becoming increasingly popular. Additionally, innovation tends to cover a
broader scope than invention. Invention tends to be thought of as the design and creation
of new products.
Invention is (mostly) a subset of innovation
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Note: not all innovations are inventions and not all inventions are innovations. For
example, someone could invent something completely new but completely useless: an
invention without innovation.
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The ultimate measure of innovation is market share.
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Learning activity: Great inventions
Review these websites and find three great inventions that interest you.
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National Inventors Hall of Fame, viewed May 2015, <http://www.invent.org>.

White Hat, The White Hat Guide to Australian Inventions, Discoveries &
Innovations, White Hat, viewed May 2015,

<http://www.whitehat.com.au/australia/inventions/InventionsA.html>.
List them here:

Page 6 of 65

Student Workbook
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These inventions are now taken for granted. How would life be different if these were
not available?
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There are a lot of inventions that are not on this list and are relatively unknown. Would
they be regarded as innovations? Why?


Page 7 of 65
Student Workbook
Innovative people
You can probably think of a number of innovative people. Maybe some of these people
are notable or maybe they are just people that you know personally, but they all have
some things in common.
They see things differently.
They define problems differently.
They can disregard common assumptions.
Learning activity: Innovators in business

Some innovative business people include:
Steve Jobs (Apple)
Akio Morita (Sony)
Richard Drew and William McKnight (3M)
Michael Dell (Dell)
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James Dyson (Dyson)
Ray Kroc (McDonalds)
Alec Issigonis (The Mini)
Kiichiro and Eiji Toyoda (Toyota).
If you are unfamiliar with the innovator, you can do a search for them on Wikipedia
<http://www.wikipedia.org>.
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What did they (or their companies) do that was unique and innovative?

Page 8 of 65

Student Workbook
The world would be a lot less interesting without innovators. They have learned to see
things differently and think about problems differently, which helps them produce insights
and solutions more effectively.
However, you can also learn to be more innovative.
Puzzle: Nine dots
You have probably seen this nine dots problem before.
Starting from any point, draw four continuous lines (without lifting the pen) so that each
of the nine dots has at least one line running through it.
But before you start, think about the following.
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How would an innovative person approach it?

What questions would they ask?
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What assumptions would they make (or disregard)?
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You can search the internet to try and find some solutions. They are easy to find since it
is a well-known problem.
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Incidentally, this puzzle is considered to be the origin of the phrase thinking outside of
the square.
Did you ask questions? For example:
Do you have to treat the dots as points?
Can I crumple up the paper?


Page 9 of 65
Student Workbook
Types of innovation
Now that we have a better understanding of innovation, innovators and being innovative,
lets investigate and classify some of the different kinds of innovation.
Evolutionary vs. revolutionary innovations

Innovations can be incremental, life-altering, or somewhere in between. Some
innovations have resulted in huge changes to the way we live and think, for example
consider the introduction of the following:
the computer
the internet
communism
modern psychology
nuclear energy.
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the automobile
These innovations could be regarded as revolutionary.
Example: Innovators that have revolutionised the world
Imagine how different the world would be if these people hadnt seen things differently
and brought their ideas to the world.
Copernicus (sun-centred solar system)
Galileo (scientific revolution: Father of modern science)
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Albert Einstein (Theory of relativity)
Sigmund Freud (Father of psychoanalysis)
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Charles Darwin (Theory of evolution: natural selection)

Socrates (Greek philosopher)
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Karl Marx (Modern communism).
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Evolutionary innovations are less life altering, yet still involve progress that make a
difference in some way. They often involve altering a product or process. These could
include such things as:
The paperclip
The cordless mouse
Frozen pizza

Page 10 of 65

Student Workbook
Learning activity: ABCs The New Inventors

The New Inventors <http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors> on the ABC provides
great examples of innovations. Review a few of the inventions on the site and identify
which ones you think are revolutionary and which ones are evolutionary.
Note: while you are reviewing The New Inventors, take careful note of each inventors
skills and experience. In most cases, the inventors on this show dont work in research
labs, they are everyday people who have found a better way of doing things.
Types of innovation
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You may have also noticed that innovation so far seems focused on the creation of new
products.
Innovation is more than that, however. The different types of workplace innovation
include:
product
process
organisational
marketing.
Product innovation
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Process innovation
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A product innovation is the introduction of a product or service that is new or significantly

improved in its characteristics or intended uses. This includes significant improvements in
technical specifications, components and materials, incorporated software, user
friendliness or other functional characteristics.
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A process innovation is the implementation of a new or significantly improved production

or delivery method. This includes significant changes in techniques, equipment and/or
software.
Example: Dell Direct
Dell computers is a good example of a company that delivers the same basic product
as any other computer manufacturer. The product isnt necessarily innovative anymore.
What makes Dell known as an innovative company are its processes. Dell is known for:
configuring computers to order
selling computers directly to the public
JIT manufacturing model.


Page 11 of 65
Student Workbook
Organisational innovation
An organisational innovation is the implementation of a new organisational method in the
firms business practices, workplace organisation or external relations.
Example: Accounts payable
Danielle worked in a firm processing the accounts payable. She loved to refine and
improve processes and suggested a number of ways to gain efficiency and reduce
waste. She didnt accept the weve always done it that way excuse.
She worked with the accounts manager and other people involved in the process to
reduce the average processing times for accounts from two weeks down to two days.
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Marketing innovation
A marketing innovation is the implementation of a new marketing method involving

significant changes in product design or packaging, product placement, distribution,
product promotion or pricing.
Within each type of innovation there are three methods of invention.
1.
Solving an existing problem, for example:
building a commercially viable rotary compression engine

designing a better form.
Solving an unmet, unstated need, for example:
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2.
text messaging
Post-it notes
Creating a new field of endeavour, for example:
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3.
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bagless vacuum.
nanotechnology
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nuclear energy
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the internet.
Learning activity: The most innovative

Search the internet for a list of innovative companies. For the ten most innovative you
find, identify which type of innovation these companies demonstrate: product, process,
organisational , marketing, strategic or technological.
You might want to start with this link:
Arndt, M., and Einhorn, B., The 50 most innovative companies, Bloomberg
Business Week, viewed May 2015,

<http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/magazine/content/10_17/b4175034779697
.htm>.

Page 12 of 65

Student Workbook
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Learning activity: The most innovative
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Learning activity: Toyota An innovative company
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Watch the video BSBINN301A: Toyota An innovative company on IBSAs YouTube

channel at <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Er0OZY7BM>.
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What type of innovation does the Toyota Prius Hybrid vehicle represent?


Page 13 of 65
Student Workbook
Learning activity: Toyota An innovative company
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What are the features of the Toyota Prius Hybrid vehicle that make it innovative?
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Innovation tools
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How do these features add value for the customer?
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There are many tools for creating new ideas and they can be divided into several
innovation tool categories, including:
For example, visual brainstorming: generating and sharing ideas in
a brainstorming session without speaking or writing.
Challenging
For example, assumption busting: discovering and addressing

previously unquestioned assumptions.
Reframing
For example, six thinking hats: each person uses different thinking
and communication styles to explore ideas.
Stimulation
For example, random words: combining a stimulus (evocative words

which may be completely unrelated to the innovative challenge)
with a problem, forcing you to make associations and using those
associations to generate new ideas.
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Visualisation

Page 14 of 65

Student Workbook
The following website has more information on innovation tools

Creating Minds, Tools for creating ideas, viewed May 2015,
<http://creatingminds.org/tools/tools_ideation.htm>.
Innovation tools and techniques are explored further in Section 2.
Innovation at work
In the previous chapter, we looked at definitions and types of innovation. Lets now give
some thought to why businesses innovate.
Why is innovation important in businesses?
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With all of this talk about innovation, you must be asking yourself, why is it important for
businesses to innovate?
The following quote is from the report Powering ideas: An innovation agenda for the 21st
century that was produced by the federal department of Innovation, Industry, Science and
Research.
We cannot maximise productivity without increasing our capacity for invention and
discovery: Innovation and diffusion of new and better production methods, and the
introduction of new goods and services, are the core drivers of productivity growth
getting more, and more highly valued, outputs from any level of inputs.
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Commonwealth Government, Powering ideas: An innovation agenda for the 21st century,
Innovation in Australian Business, viewed May 2015,
<http://sydney.edu.au/documents/about/higher_education/2012/20120308%20PoweringId
eas.pdf>, p.11.
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Innovation is essential for maximising productivity and prosperity. When it comes to

understanding the drivers of innovation, it is important to recognise that there is a
commercial aspect to be considered. Companies and businesses invest in innovation
because they see a value in the results of innovation.
The world of business benefits from innovation in at least three ways:
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1. commercial profit outcomes

2. brand recognition by customers
3. improvement in costs of doing business.
Companies create structured processes of innovation in order to capture these
commercial and market recognition forces.


Page 15 of 65
Student Workbook
Example: Flat packed furniture

Think about the number of businesses that now sell furniture that is assembled by the
customer. Customer assembled furniture is often sold in flat packs. Flat packing is a
great thing since it dramatically reduces shipping costs because you arent shipping
empty space as in assembled furniture. While fairly common today, when IKEA started
flat packing in the 1950s, the idea was very innovative.
Learning activity: IKEA
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The innovation described in the example above would have created some very
significant commercial benefits for IKEA. Can you name some?
As you can see, being more innovative can have a positive impact on:
productivity
efficiency
costs
quality.
Businesses that innovate first and best tend to become market leaders.

Page 16 of 65


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BSBINN301 Promote innovation in

Part of a suite of support materials for the

BSB Business Services Training Package

1st Edition 2015

Innovation tools ......................................................................................................... 14

Creativity techniques ................................................................................................. 28

Decision-making techniques ..................................................................................... 38

Section checklist ........................................................................................................ 40

Section 3 Supporting Innovation ................................................................................. 41

Principles and guidelines .......................................................................................... 41

Features of the training program

Facilitator-led sessions Challenging and interesting learning activities that can be

and knowledge to solve authentic workplace tasks and problems.

Structure of the training program

About the Student Workbook

BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment

1st edition version: 1

1st edition version: 1

BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment

Section 1 Defining Innovation

Section 1 Defining Innovation

What skills will you need?

Types and levels of innovation

Innovation: definition, Business Dictionary, viewed May 2015,

BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment

1st edition version: 1

Section 1 Defining Innovation

Innovation must benefit your customers

Learning activity: Innovation

left brain/right brain

1st edition version: 1

BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment

Section 1 Defining Innovation

Its all about adding value

Learning activity: Meeting customer needs

.htm>, viewed May 2015.

BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment

1st edition version: 1

Section 1 Defining Innovation

Innovation versus invention

Invention is (mostly) a subset of innovation

The ultimate measure of innovation is market share.

Learning activity: Great inventions

National Inventors Hall of Fame, viewed May 2015, <http://www.invent.org>.

Innovations, White Hat, viewed May 2015,

List them here:

1st edition version: 1

BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment

Section 1 Defining Innovation

BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment

1st edition version: 1

Section 1 Defining Innovation

Learning activity: Innovators in business

Akio Morita (Sony)

Richard Drew and William McKnight (3M)

Michael Dell (Dell)

James Dyson (Dyson)

Ray Kroc (McDonalds)

Alec Issigonis (The Mini)

Kiichiro and Eiji Toyoda (Toyota).

1st edition version: 1

BSBINN301 Promote innovation in a team environment

Section 1 Defining Innovation