What if, in research, we paid attention to how we paid attention?  What if in strategic planning we were as introspective as we are analytical?  What if our work were a true expression of our humanity?  Would our capacity for innovation grow?

I want to find out.  So, I’ve launched an Innovation from the Inside Out Beta Test with the United Way of Greater Cincinnati and SEEK.  Through the end of 2015, we will test how to bring core concepts of Expressive Change and Theory U into formal innovation practice.

We began our learning partnership in July with a kick-off workshop in Cincinnati, Ohio.  We explored how we often view our organizations as tools for change, separate from the world we are trying to change.  We tried out several frameworks that would allow us to become more transformative organizations and embody the very changes we seek to create.

To emphasize the importance of generative listening, we were joined by a panel of listeners.  At the end of the day, we got playback on what was emerging from our keynote listeners Eileen Cooper Reed, past president of the Cincinnati School Board, and Quanita Munday, an integral life coach.

For more on what we learned at this workshop, check out the notes captured by our two other Guest Listeners:

• Cultivating Relationships, by Allison Rogers, vice president, Merrick, Inc., and co-founder of Design Thinking Cincinnati
• A Play in One Scene, by Emily Hager, associate project manager, POSSIBLE, and author of Developing a Social Enterprise Brand

Follow along as we learn on my new Expressive Change Blog page or find us tweeting at #expressivechange.  We will ultimately adapt our learning as a toolkit for innovation practitioners.

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This is an excerpt of a post on my blog Inspired Strategy.