Train speeding down tunnel.

Creating a culture of innovation should advance management priorities, not disrupt them.

Font Awesome Icon. Plug with bolt symbol.

Energized employees
exploring innovative ideas

Font Awesome Icon. Rocket.

No risk or disruption
to operations

Swarm intelligence keeps managers in charge, without missing out on innovative ideas.

Image showing how top-down management leaves a vast unexplored opportunity space outside management focus in the larger opportunity space aligned with mission.
Image showing how swarm intelligence enables decentralized exploration of the vast unexplored opportunity space outside management focus within the larger opportunity space aligned with mission.


The challenge: Swarm intelligence requires energized, innovative employees across the entire team.

Graph showing % of energized, innovative employees across 5 groups in mature companies: (1) Regular employees, (2) Middle managers, (3) Senior executives, (4) Regular teams, and (5) Innovative teams. Only senior executives and innovative teams are mostly energized, innovative employees. The other 3 groups lag far behind because they lack: (1) Freedom to innovate, and (2) Exciting problems.
Image showing two sides of the same coin. One side = Energized, innovative employees. The other side = Freedom to innovate + exciting problems.
Our Solution

Unofficial Skunkworks Projects

Unofficial skunkworks projects bring swarm intelligence to regular teams.

  1. Official work: Managers continue to lead their teams to do the work exactly as before. Nothing changes.
  2. Unofficial skunkworks projects: Employees are free to take on experimental projects not yet ready to be officially sanctioned.
Table showing the required resources and operating model for unofficial skunkworks projects. Required resources = Full time catalyst + $0 Project funding + 0% Project time. Operating Model = No change to management model + No risk or disruption to operations + Opt-in model.

This swarm intelligence comes entirely from higher productivity, with no disruption to management priorities.

Graph showing unrealized potential of regular teams vs innovative teams. Regular teams significantly lag in (1) Energized, innovative employees, (2) Productivity per hour, and (3) Swarm intelligence.
Graphic showing positive feedback loop: Swarm Intelligence ⇒ Energized Employees ⇒ Higher Productivity. Feedback loop is driven by Freedom to Innovate + Exciting Problems.

How It Works

Emoji One Icon. Number 1 in circle.

Executive

Announces
skunkworks program

Emoji One Icon. Number 2 in circle.

Catalyst

Provides dedicated
support to employees

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Managers

Sponsor projects they
like, ignore the rest