Living Laboratory
Real-World Innovation in Action
Theory meets practice in the living laboratory—where innovation frameworks are tested, refined, and validated through real-world application.
The Laboratory Approach
Innovation can’t be understood purely through abstract concepts—it must be experienced, experimented with, and evolved through practice. The living laboratory approach treats every engagement as an opportunity to test ideas, gather insights, and advance our collective understanding of how innovation really works.
The Innovatrium Institute
Founded in 2004, the Innovatrium is Jeff’s physical and intellectual innovation lab—a joint venture with Haworth located near Ross School of Business. It operates as a living laboratory where organizations experiment with innovation culture, capability, and community.
The Innovatrium is the practical manifestation of Jeff’s school of thought—a physical space where diverse perspectives clash productively to generate new solutions. Organizations use it for workshops, strategic planning, innovation sprints, and experiential learning.
Fortune 500 Laboratory
Jeff works with over half the Fortune 500 as a testing ground for innovation frameworks:
- Technology – Google, Apple, Microsoft
- Healthcare – Pfizer, major healthcare systems
- Consumer Products – Coca-Cola and leading brands
- Aerospace – NASA, defense contractors
- Financial Services – Major banks and investment firms
Defense & Military Laboratory
Through the Intellectual Edge Alliance, Jeff has created a living laboratory for defense innovation:
- U.S. Air Force & AFWERX – Innovation transformation programs
- Space Force – Building innovation capabilities from inception
- NATO Forces – Cross-cultural innovation in 45 countries
- Joint Chiefs of Staff – Strategic innovation at highest levels
- Air Force Fellows – Training rising military leaders in adaptive innovation
This work earned Jeff the Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski Medal from the Polish Armed Forces (2024).
The University Laboratory
Ross School of Business serves as an ongoing laboratory for developing and testing innovation concepts. Through executive education programs, MBA courses, and the Certified Professional Innovator Program, thousands of students and executives participate in real innovation challenges.
Jeff’s teaching methodology—learning through action in unconventional spaces—treats every class as an experiment in innovation pedagogy.
Current Experiments
The laboratory never closes. Current areas of exploration include:
- AI-Augmented Innovation – How artificial intelligence tools are changing innovation processes
- Defense Innovation – Adapting innovation frameworks for military contexts
- Remote Innovation – Best practices for distributed innovation collaboration
- Sustainability & Innovation – Integrating environmental considerations
- Cross-Sector Innovation – How practices transfer across different contexts
Laboratory Outcomes
The living laboratory has generated:
- The Competing Values Framework (with Quinn, Cameron, Rohrbaugh)
- Innovation Genome methodology
- Innovation Code tools and practices
- The Paradox Cycle framework
- Role-based innovation typology (Artist, Engineer, Athlete, Sage)
- Certified Professional Innovator Program
- Hundreds of case studies across industries
- Refined frameworks for military and defense innovation