The KAI Podcast: building better teams and great leaders

The KAI Centre

Welcome to the KAI Podcast series - helping you to build better teams and great leaders. KAI, or the Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory, is the world's foremost measure for problem solving style. It is used widely to create cohesive and productive teams and effective leaders. It has been in use for over 40 years and is supported by a large body of academic research from around the world. In these podcasts, we aim to shine a light on the issues and problems facing all teams as they strive to be the best version of themselves. read less
BusinessBusiness

Episodes

Using KAI in Product Development
Apr 28 2021
Using KAI in Product Development
Welcome to the KAI Podcast Series, ‘Building Better Teams and Great Leaders.’  KAI, or the Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory, is the world's foremost measure for problem solving style. It's used widely to create cohesive and productive teams and effective leaders. It's been in use for over 40 years and is supported by a large body of academic research from around the world. In these podcasts, we aim to shine a light on the issues and problems facing all teams as they strive to be effective and productive. In today's episode, we're going to talk about KAI in relation to product development, with two expert guests. Michael Chuchmuch is a senior leadership development advisor for strategy and change at Chevron. Based in Houston, Texas, Michael has responsibilities that include oversight of critical transformation initiatives affecting company-wide functional improvements. He is an industry recognised strategic change professional with over 30 years’ experience delivering enterprise level change initiatives around the globe. He is also a certified advanced KAI practitioner.Laura Moncrieffe is Global Director of Innovation for Bamboo Worldwide, and she too is a certified advanced KAAI practitioner, who in her own words helps steer global brands into blue oceans. She's been doing this for the past 21 years, with the likes of Comcast, MBC Universal, Wrigley Mars, SC Johnson, PepsiCo and Starbucks to name just a small selection of the many huge global brands she has partnered with.
Using KAI in Healthcare
Jan 7 2021
Using KAI in Healthcare
Welcome to the KAI Podcast Series, ‘Building Better Teams and Great Leaders.’  KAI, or the Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory, is the world's foremost measure for problem solving style. It's used widely to create cohesive and productive teams and effective leaders. It's been in use for over 40 years and is supported by a large body of academic research from around the world. In these podcasts, we aim to shine a light on the issues and problems facing all teams as they strive to be effective and productive. In today's episode, we're going to explore health and healthcare systems in the context of KAI and how the patient to provider relationship at the heart of all healthcare, impacts health outcomes, and what KAI can tell us about that relationship. Hosted by Dave Harries, who is joined by two distinguished guests. Dr Megan Siebel is an Associate Director at the Centre for Cooperative Problem Solving at Virginia Tech in the United States. She is a highly experienced leadership programme director with a background in health care, she's a registered nurse, higher education and the agricultural industry. She is a KAI Associate Fellow. Dr Robert Samuel is a healthcare technology executive from Bluebell, Pennsylvania. He is an experienced enterprise architecture manager specialising in emerging technology and innovation in healthcare. He's also a graduate level adjunct instructor at Penn State University, and he has been an accredited advanced KAI practitioner since 2009.
KAI Foundation Five - Episode 4 - Welcome to the Land of Getting Things Done - The Creative Adaptors
Nov 25 2020
KAI Foundation Five - Episode 4 - Welcome to the Land of Getting Things Done - The Creative Adaptors
Welcome to Part 4 of the KAI Foundation Five Podcast Series, our five part introduction to building better teams and great leaders with the Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory.KAI is the world’s foremost measure for problem solving style.  It’s used widely to create cohesive and productive teams and effective leaders.  It’s been in use for about 40 years and is supported by a large body of academic research from around the world. In these five podcasts we want to provide you with an understanding of why KAI is so effective, so powerful and indeed life changing for many teams and team leaders.  As Kirton himself said, “The better I know myself, the more I can help others.” Today’s fourth part is entitled “Welcome to the Land of Getting Things Done – The Creative Adaptors” and in it we’re going to be looking specifically at the role and effectiveness of the leaders and team members on the more adaptive end of the KAI inventory, and how vital – but often unrecognised – they are in achieving the goals of teams and organisations. My name is Dave Harries and joining me from across the Atlantic I have two very distinguished guests to help us understand the role of adaptors. Dr Iwan Jenkins is a Toronto based KAI certified coach and describes himself as a practitioner of the practical.  He understands cognitive theory and complex system science, but more importantly he also knows how to make that theory applicable in today’s business world.  In his own words, he turns potential into profit. Dr Eric Kaufman is a dedicated leadership educator and scholar.  The focus of his work is collegiate leadership education and leadership development with adults in community and volunteer settings.  He is Professor Leadership Studies at Virginia Tech and a certified practitioner of KAI.
KAI Foundation Five - episode 3 - Welcome to the Land of the Big Idea: The Creative Innovators
Sep 29 2020
KAI Foundation Five - episode 3 - Welcome to the Land of the Big Idea: The Creative Innovators
Welcome to Part 3 of the KAI Foundation Five Podcast Series, our five part introduction to building better teams and great leaders with the Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory.KAI is the world's foremost measure for problem solving style. It is used widely to create cohesive and productive teams and effective leaders. It's been in use for over 40 years and is supported by a large body of academic research from around the world.In these five podcasts we want to provide you with an understanding of why KAI is so effective, so powerful and indeed life changing for so many teams and team leaders.Today's third part is entitled 'Welcome to the Land of the Big Idea - The Creative Innovators' and in it we're going to be looking specifically at the role and effectiveness of leaders and team members on the more innovative end of the KAI inventory and how such people approach order and structure and why it's vital they understand and appreciate the creative adaptors in their teams.My name is Dave Harries and joining me today I have two guests who know a thing or two about creative innovation and are going to help us to explore this topic. Our regular guest, Dr Iwan Jenkins, is a Toronto based KAI certified coach and describes himself as a practitioner of the practical. He understands cognitive theory and complex system science, but more importantly he also knows how to make that theory applicable in today's business world.Michael Weissman is the CEO of SYNQY, a retail media platform for retailers that hate ads, where we works with global brands such as Unilever, Pepsi, Nestle and Starbucks. Amongst many other achievements, he's a published author in seven languages believe it or not! And has managed and successfully grown five different start-ups, and turned around existing businesses too, creating over $700 million in revenue growth in the process. He also happens to be KAI certified, and I'm sure he won't mind me saying that he's well over on the innovative end of the KAI inventory.
KAI Foundation Five - episode 2 - Big Problems need Better Teams
Jul 16 2020
KAI Foundation Five - episode 2 - Big Problems need Better Teams
Welcome to Part 2 of the KAI Foundation Five Podcast Series, our five part introduction to building better teams and great leaders with the Kirton Adaption Innovation Inventory.KAI is the world’s foremost measure for problem solving style.  It’s used widely to create cohesive and productive teams and effective leaders.  It’s been in use for about 40 years and is supported by a large body of academic research from around the world. In these five podcasts we want to provide you with an understanding of why KAI is so effective, why it’s so powerful and indeed can be life changing for so many teams and team leaders.  Today’s second episode is entitled ‘Big Problems need Better Teams,’ and during the next half an hour or so we’re going to discuss problem solving style, and why for teams to be effective we need diversity in that style. We’ll also look at KAI measures that diversity, how we know it works, the proof and the rigour, if you will, and the importance of creativity – whatever your problem solving style happens to be. Hosted by Dave Harries, with Dr. Curt Friedel and Dr. Iwan Jenkins. Dr. Curt Friedel is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Co-operative Problem Solving at Virginia Tech in the USA where he is also the Director of the KAI Certification Course. Dr. Iwan Jenkins is also a KAI expert and describes himself as a practitioner of the practical.  He understands cognitive theory and complex system science, but more importantly he also knows how to make that theory applicable in today’s business world. In his own words, he turns potential into profit.