Innovation People: Nick Chagin, Educator & Facilitator

We are proud to be innovation people here at Productable. Before our team began turning the innovation process into software, we collectively earned 60+ years of experience in innovation. This Innovation People series highlights our practitioners.

Nick Chagin, Productable’s Senior Innovation Facilitator, believes innovation and innovation technology can solve big problems, drive life-changing impact and make the world a better place. And, really, who would argue with that?

He’s always been interested in the disruptive happenings in technology — Spotify shaking up the music industry; Netflix taking over Hollywood; Amazon paving the way for shoppers to buy anything online.

This passion is what drove Nick to want to be an innovation facilitator. Over the past four years, Nick has worked with aspiring entrepreneurs to develop their startup ideas, teaching methodologies such as Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Rapid Prototyping and more.

We caught up with Nick to learn more about his intrigue with innovation and what he does as a facilitator.

What does it mean to be an innovation facilitator anyway?

An innovation facilitator is an expert in problem solving, competitive analysis, go-to-market strategy and other methodologies that are necessary tools innovators and intrapreneurs need to bring their ideas to life. They provide customized advice, mentorship and practices that innovators can use to move their idea from concept to pilot to scale.

As a Senior Innovation Facilitator at Productable, I lead innovation workshops, teaching intrapreneurs different methods and strategies to solve problems with lean, scalable solutions.

What kind of structure does a facilitator provide that you wouldn’t normally get?

Learning-by-doing is how entrepreneurs are able to quickly bring innovations to the marketplace. Innovation facilitators will allow intrapreneurs and innovators to do the same thing by introducing topics and concepts that can be quickly absorbed so that the innovators can spend the rest of the sessions applying these concepts to their own idea.

Innovation facilitators are very socratic, meaning they won’t spend entire sessions lecturing intrapreneurs and innovators on different concepts. They will ask clarifying questions about the idea. They will challenge the innovators presumptions about how their current solution solves the problem; what metrics upper-level management are expecting to monitor from the progress of their innovation; and what the cost/benefit analysis is, among other things.

Innovation facilitators will ensure that intrapreneurs and innovators feel supported, establishing a personal connection with them that learners may not otherwise have with a lecturer.

‍When should organizations consider bringing in a facilitator?

Organizations should bring in innovation facilitators when or if they lack the experience in lean startup methodology and design thinking. Organizations can get bogged down by bureaucratic process; and facilitators break down those barriers, enabling intrapreneurs and innovators to ideate new solutions without those parameters.

Upper-level management also has a lot to handle; Productable offers a tool that allows managers and executives to follow the progress of their intrapreneurs projects while having the time and attention to deal with other tasks and deadlines. The innovation facilitator helps hold intrapreneurs accountable for submitting those project updates with the necessary information that will make decision-making easier.

To learn more about working with the innovation people at Productable, email contact@beproductable.com .
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