India International Innovation Summit

January 2009 | Mumbai, India

The IIIS is designed to support developing cultures of innovation in India’s corporations, entrepreneurial businesses, and in education. The focus of the summit was around building knowledge platforms through open innovation, turning invention into innovation, partnering with vendors, employees, and customers for new touch points for innovation, and looking at trends that are driving and being driven by innovation.

The summit organizers invited Paul Kwiecinski to share stories, personal insights, and his MetaSystem Consulting Group organizational models on the topic “Innovation: Structure and Freedom,” in his Friday morning talk. They were especially intrigued when they heard that the business-focused talk also included Mr. Kwiecinski singing and playing guitar to help communicate his learning points.

The 45-minute keynote started and ended with music—Mr. Kwiecinski with an electric guitar and singing along, and the audience clapping. The predominately Indian attendees were tentative at first, but after being encouraged to participate by clapping, coming onstage for interactive exercises, and being orchestrated into a full room demonstration of an organizational system in action (clapping, drumming, foot stomping and whistling), they morphed into an incredibly enthusiastic group. Event MC, R.L. Bhatia, overheard in the speaker’s lounge afterward,” I’m glad I don’t have to follow that one!”

Paul also received an award from the conference organizers for “Excellence in Innovation.” “Face The Music events are carefully orchestrated to establish a culture of risk-taking, teamwork, innovation, and enjoyment through powerful and dramatic musical performances, which is why Paul Kwiecinski was such a perfect speaker for 3IS,” said Dr. R.L. Bhatia, host of the Innovation Summit, and CEO of Fun & Joy at Work.