
Supportive Culture for Innovation ◾ 81
lines to create a “portal,” as shown in the example. e box provides a narrative
interpretation of the diagram.
e metaphor of the portal through which innovation either flows or is impeded
helps us understand the common phenomenon that I call the ideas- to- action
problem. Many healthcare organizations experience getting wonderfully creative
ideas from an improvement team, but having great difficulty implementing them in
the workplace (see Figure 5.3). When we charter improvement teams, we often pay
attention to the elements of culture that support innovation when the group comes
together to do its work