(UroToday.com) Dr. Clayman, renowned for countless urologic contributions, including performing the first laparoscopic nephrectomy and co-founding the Endourologic Society, took the stage amongst applause from the audience in appreciation of his contributions and in anticipation of his delivery of the John K. Lattimer lecture, which was part theoretical, part practical, and all inspiring. Dr. Clayman’s talk had two parts – in the first part, he revealed his wealth of experience on how innovation is achieved, and in the second part, he recounted the beginnings of endourology and laparoscopic nephrectomy with a focus on the innovation process.
Innovation was defined as the intersection of creative thought and practical skills to realize value by refining existing practices or blazing an entirely new trail. Per Dr. Clayman, innovation begins with the recognition of a worthwhile, disrupting question that usually comes from a junior team member and is most clearly identified by “the greatest negative response in the most senior authority,” a concept he describes as a “seminal why.” Dr. Clayman believes the link between the question and the end goal is a combination of creative and practical processes, the “functional how,” which includes philosophical, practical, and personal/personnel aspects. With regards to creativity, he shared a resource, Your Creative Brain by Dr. Shelly Carson, that both describes and allows readers to identify their own creative type for the purposes of creating an innovation team because, as Dr. Clayman emphasized, one person rarely has all the attributes necessary for successful innovation.
Practically, the individual seeking innovation must have a tangible goal with a personally meaningful motivation to accomplish that goal and the time, energy, and work environment that supports this quest. However, that person must surround themselves with other team members united in a common goal that are selected to fill all creative mindset gaps, so the team has an ideator, a developer, a clarifier, and an implementor. Dr. Clayman concluded the lecture with two extraordinary stories of both the birth of endourology and the lead-up to the very first laparoscopic nephrectomy, certainly notable and innovative disruptions of the status quo at that time. In recounting those historic events, Dr. Clayman weaved in examples of the innovation process he previously outlined for reinforcement while honoring the contributions of his colleagues – a further example of a true team player in the ultimate team sport of innovation.
Presented by: Ralph V. Clayman, MD, PhD, University of California, Irvine
Written by: Zachary E. Tano, MD, Endourology Fellow, Department of Urology, University of California Irvine, during the 2023 American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting, April 28 – May 1, 2023, Chicago, Illinois during the 2023 American Urological Association (AUA) Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, April 27 – May 1, 2023
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Link to a brief quiz to determine your “brainset” http://www.shelleycarson.com/creative-brain-test.