Affiliations
View Jeff DeGraff’s strategic collaboration relationships
Affiliations enable Jeff to bridge academic research, corporate practice, military application, and practical innovation education
Institutional Partnerships & Leadership Roles
Jeff DeGraff’s work spans multiple institutions and organizations, each representing a different dimension of his mission to democratize innovation. These affiliations enable him to bridge academic research, corporate practice, military application, and practical innovation education.
University of Michigan Ross School of Business
Clinical Professor of Management and Organizations (1990–Present)
For over three decades, Jeff has served as Clinical Professor of Management and Organizations at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, one of the world’s premier business schools. His appointment combines teaching excellence with practical innovation leadership, embodying the \”pracademic\” approach that defines his career.
Key Contributions:
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- Certified Professional Innovator Program – Created the first university-based innovation certification program, training thousands of innovation practitioners worldwide
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- Executive Education – Designs and delivers innovation programs for senior executives from Fortune 500 companies and government organizations
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- MBA Teaching – Courses on innovation, organizational change, and strategic transformation using action learning methodologies
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- Research & Framework Development – Co-created the Competing Values Framework (with Robert Quinn, Kim Cameron, and John Rohrbaugh), one of the most widely used organizational effectiveness models globally
Jeff’s teaching philosophy centers on experiential learning in unconventional spaces—bringing innovation education out of traditional classrooms and into museums, laboratories, and real-world environments where theory meets practice.
Learn more about Jeff’s work at the University of Michigan here
Innovatrium Institute for Innovation
Founder
In 2004, Jeff founded the Innovatrium Institute for Innovation as a living laboratory where organizations could experiment with innovation culture, capability, and community. Located near the Ross School of Business, the Innovatrium operates as the practical manifestation of Jeff’s school of thought—a physical space where diverse perspectives clash productively to generate breakthrough solutions.
What the Innovatrium Does:
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- Innovation Workshops – Immersive programs using the Innovation Genome and Innovation Code methodologies
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- Strategic Planning Sessions – Helping organizations navigate competing priorities through paradox-based frameworks
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- Innovation Sprints – Rapid prototyping and experimentation in a purpose-built environment
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- Capability Building – Training teams in systematic innovation approaches
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- Research & Development – Testing and refining innovation frameworks with real organizations
The Innovatrium has worked with over half the Fortune 500, including Google, Apple, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, NASA, and Microsoft. It represents a unique joint venture with Haworth, combining workspace innovation expertise with Jeff’s innovation frameworks.
Intellectual Edge Alliance (IEA)
Founder
Guided by his mission to democratize innovation, Jeff founded the Intellectual Edge Alliance (IEA), a nonprofit consortium of research universities and technology companies working with the U.S. Military, NATO, and allied forces in 45 countries. The IEA makes innovation tools and practices accessible to leaders tackling critical societal challenges in defense, government, and education.
IEA’s Impact:
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- U.S. Air Force & AFWERX – Innovation transformation programs and capability development
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- Space Force – Building innovation capabilities from the inception of America’s newest military branch
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- NATO Allied Forces – Cross-cultural innovation methodologies adapted for 45 countries
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- Joint Chiefs of Staff – Strategic innovation consulting at the highest levels of military leadership
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- Air Force Fellows Program – Training rising military leaders in adaptive innovation approaches
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- Defense Innovation – Adapting corporate innovation frameworks for military contexts and mission-critical applications
Through the IEA, Jeff has proven that innovation methodologies transcend sector boundaries. The work demonstrates that the same frameworks driving corporate transformation can be adapted to help military and government organizations navigate rapidly changing strategic landscapes.
This work earned Jeff the Władysław Eugeniusz Sikorski Medal from the Polish Armed Forces in 2024, recognizing his contributions to international defense innovation.
BigSpeak Speakers Bureau
Keynote Speaker & Innovation Thought Leader
Jeff is represented by BigSpeak, one of the world’s premier speakers bureaus, bringing his innovation frameworks and transformational insights to audiences worldwide. His keynote presentations combine academic rigor with practical application, delivered with the energy and storytelling that earned him recognition as a pioneer of \”management as performance art.\”
Speaking Topics Include:
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- The Innovation Code – Making systematic innovation accessible to everyone
- Competing Values Framework – Reconciling organizational paradoxes
- The Art of Change – Leading transformational change through constructive conflict
- Creative Mindset – Developing innovation capabilities in individuals and teams
- Defense Innovation – Adapting innovation for military and government contexts
- Future of Work – How organizations must evolve for an uncertain future
Jeff has presented at venues ranging from TED to the Pentagon, Fortune 500 corporate events, academic conferences worldwide, and NATO gatherings. His presentations are known for challenging conventional wisdom while providing practical frameworks audiences can immediately apply.
Haworth
Innovation Partner & Joint Venture
Jeff’s partnership with Haworth, a global leader in workspace innovation, represents the convergence of physical environment design and innovation methodology. This collaboration powers the Innovatrium and demonstrates how workspace design can catalyze breakthrough thinking.
Partnership Focus Areas:
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- Innovation Space Design – Creating physical environments that support diverse innovation modes
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- Workspace Strategy – Aligning physical space with innovation culture and capabilities
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- The Innovatrium – Joint venture creating a purpose-built innovation laboratory
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- Research Collaboration – Studying how environment influences innovation outcomes
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- Client Solutions – Integrating Haworth’s workspace expertise with Jeff’s innovation frameworks for client projects
The partnership exemplifies Jeff’s belief that innovation requires the right conditions—not just the right processes or people. By combining Haworth’s understanding of how space shapes behavior with Jeff’s frameworks for innovation culture, the partnership delivers comprehensive solutions for organizations seeking to build innovation capabilities.
The Affiliation Philosophy
These affiliations are not separate activities but interconnected elements of a coherent system:
- Academia provides rigor – The University of Michigan offers research credibility and intellectual framework developme
- The laboratory tests theory – Innovatrium validates concepts through real-world application
- Defense proves adaptability – IEA demonstrates that innovation frameworks transcend context
- Speaking disseminates knowledge – BigSpeak extends reach to diverse audiences globally
- Partnership enables scale – Haworth provides infrastructure and workspace expertise
Together, these affiliations create a complete ecosystem for innovation development—from theoretical foundation through practical application to global dissemination. Each strengthens the others, creating a multiplier effect that advances the mission of democratizing innovation: making systematic innovation accessible to everyone, everywhere, every day.