Jeff DeGraff’s School of Thought
A comprehensive framework for understanding and implementing innovation through the Competing Values Framework, Innovation Genome™, and Innovation Code™ methodologies.
The Innovation Framework
Over four decades of research and practice, Jeff DeGraff has established a comprehensive school of thought around systematic innovation development. This framework recognizes that different types of innovation require different approaches, and successful organizations master multiple innovation practices simultaneously.
Core Premise
Innovation doesn’t emerge from a single “right way”—it emerges from the productive tension between competing approaches. The organizations that excel at innovation aren’t those that choose one practice over others, but those that learn to balance and integrate all four competing values.
The Competing Values Framework
Co-created by Jeff DeGraff with Robert Quinn, Kim Cameron, and John Rohrbaugh, the Competing Values Framework is one of the most widely used organizational effectiveness models globally. At its heart are four distinct innovation practices:
Collaborate (Yellow)
Community Innovation
Built on collaboration, co-creation, and stakeholder engagement. This practice harnesses collective intelligence and builds innovation ecosystems.
- Emphasis on relationships and teamwork
- People-centered and inclusive
- Values: Participation, empowerment, and shared success
Create (Green)
Breakthrough Innovation
Focused on radical innovation, experimentation, and creating entirely new markets or categories. This is the realm of entrepreneurs and visionaries who challenge conventions.
- Emphasis on creativity and risk-taking
- Future-oriented and experimental
- Values: Flexibility, freedom, and novelty
Control (Red)
Sustainable Innovation
Focuses on process improvement, efficiency, and systematic innovation. This ensures that innovation is scalable, repeatable, and sustainable over time.
- Emphasis on systems and processes
- Quality-focused and reliable
- Values: Efficiency, consistency, and excellence
Compete (Blue)
Competitive Innovation
Centered on speed to market, beating competition, and achieving results quickly. This practice drives incremental improvements and rapid response to market changes.
- Emphasis on speed and agility
- Market-driven and competitive
- Values: Achievement, results, and winning
Innovation Genome™ & Innovation Code™
Building on the Competing Values Framework, Jeff developed two complementary methodologies:
Innovation Genome™
Every organization has a unique Innovation Genome™—a combination of practices, values, structures, and resources that determines their natural innovation patterns. Understanding your genome is the first step to intentional innovation development.
Innovation Code™
The Innovation Code™ provides practical tools for reconciling competing priorities and driving breakthrough performance. It recognizes that innovation emerges from constructive conflict—the productive tension between opposing perspectives.
Foundational Concepts
- Constructive Conflict™: Innovation thrives on the productive collision of different perspectives, not on consensus
- Paradox-Based Change: Transformation emerges from embracing contradictions rather than resolving them
- Creative Tension: The friction between competing values generates breakthrough insights
- Ambidextrous Organization: The ability to simultaneously exploit existing capabilities while exploring new opportunities
- Wholonics: Innovation as an ecosystem where diverse elements interact dynamically