PI approach

The Principled Innovation Approach was developed to support a thorough process of innovation that emphasizes moral agency and human flourishing at every turn. When a community comes together to innovate with principles, their innovations will be more grounded in reality, enjoy greater support from the communities involved, and be more likely to result in positive change.

The process might follow these four distinct phases, intentionally tapping into PI practices throughout. It may continue infinitely as a community engages in continuous improvement, and possibly in this exact sequence, although it is more often non-linear and flexible in nature with a community jumping back and forth between stages. Some Principled Innovation practices are inherent to a particular stage as noted in the graphic above, while “Engaging multiple and diverse perspectives” and “Reflecting critically and compassionately” are emphasized at every step of the approach.

Innovations that reflect community needs and enjoy broad support are monitored throughout each phase so that new data can be incorporated into iterative cycles of testing and improvement. Critical and compassionate reflection is always a core part of this iteration and monitoring, as it allows us to absorb new information and feedback from a wide range of stakeholders and community members, then consider how to act on it. And while individual reflection is important, there is much to gain from reflecting with a group in which we are exposed to a broader set of perspectives that contribute to innovation and systems change.