Dr Michael Kirton’s Adaption-Innovation (KAI) Theory

One of the most useful things I learnt during my MBA was Dr Michael Kirton’s Adaption-Innovation (KAI) Theory. 

 

The theory says that everyone can be located on a continuum from highly adaptive (boring to you and I) to highly innovative (interesting).  Adaptors like to make small improvements.  Innovators like to make radical improvements.

 

Adaptors	Innovators
Do it better	Do it differently
Work within existing frame	Challenges, re-frames
Fewer solutions	Many solutions
Prefer well established situations	Set new policy, structure
Essential for ongoing	Essential in times of change

 

Since you’re reading this blog then you’re almost certainly an innovator like myself and you think that Adaptors are boring old farts and Innovators are interesting people who want to make the world a better place.  Your Adaptor colleagues and friends would probably describe you as dangerous. 

 

The KAI inventory is a 32 question test that scores you on the continuum.  The scores are normally distributed around a mean of 95.

 

Typical scores for various jobs are:

Civil servants	80
Maintenance engineers	85
Production managers	90
Bank managers	90
Teachers	95
MBA students	100
R&D managers	102
Marketing managers	105
Personnel managers	105

 

I scored 120.  

 

Adapters and Innovators don’t mix well together - a gap of 20 points between individuals can cause friction.  Can you imagine yourself (an assumed innovator) working in the civil service?  Or, me ( a confirmed innovator) working in a large, old, pensions company?  Yikes.

 

Sadly, we Innovators really need those Adaptors.  Innovators tend to think of new ideas but maybe not think through the details.  Adapters act as their safety net and keep the ship on course.

 

Note: I originally had a mock test here but I removed it upon request from Dr Kirton.  See later blog entries. 

 

You can fid someone to administer the real test here.  But,If you score less than 100 then how the hell can you live with yourself?

 

Comments

[Kirton]

You are in breach of copyright.
Action can be taken against you.
Your presentation is unsound and mischievous.

Take this off nett and act responsibly. Kirton.

[Effern]

"You are in breach of copyright."

Hmmm, he may have point there, although I then wonder why this site isn't getting similar treatment.

A key distinction is that Clarke is not seeking to profit from this example. He is using it to provide clarification of a larger context. Much unlike the site I linked to, where the example is provided as a "lure" to get the reader to order their services.

Clarke also did not claim authorship of the material.

AND, Clarke's example is just a sliver of a larger piece, is it not? Or is the KAI theory so easily threatened by this usage?

Somehow I suspect that the legal fees associated with "taking action" would not offset the perceived lost revenue (I'd be interested to see that quantified) and negative perception of the KAI Centre as a result of such action.

I'm no lawyer (and Clarke isn't even speaking to me), but I had to give my 2 cents.

One more thing: Prior to seeing this example, I had never heard of "KAI". Clarke could be generating interst in you and your center, for free. Something to think about.

Another example.

Finally, the last nail in the coffin: Clarke, here's an assist:

"This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner."

You're welcome. Call me later.

[Effern]

HTML tags apparently don't work in these comment boxes. Thus, here are the sites I referenced that posted similar materials with apparently no such warning being issued:

1. http://www.symlog.com/internet/how_symlog_relates/Kai.htm

2. http://www.babson.edu/entrep/fer/papers98/VIII/VIII_B/VIII_B%20Tables/Table%202.htm

[Effern]

One more thing (Columbo voice): I scored a 105.

[David Rosenberg]

Fascinating. Haven't taken the test, but sure I'd hit 120. Never think inside the box, plus I'm a conceptual thinker on top of it. As a chemical plant engineer/superintendent in my youth, I know you need both. Startup managers should be innovators, normal operationd needs adaptors. Spent 6 months trouble-shooting a plant with an adaptor in charge. He was unwilling to try something new because it might not work, but was perfectly willing to try something over and over again which was guaranteed not to work. Fortunately, a guy with Kepner-Tragoe training came in to massage the team and we finally fixed the problem.

[eColi]

Most unfortunate - I wanted to direct a colleague to some stuff to explain KAI. While this does (sort of), unfortunately the author's tone is smug and self-satisfied and therefore off-putting. The fundamental question to remember is not 'How creative am I?' but 'How am I creative?'
Being patronising to adaptors misses the point.
(Sour grapes from an adaptor? No, I scored 130.)

[eColi]

Most unfortunate - I wanted to direct a colleague to some stuff to explain KAI. While this does (sort of), unfortunately the author's tone is smug and self-satisfied and therefore off-putting. The fundamental question to remember is not 'How creative am I?' but 'How am I creative?'
Being patronising to adaptors misses the point.
(Sour grapes from an adaptor? No, I scored 130.)

[clarke ching]

My response to Elains comments --

Hi Elain,

Thanks for your comment. One of the things that I didn't realise when I started my weblog is that, given the way search engines work, my weblog is unduely highly ranked. So when people go searching for KAI I get ranked near the top of the list - much higher than my comments warrent. So I write for people who come look at my site each day to see whats new - not for people that find me through google. Unfortunately, the two audiences are quite different.

Have you found much KAI stuff on the web?

I really struggled which is why I wrote my own description. I found KAI really helpful and like you, wanted to share it with the people in my "virtual world" - I think they'll find it might clarify a lot of "issues" that they've been having.

Good luck,
Clarke

[Miguel]

hello!! my name is miguel and I am a psichology student in Lisboa.
I read comments about KAI and Sometime ago I needed to find the Inventory Adaption innovation because it was requested for a class a work about innovation in organizational context. for that reason I search but didn't find de KAI. because its importance to my work I made myself a scale that measure people innovation, althougt it is only a scale that dont have validity and no support experimental.
I woud like to know how can I find the KAI...

I apologise about my english

[miguel]

please I am waiting a quit response from you...

Thank you!!

[David Herbst]

Clarke:

You exhibit near total ignorance of Kirton's Theory of Adaption-Innovation. Further, affixing pejorative labels to adaptors and congratulatory labels to innovators shows you to be a person woefully short of critical thinking skills. What was your focus for your MBA--how to create organziational mayhem?