Incentives
OIT senior management is seeking to award outstanding ideas that have advanced to some type of deliverable such as a proof-of-concept, prototype, or production implementation (if a POC or prototype doesn’t make sense). Ideas that transform into more concrete concepts will be tracked using the HypeInnovation platform.
Completed concepts will be reviewed annually for consideration to receive a cash award. The cash awards are loosely modeled after the UC STAR program and may be awarded to individuals or shared across a group. The cash awards will range from $100 to $2,500 depending on the concept’s overall level of impact.
The Coordination Team will meet regularly to review and evaluate all completed concepts, scoring them against a rubric, and recommending awards for outstanding ideas to OIT’s Office of the CIO. The number of cash awards in any given year may vary depending on the budget and other organizational financial factors. Awardees will be recognized during a OIT All Staff Meetings where they’ll also have an opportunity to present and discuss their idea/concept.
Award Levels
- Innovator Award
- This idea was submitted and considered, but no pilot project was run. The innovator is considered for a $25 award.
- Lamplighter Award
- This idea completed a pilot project–even one that failed–and helped us learn more about the world and how we can do our jobs. The innovator is considered for a $100 award.
- Trailblazer Award
- This award is for an idea that showed a possible path forward, and proved that we could take it. The innovator is considered for a $500 award.
- Spearhead Award
- This award is for an idea that changed how people actually work, and established a repeatable process that other teams can follow. The innovator is considered for a $1500 award.
- Foundation Award
- This award is for an idea that changed how our whole department gets stuff done. The innovator is considered for a $2500 award.
Qualifying for an award
To be eligible for an award:
- The idea must have been added to Hype Innovation
- The idea must have been presented to the Coordinating Committee
- The idea must have identified a pilot project with
- a defined end date
- success criteria
- failure criteria
- The idea must have completed its pilot project
- The innovator must have presented their findings to the Coordinating Committee
Innovators can be rewarded multiple times as they achieve successive milestones. Getting an Innovator Award this quarter can lead into a successful pilot next quarter that nets a Trailblazer award, which kicks off a culture change that earns a Foundation Award next year.