Dubbed the “Dean of Innovation,” Jeff DeGraff not only wrote the book(s) on innovation, but is renowned for jumpstarting creativity and empowering innovation culture, strategies, competencies, community, and ecosystems for over half the Fortune 500. A former executive at Domino’s Pizza, where he grew the business from $50M to $2B acquisition, Dr. DeGraff is both a professor at the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, and founder of the Innovatrium, an innovation center and consulting practice serving business and public sector clients around the globe. Always on the cutting edge of unleashing innovation in a rapidly changing world, his impassioned mission is to democratize innovation and cultivate creative mindsets, bringing transformative approaches to everyone, everywhere.
More About Jeff DeGraff
Jeff’s client roster reads like a “Who’s Who” of innovative brands: Apple, Hulu, Google, Coca-Cola, Mercedes-Benz and more. He has clocked over two million frequent flyer miles as an advisor to governments from Poland to Singapore and is a key advisor on the largest innovation ecosystem in the world, the U.S. Air Force and Space Force. Dr. DeGraff is also the co-creator of Competing Values Framework (CVF), the gold standard in assessing innovation and growth, used by Wall Street and top-tier management consultants alike. Rapid X, a key acquisition process developed at Innovatrium with the USAF key acquisition talents, was deployed by “Operation Warp Speed” to bring COVID vaccines to the public in eight months vs. the usual eight years. He is also widely known as a mentor or influencer to many, including leaders ranging from Adam Grant to prominent CEOs.
Dr. DeGraff’s extensive experience, expertise and research have fueled several acclaimed books, numerous articles, his own TV show and speaking engagements spanning the breadth of the Fortune 1000. His PBS program, Innovation You, his book by the same title, and his segment on Michigan Radio called “The Next Idea” encourage and empower individuals to innovate in their everyday life. His book, Innovation Code: The Creative Power of Constructive Conflict, identifies four contrasting types of innovators and how to build and manage a team that represents the full spectrum of innovative thinking. In his latest book, The Creative Mindset: Mastering the Six Skills That Empower Innovation, Jeff and his co-author share how-to advice, tools, and techniques as two master innovators who have taught and worked with over half of all Fortune 500 companies. Jeff’s articles have been published in Inc. and on LinkedIn, and his opinions appear in Business Week, US News and World Report, and the Wall Street Journal, just to name a few.
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Before being recruited to the University of Michigan, Dr. DeGraff was Vice President of Communications and New Ventures at Domino’s Pizza when it was one of the fastest growing businesses in the world. Under his innovative leadership, Domino’s went from a $50M valuation to a $2B acquisition by Bain Capital.
He holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
