Monthly Archives: April 2010
This is part two of my series on business incubators. See part one here.In other parts of the world, innovators have complete access to business and societal needs and they come up with ideas to fulfill these needs with innovations. Their ideas turn into businesses with the help of incubators.In the Middle East, lack of research on business and social needs means that many entrepreneurs go into business without specific goals in mind – which results in undifferentiated businesses that don’t offer new value.Here is where incubators in the Middle East can take a different approach. In addition to providing the general support that start-ups need, if each incubator focused on a specific business, social or environmental niche, it would add much needed direction to the process. These specialized incubators could conduct scientific and market research in their niche, and provide complete transparencies and opportunities for entrepreneurs to come up … Continue reading
30 Ideas for Using Social Networks to Help You Be More InnovativeThis is the first of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘What is the role of social media in innovation? (Either inside or outside the organization)’. Here is the initial perspective in the series:by Mike BrownWhat is the role of social media and networks in innovation?Given the collaborative and interactive nature of social networks, they are a natural venue for enhancing innovation across many dimensions. Here are 30 possibilities you could pursue to make social networking a more overt part of your innovation efforts:Identifying Unarticulated NeedsSet up a social media monitoring system to see where and how customers are talking about your brand and related issues.Sponsor a contest to have customers identify challenges they’re facing (that you might be able to solve).Listen for social media participants expressing challenges … Continue reading
What Business Incubators in the Middle East can do to Contribute More to Innovationby Kamal HassanHave you noticed that business incubators are popping up in the Middle East like falafel shops? The Entrepreneur Business Village in Dubai. The Bahrain Business Incubator Center (BBIC). The BankMuscat Business Incubator. iPark in Jordan. Ibtikar incubator in Abu Dhabi. And nearly every country in MENA has a technology incubator.It’s not a bad thing at all, as long as we keep the supply in line with the demand. What concerns me, however, is the assumption that an influx of incubators will somehow increase the region’s innovation capabilities. It won’t – unless we structure them correctly and incubate real innovation instead of just another falafel shop.Innovation is an Art and a ScienceLike art, innovation requires creativity, which incubators such as The Shelter in Dubai try to encourage. However, the process of creating a work of art … Continue reading
The iPad has hit shelves this month, and looks to be leaving them just as fast. A Steve Jobs’ quote I relate to is “real artists ship”. It goes to the heart of making things happen. We’re seeing some encouraging signs in the global economy, (including bellwethers like Swiss watch sales) but an overall recovery will be slow and bumpy. At Davos in late January, Obama’s chief economist, Larry Summers, said: “We are in a statistical recovery but a human recession.” The social shock waves caused by downturns roll out devastation. Take down-under – at end of 2009, New Zealand unemployment was the highest in a decade. A major 2009 spike in violent crime was fueled by family violence, up 18.6%.I see creativity and innovation as the two powerful engines that will deliver a sustainable recovery. We need a recovery that delivers real jobs within a frame of sustainable living, … Continue reading
In discussing employee-driven innovation, having a technology platform to deliver on objectives is a key part of a company’s strategy. Hard to get everyone tuned in when you rely only on email and conversations with your cubicle mates. But that’s just one factor. There are many other considerations for companies seeking to vault to the top of their industries through greater innovation.One set of characteristics are what I term factors of ‘emergent’ innovation. I use emergent here in the sense of conditions which let good ideas find their level inside a company, regardless of source. Think of this as an alternative to R&D-led innovation, or innovations decided solely in the executive suite and cast down for implementation by the troops.Of course, there are more than six factors to emergent innovation. For instance, the actual process of turning someone’s idea into an innovation project has several factors of its own. But … Continue reading
The ‘obvious’ value of innovation is easy to see and communicate. The unique products, business models, customer services and other ‘tangible’ innovations are usually enough to justify the existence of an innovation program. But what about justifying an innovation program when you don’t have an existing track record? When times are hard, budgets tight and groups are fighting for survival, fledgling innovation teams and programs may be an easy target for ‘right sizing’.So if your innovation team isn’t delivering the next iPod, “name your own price auto insurance” or Nintendo Wii, what value are you providing? To answer this question, we need to take a step back and look at a typical corporate culture.The Typical Corporate CultureMost organizations develop processes, forms and tools to drive consistency. On the surface, this seems like a good thing. But what tends to happen is that processes layers on top of processes until every … Continue reading
