Author Archives: Cynthia DuVal
Social media is exposing the emerging innovation industry to public view This is the final 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 next perspective in the series: by Cynthia Duval I hesitated to write on this month’s Innovation Perspective topic because my view on the role of social media in innovation is from a single perspective, mine. And as an ethnographer, that doesn’t feel particularly comfortable since it is usually my job to see the world from the perspectives of others and communicate those perspectives juxtaposed against my own. So let me offer this blog post as an invitation to you to provide your perspectives as comments on mine. I spent many years working with innovation teams of one sort or … Continue reading
To Encourage and Facilitate Interdisciplinary Conflict, Collaboration and ExperimentationThis is the third of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘How should firms develop the organizational structure, culture, and incentives (e.g., for teams) to encourage successful innovation?’. Here is the next perspective in the series:by Cynthia DuValIf you want to encourage successful innovation take a lesson from Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Of all of the companies I’ve worked for or with, PARC, under the direction of John Seely Brown, was the best at inventing answers to this question. And maybe that is the answer: If you aren’t successfully innovating now, change your current structures, cultures and incentives to encourage interdisciplinary conflict and collaboration and I might add, get out of the way of self-motivated creativity. Successful innovations sometime flow from the historical trajectory of technical and …
“History should be our guide. The United States led the world’s economies in the 20th century because we led the world in innovation. Today, the competition is keener; the challenge is tougher; and that is why innovation is more important than ever. It is the key to good, new jobs for the 21st century. That’s how we will ensure a high quality of life for this generation and future generations. With these investments, we’re planting the seeds of progress for our country, and good-paying, private-sector jobs for the American people.”-President Barack Obama, August 5, 2009by Cynthia DuValWow, the Strategy for American Innovation is such a disappointment. Here is my take or should I say rant?Engineers, scientists, mathematicians and technologists, we love them, we are them, but they/we are only a fraction of the population that innovate. Innovation requires teams of people with interdisciplinary perspectives and basic skills …
