Author Archives: Jose Mello
A question always present when discussing a portfolio of innovation projects is: – How to define if this is an innovation project or not? Whenever I take part in this kind of discussion, I usually bring my own definition of innovation: – “Innovation is something that you will easily recognize when you see it, because it is always surprising and transforms people´s lives”. Michael Schrage said recently at an innovation conference in Brazil: – “Innovation is not what innovators offer, but what consumers adopt” – And that is definitively TRUE!!! It is impossible to say that the result of a project will be innovative before starting it. The right question to ask should be: – How might we turn this project into an innovation project? Or, how might we add some differentiation to this product or service, so that consumers could recognize it as something “cool” and adopt it? Or, … Continue reading
This is the fifth of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘Thinking about the future: what big innovation do you expect within 10 years?’. Here is the next perspective in the series: by Jose Mello I believe that we are getting closer to the tipping point of a dramatically change in working relationships between companies and employees. The popularization of new technologies and the terrific growth of accessibility and communication have created new ways of learning and new kinds of professions that didn’t even existed five years ago. What if we didn’t have jobs anymore? What if we were the owners of our own independent companies working one to each other as partners rather than employees? Imagine a future where people are going to become more educated by themselves rather than by schools and universities. The knowledge is going … Continue reading
All companies have realized that they need innovation in some way to sustain business growth. What is not so clear is who should be responsible for that initiative inside the company… … Should innovation be placed in the commercial department because they are close to the clients and could know exactly their needs? …Should innovation be in products department because they are the guys who best know de products and technologies that could enhance their offer? Or, lets try a third one… …Should innovation be in the operational area because they are the guys who best know the process that delivers the products and services that would exceed client’s expectations? How might we move from an “or” to an “and” mode and create an innovation capability inside the company so that every single department could work together to deliver a higher level client experience? There is no single and right … Continue reading
This is the fourth of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘Should companies treat innovation management as a core competence? And if so, how?’. Here is the next perspective in the series: by Jose Mello How to create an innovation strategy that fits the organization needs and culture? Innovation management, for sure, is a core competence to be developed in all companies. It is the best way of creating sustainable growth and surviving in such competitive scenario. But how to create an innovation strategy that fits the organization needs and culture? First of all, the company needs to think about what is your motivation to innovation. The employees of a company won´t become more innovative just because their senior management wants them to be. It is necessary to identify what is your reason to innovate, a common reason that … Continue reading
This is the twelfth of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘What are three specific actions that a non-innovative company can take to become more innovative?’. Here is the next perspective in the series: by Jose Mello To set up an innovation culture in a company, one basic need is to create a proper environment for the innovators to grow. Innovation requires more than creativity. Innovation requires a process and people able to connect creativity with real business needs. There are three factors that can help us to create this “innovation environment”: Connectivity Among People Knowledge Management Essential Problems Connectivity Among People The whole can be much more than the sum of the parts! When you connect people inside and outside the company, you can create a collective brain capable of creating things quicker and more powerful than a … Continue reading
