http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:00:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1.2 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2012/02/09/shifting-paradigms-refreezing-the-organization-for-innovation/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2012/02/09/shifting-paradigms-refreezing-the-organization-for-innovation/#comments Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:00:17 +0000 Paul Hobcraft http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=36269 I would like to continue on "unfreezing the middle" for innovation to really take hold and have a greater mometum in organizations. Largely it is about our ability to unlock those ‘frozen innovation moments.’ To radically redesign the approach to innovation that today is constantly occurring in ‘discreet parcels’ of innovation activity within organizations. It is this ‘selective’ approach I certainly believe needs changing. Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2012/02/09/shifting-paradigms-refreezing-the-organization-for-innovation/feed/ 0 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2012/01/03/for-innovators-a-timely-un-serenity-prayer/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2012/01/03/for-innovators-a-timely-un-serenity-prayer/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:00:44 +0000 Dennis Stauffer http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=32282 As we begin this new year, how personally committed to innovation are you? What are you dissatisfied with enough to find the courage to change it? Which do you value more, serenity or courage? Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2012/01/03/for-innovators-a-timely-un-serenity-prayer/feed/ 0 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/12/27/whats-your-new-years-vision/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/12/27/whats-your-new-years-vision/#comments Tue, 27 Dec 2011 13:00:03 +0000 Dennis Stauffer http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=31644 I’ve never been big on New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t find them very motivating and apparently I’m not alone, judging by the number of people who crowd into my health club in January who are gone by April. Resolutions just don’t stick with me. So I’ve been musing about finding an innovative way to practice this tradition. The answer I’ve come up with: Instead of a New Year’s Resolution, why not a New Year’s Vision? Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/12/27/whats-your-new-years-vision/feed/ 0 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/12/21/open-innovation-platform-an-exceptional-way-to-experiment/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/12/21/open-innovation-platform-an-exceptional-way-to-experiment/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:00:48 +0000 Clinton Bonner http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=31082 Tinkerers like Edison and the lesser known scientist & inventor Joseph Priestley – the first man to isolate oxygen – understood the value of attempts. One of Edison’s more famous quotes, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” sums up his conviction that experimentation and perseverance are paramount to innovative success. In Priestley’s day (illustrated here) – around the time of the American Revolution – coffee houses supplied the patrons with both the chemical (caffeine) & intellectual (collaborative minds) enhancements allowing for ideas to be spread, repurposed and brought to market, thus creating real world value. Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/12/21/open-innovation-platform-an-exceptional-way-to-experiment/feed/ 0 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/10/31/teenagers-in-our-midst-why-are-world-class-innovators-so-surly/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/10/31/teenagers-in-our-midst-why-are-world-class-innovators-so-surly/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:54:19 +0000 Dennis Stauffer http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=26499 With the passing of Steve Jobs and with it recent reminders of how not only bright and creative, but arrogant and obnoxious he could be, I got to thinking: Why are great innovators at times so insufferable? Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/10/31/teenagers-in-our-midst-why-are-world-class-innovators-so-surly/feed/ 0 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/10/02/lessons-learned-at-nasa-patience-and-persistence/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/10/02/lessons-learned-at-nasa-patience-and-persistence/#comments Sun, 02 Oct 2011 12:35:27 +0000 Peter Doyle http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=24133 Over three years ago my company MMC undertook a pilot with NASA to see the effectiveness of using rich media to market technologies.  The timing could not have been worse.  As the media was being readied for release the financial crisis of 2008 hit. I remember looking at a first cut of one video on a new fiber optic sensor and the same evening American Express called to ask if I could pay my card bill early because they needed the money.   All the videos were all finished in October 2008. Here’s one video you can view.  The pilot was rolled out into a world where there was a significant possibility the whole business and financial system would collapse.  Needless to say while everyone liked it, we had no bites. This was followed by a stimulus that included no extra government staffing but a 20% increase in the staff … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/10/02/lessons-learned-at-nasa-patience-and-persistence/feed/ 1 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/27/patently-obvious/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/27/patently-obvious/#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:43:40 +0000 Robert F Brands http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=23971 A new law signed by President Obama this month could mean a speedier patent approval process for inventors across the country. Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/27/patently-obvious/feed/ 1 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/08/from-marginal-to-mainstream-social-innovation/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/08/from-marginal-to-mainstream-social-innovation/#comments Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:51:01 +0000 Paul Hobcraft http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=22289 I think the recent global economic crisis has raised society issues far more. Social innovation will begin to move from the margins to the mainstream to tackle a range of these society challenges. It will inevitably need more structural support; it certainly will need more coordination and alignment by all the stakeholders involved. It needs organizing and being recognized in its own right. Are you ready to participate? Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/08/from-marginal-to-mainstream-social-innovation/feed/ 2 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/05/the-power-of-ideas-that-touch-peoples-lives/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/05/the-power-of-ideas-that-touch-peoples-lives/#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:59:26 +0000 Paul Hobcraft http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=22228 Where we start to engage across society is through the power of ideas that can touch many people’s lives. Through innovation we should always attempt to do this. Social innovation is no different. Eventually through witnessing a change a person sees as valuable in their values, as they want to interpret it a powerful incentive to change. It is a slow process but it has a higher chance of lasting success than forcing something onto someone really reluctantly, that is sometimes sensing alienated by the majority that lie outside their immediate group. For social innovation to work we need to make innovation socially personal. Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/05/the-power-of-ideas-that-touch-peoples-lives/feed/ 2 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/04/spotting-the-difference-with-social-innovation/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/04/spotting-the-difference-with-social-innovation/#comments Sun, 04 Sep 2011 14:24:59 +0000 Paul Hobcraft http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/?p=22282 We need to shift our thinking away from just ‘innovation’ into ‘societal innovation’. Why? Social issues will dominate our thinking in 2011 and beyond.It simply has to as we struggle to manage in ‘depressed’ economies. Social based solutions are very different from economics based ones. Economic ones are more focused on the production and consumption of commodities. For me, social ones has five very distinctive differences from existing innovation approaches associated with the economic ones used in innovation. Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/04/spotting-the-difference-with-social-innovation/feed/ 2 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/29/innovation-perspectives-future-of-working-relationships/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/29/innovation-perspectives-future-of-working-relationships/#comments Fri, 29 Oct 2010 04:02:10 +0000 Jose Mello http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=9392 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 →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/29/innovation-perspectives-future-of-working-relationships/feed/ 1 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/28/innovation-perspectives-an-algorithmic-future/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/28/innovation-perspectives-an-algorithmic-future/#comments Thu, 28 Oct 2010 04:03:45 +0000 Rocco Tarasi http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=9354 What happens when we are reduced to an algorithm? This is the fourth 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 Rocco Tarasi I think some of the most significant innovations of the next decade will come from the increasing amount of digital information that is available about all of us, resulting in a more perfectly predictive economy – probably benefiting us as consumers, but equally hurting some of us that might be employed as ”producers”. Consider just a small sample of the digital information available about me, not just in what I have done in the past, but also what I will do in the future. Google knows a LOT about me, from the content of my … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/28/innovation-perspectives-an-algorithmic-future/feed/ 3 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/27/innovation-perspectives-predicting-innovations/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/27/innovation-perspectives-predicting-innovations/#comments Wed, 27 Oct 2010 04:02:48 +0000 Drew Boyd http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=9283 This is the third 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 Drew Boyd My crystal ball is no better than others. Rather than predict innovations, I predict what characteristics they will have and how they might be invented. Mobility: Future products will incorporate some degree of mobility and integration into the mobile lifestyle. Smart phones fuel this. But mobility is not all about communications. Future products will take advantage of the data created by people as they move through their day. The innovation templates, Task Unification and Attribute Dependency, are excellent tools for identifying these opportunities. An MIT team is researching the feasibility of using cell phones as a unique tool to identify any emerging disease outbreaks. … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/27/innovation-perspectives-predicting-innovations/feed/ 2 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/26/innovation-perspectives-future-of-digital-relationships/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/26/innovation-perspectives-future-of-digital-relationships/#comments Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:03:16 +0000 Steve Todd http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=9243 This is the second 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 Steve Todd I believe that the biggest innovation coming in the next 10 years will be “how we relate to digital information”. If you believe this IDC report, the pace of digital information growth will not slow between now and 2020. You can choose the bank that you put your money in, but do you know where the actual bits that represent your money are physically located? And do you know how well protected those bits actually are? If you did, would you choose to bank somewhere else? Does any of this matter? How about the explosive amount of personal information you will be forced to … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/26/innovation-perspectives-future-of-digital-relationships/feed/ 3 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/25/innovation-perspectives-adapt-and-reinvent/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/25/innovation-perspectives-adapt-and-reinvent/#comments Mon, 25 Oct 2010 04:02:18 +0000 Tim Woods http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=9200 This is the first 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 initial perspective in the series: by Tim Woods When you think about the next 10 years for innovation, and what big discoveries will come, it’s tempting to think of specifics: exciting new products, new game-changing technologies, emerging market spaces, or what products Apple will invent. But I think the biggest innovation will be far simpler, with far more reach and impact than any specific product or technology. It will be the practice of innovation management itself. Back in 2001, the innovation management space was fit only for early adopters who were willing to invest serious time and effort into understanding the complex problems of engaging large amounts of employees, voluntarily, to help … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/25/innovation-perspectives-adapt-and-reinvent/feed/ 2 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/14/call-for-october-innovation-perspectives-2/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/14/call-for-october-innovation-perspectives-2/#comments Thu, 14 Oct 2010 04:01:13 +0000 Braden Kelley http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=8800 October’s opportunity to contribute your Innovation Perspectives is now here. This monthly feature presents our loyal readers (335,000+ unique visits last month) with different perspectives on a single topic all in one place – from several different authors. It gives our innovation community the opportunity to compare, contrast and discuss them in the comments here on Blogging Innovation and with the 3,950+ people in the Continuous Innovation group on LinkedIn. Here is this month’s topic from Rocco Tarasi for publishing the week of October 25 – October 31, 2010: – Thinking about the future: what big innovation do you expect within 10 years? Thank you to Spigit for sponsoring Blogging Innovation this month. Find out more about Spigit here. The submission deadline is midnight GMT on October 23, 2010 Several contributing authors will be writing articles on this topic, but you are also welcome to submit an article. The process … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/14/call-for-october-innovation-perspectives-2/feed/ 1 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/13/innovation-perspectives-september-wrapup-2/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/13/innovation-perspectives-september-wrapup-2/#comments Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:04:43 +0000 Braden Kelley http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=8749 Innovation Perspectives is our monthly feature to present our loyal readers with different perspectives on a single topic all in one place along with the ability to compare, contrast and discuss them in the comments here on Blogging Innovation and in the Continuous Innovation group on LinkedIn. September’s topic was: “Should companies treat innovation management as a core competence? And if so, how?” Kevin McFarthing – A Rhetorical Question Jose Mello – Motivation for Innovation Steve Todd – Managerial Innovation Critical to the Core Mike Dalton – Building Core Competence Ric Merrifield – Is Innovation Becoming a Fad? If you would like to suggest a topic for next month’s Innovation Perspectives, or would like to contribute, please leave a comment or contact us. You can check out all of the ‘Innovation Perspectives‘ articles from the different contributing authors on ‘What do you consider the most important single development in innovation … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/13/innovation-perspectives-september-wrapup-2/feed/ 1 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/10/innovation-perspectives-a-rhetorical-question/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/10/innovation-perspectives-a-rhetorical-question/#comments Sun, 10 Oct 2010 14:38:44 +0000 Kevin McFarthing http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=8648 This is the lost fifth ‘Innovation Perspective‘ article that we were supposed to publish last month as part of a series from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘Should companies treat innovation management as a core competence? And if so, how?’. Here is the missing perspective in the series: by Kevin McFarthing It’s really a rhetorical question – should innovation management be a core competence? Well, of course it should, if you are serious about growing your business. Growth = survival more so now than ever before. If you’re lucky enough to be in an industry or company that can rely purely on market expansion for short-term growth, you’re unusual, and your position will be temporary. Imagine the CFO walking into the CEO’s office one Monday morning to declare that all financial records will in future be kept on Post-It notes. Or the Head of Regulatory Affairs in a … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/10/innovation-perspectives-a-rhetorical-question/feed/ 2 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/01/innovation-perspectives-motivation-for-innovation/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/01/innovation-perspectives-motivation-for-innovation/#comments Fri, 01 Oct 2010 04:01:01 +0000 Jose Mello http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=8222 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 →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/10/01/innovation-perspectives-motivation-for-innovation/feed/ 6 http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/09/30/innovation-perspectives-managerial-innovation-critical-to-the-core/ http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/09/30/innovation-perspectives-managerial-innovation-critical-to-the-core/#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:02:28 +0000 Steve Todd http://www.business-strategy-innovation.com/wordpress/?p=8180 This is the third 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 Steve Todd Gary Hamel, in his book The Future of Management, provides a framework for changing a command-and-control culture to an environment of empowered innovation. His bottom line is that corporations need to innovate, but not only in the “new product” sense. They must innovate in their methods of managing employees! This means that corporations must manage their innovators using methods and processes that have not yet been created. Hamel outlines four types of corporate innovation areas that merit consideration: Operational Innovation: this type of innovation, “which is about how the work of transforming inputs into outputs actually gets done “(taken from CuriousCat), rarely leads to … Continue reading →]]> http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/09/30/innovation-perspectives-managerial-innovation-critical-to-the-core/feed/ 2