How Can Nonprofits Develop a Pilot Innovation Process that Works for Volunteers?
The innovation process (as variable as it can be) has a seemingly basic format no matter what your goal is: once you understand the problem, you identify some solutions to test. Those tests often occur in some limited, proof-of-concept format and are then rolled out for large-scale adoption. However, while testing out some sort of pilot scenario seems like a logical next step, many organizations aren’t sure how to do this, and it’s especially true for nonprofits where resources can be limited and every dollar must be accounted for.
The US Coast Guard and Rapid Adaptation: “There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Textbook Hurricane’ or a ‘Standard Oil Spill'”
From recognizing innovators, to empowering your team at every level, to developing innovation outposts, the US Coast Guard are experts in innovation and idea management. Learn more in this podcast interview.
How Can Enterprises Think and Execute Like a Startup?
Around the world and across industries, enterprises are facing tremendous market upheaval. Transformation and disruption were the new normal well before the pandemic, but the coronavirus crisis accelerated certain trends toward innovation and digitization and led to the fundamental rewiring of old business models.
How to Build an Enthusiastic Innovation Community
If you’re working with an innovation management platform, then you know the importance of building a community. The success of these programs is intrinsically linked to the spirit and engagement of your community: how much they participate, how they’re participating, why they’re participating.
Messy Beats Tidy
In his book, “Messy,” economist Tim Harford argues cogently that we are wrong to strive for order and tidiness because openness, adaptability and creativity are inherently messy. We should appreciate the benefits of untidiness.
The Vast Benefits of Tech Implants in the Human Brain
Technology has not only improved our ability to process information and use it to our advantage, but it is now possible to merge our minds to it. This process has already started.
How Creativity & Innovation Is Being Used To Improve Society
Creativity and societal problems have not always been closely associated. In the national dialogue, fixing these problems involves a series of concrete steps—steps designed to create concrete processes and repeatable outcomes.
Direct to Consumer Disrupting Established Markets
In 2010, the Gillette brand, which is owned by Proctor and Gamble, held 70% of the U.S. market for razors. It boasted continuous innovation in product design, and enjoyed a gross margin of around 60%. Its market share has now slid to around 50%. It has suffered at the hands of two start-up companies, which went direct to consumer (DTC). They are Harry’s and Dollar Shave Club.
The Doom of Multitasking: Don’t Force Your Employees into It
Did you know that you’re multitasking at least several times a day? That’s right! It’s enough if you cook, listen to music, and check your Facebook at the same time. Fortunately, it’s not fatal.
How Great Managers Can Drive Employee Engagement
Are your employees underperforming? This happens even to star employees when they don’t feel motivated to do their job anymore. Luckily, great managers can drive employee engagement by reconnecting with their workers. To boost engagement, you must find out what drives the people to do their best job every day.
5 Reasons Employers Should Provide Good Health Benefits
Good health benefits are one of the main make-or-break factors for a lot of people searching for companies to develop their careers in. The idea is that any reputable company will care enough about their employees to offer competitive health benefits, which is why this benefit is listed on job descriptions along with 401K plans and PTO.
How to Become a Business Linchpin: The Desirable Skills and Tools of Successful Workers
Some years ago, I had read Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin, which detailed the importance of becoming a critical component of the workplace environment. I’ll spare you the details, but the idea was to learn and apply as much as you could so the business was reliant on your efforts.
How to Keep Your Employees from Losing their Creativity
The most successful businesses and corporations in the world place employee satisfaction on the same pedestal as customer satisfaction. These corporations understand that without a loyal, creative, and cohesive team of satisfied employees, success cannot be attained.
5 Ways to Create a Culture That Embraces and Adapts to Change
As part of today’s changing technological landscape, it is vital to create a workplace culture that adapts to those changes. Doing so starts with having a comfortable workplace culture to begin with. Making your employees feel at ease in their current working conditions is the basis of creating a workplace that can adapt to changes.
What’s the Value of an Innovation Mentor?
When I say “innovator,” what image comes to mind? A brilliant, but misunderstood figure hunched over a drawing board by the light of a single lamp in the middle of the night – cup of coffee dwindling slowly, pages of crumpled notes on the floor?
Why Your Best Innovators Leave Your Company – at the Worst Possible Moment
Meet John. He worked in a company with a corporate strategy office but no innovation department. When our firm ran an innovation workshop at John’s company, he took to innovation like a duck to water. Unfortunately, the company’s innovation culture didn’t evolve quickly enough for John, which left him feeling stifled. He ended up leaving the company to pursue innovation full-time.
How the Innovation of the Email Changed Communication and Performance in Business
Business communication involves the exchange of information between parties such as two employees or two firms entering into a contract. The evolution of communication indicates drastic growth since the end of hiring secretaries to send out faxes to staff within the building or far away locations.
10 Innovations That Will Make Your Business Greener
More so now than ever, people are holding businesses accountable for the effect they have on the environment. With many areas experiencing the consequences of climate change, people are supporting companies with green initiatives. What can your business do to help the environment and your customer acquisition and retention? Here are 10 innovations that will make your business greener overall.
Remote Workers and Data Security: 5 Tips for Employers
With the increased mobility of modern networks and the explosion in mobile device use, more companies are finding benefits in allowing employees to work remotely. At the same time, maintaining security across multiple devices and public networks presents a challenge.
6 Benefits of Ongoing Employee Development
In many organizations, work is pretty consistent and predictable: go into the office, perform your tasks, and go home. Many people spend years doing their jobs without much advancement or ongoing career development.
How to Know Who Has the Right Skills for the Job
Hiring is a deeply imperfect process that probably has as many misses as hits. You’ve probably seen it in action: a new hire looks perfect on the paper and interviews well but has mediocre performance or clashes with co-workers constantly. Finding the person with the right skills is hard, but there are ways to pick more of the right candidates for a job.
7 Ways to Keep Your Employees Engaged All Year Round
When your employees are directly and fully engaged, you will notice that their morale and overall level of job satisfaction are high. They are motivated to work harder and smarter for your company, and the result is high productivity and perhaps less employee turnover.
Lean Start-Up and Digital Skills: Are They Enough?
If you’re like a lot of people, your company is trying to drive innovation internally, with a workforce that wasn't really hired for that. It's a tough nut to crack, and the very reason we started Swarm Vision.
Do Open-Concept Offices Promote Innovation?
Do open-concept offices live up to their hype when it comes to encouraging innovation and collaboration? Or do they hinder productivity by sacrificing privacy - and in some cases, comfort? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.
How Idea Implementation is Like Legislating
In a recent audit of site content on InnovationManagement.se, site publishers noticed that although there is a great deal of information about how to architect and run idea management programs, there isn’t a whole lot of information about how to implement ideas.
How do We Nurture Innovators?
More and more companies are looking to understand and identify innovation talent. Why? Because if companies understand how to encourage original thought and reward innovation efforts, they’re more likely to stay relevant and at the top of their game. Not to mention that they’re far more likely to attract and retain top talent that is interested in working for a company that is forward-thinking and rewards creative effort.
Mastering Global Innovation through Multicultural Collaboration
We live in an increasingly multicultural and networked world where innovation has the potential to transform lives from Austria to Zimbabwe. Leaders and teams are facing changing customer needs across cultures and geographies. If you’re responsible for international products, services, projects, or programs, how are you facilitating innovation and collaboration around the world?
Can Everyone Be Innovative?
Innovation is an integral part of many organizations today, and for good reason: it helps companies stay agile, relevant, and evolving. However, innovation is often difficult to achieve—or is even met with resistance.