The Innovation F-word
Fail fast. Fail cheap. Fail early. Go out to fail. We have all heard these words numerous times in connection to innovation and how to create radical innovation, the ultimate dream for all of us involved in the field. In fact the f-word is used so frequently in connection to innovation that it is about to become yet another meaningless slogan. Why is failure so hard? In this blog post Susanna Bill takes failure out of slogans and into a human orientated perspective.
Managing your Brand by Uncovering Key Points of Inspiration
You’re the leading branded FMCG player in your market. You are a well-known and respected company with a long heritage of consistently outperforming other major brands. Yet, despite this heritage, you are underperforming in one market segment that is showing strong growth. Bryan Urbick explores how to capture share of a lucrative and growing market.
Strategic vs. Tactical Innovation – Learn how to get the Balance Right
In tough economic times, companies need to demonstrate the value of their innovation programs. Many innovation leaders are pressured to deliver benefits now, whilst long-term success depends on managing a strong portfolio of strategic innovations and potential breakthroughs. Learn more on how to get the balance right between strategic and tactical innovation in your portfolio in this Expert Panel discussion on October 18th.
What is Best ‘Shape’ for Persuasive Ideas?
How can you 'shape' your idea so it stands out compared to everything else that's competing for people's attention, is persuasive and easy to support and share? The authors of a new book, The Impact Equation, share one effective approach.
Pulp Innovation Chapter LXXVIII: Ethnographic Field Trip
Marlow prepares his team to head out into the field to observe the behavior of people using Accipiter's products as part of a larger product or service. When he receives resistance from a team member who believes in the statistical significance of surveys, he asks everyone to go into this with an open mind and the right attitude. He hopes to identify unmet or unspoken needs and identify behaviors that can lead to new opportunities.
Financial Innovation and its Undeniable Role in Society
Innovation in the area of financial services has undergone increased criticism since the start of the difficulties in international banking. This has fueled a general negative perception of innovation in financial services. In this article Dr. Anne-Laure Mention argues that innovation is not something to be feared as such, actually it is a driver of competitiveness and that the full benefits for society might not yet be visible.
Internet of the Sea
The internet of things has shipped out to sea. A number of remote sensing technologies have been employed to monitor various aspects of the ocean to improve weather forecasts, safer resource exploration, and climate change mitigation with benefits to companies, policymakers, and the planet.
Trimming the Web Portal Kudzu
Organizations introduce web portals to help people share information and ideas. Time passes. Sites proliferate like kudzu strangling a pin oak. Their numbers keep people from finding the information they need and from engaging in the conversations that matter. Collaboration slows. What is the web gardener to do? In this article innovation architect Doug Collins explores how the practice of collaborative innovation can help organizations trim their proliferating portals.
How to Change Culture by Doing: Creating Momentum
In large or complex organizations, starting or ramping up innovation can be a real challenge. For concrete ideas on how to create momentum for innovation projects, tune into this interactive IM Channel One Ask the Experts Panel Discussion. On October 4th, IM Channel One invites two experts from KILN’s cauldron to discuss aspects of innovation program momentum, from leveraging the creative talent of your people, through to winning management’s buy-in. The conversation will be driven to answer your questions.
Creativity: Start from Scratch Conceptually
Business, governments and individuals can easily become bogged down by procedures and processes that harm efficiency and kill innovation. The obvious solution is to start from scratch. Here's how to do it, according to Jeffrey Baumgartner.
Keen Innovation Lessons from the Music and Video Game Industries
What practical innovation lessons can managers learn from the music and video game industries? Plenty, based on my read of Innovation Playlist: 11 Business Innovation Lessons from the Music and Video Game Industries by Elvin Turner, Chris Parles and Andy Billings.
Establishing the Foundations for a Balanced Innovation Portfolio
Corporate innovation programs can’t fulfill their potential without the right foundations in place. Many organizations are taking their programs across the enterprise. In this article we consider three key foundations and how they can be boosted to improve corporate innovation: the linkage between every day innovation and corporate targets, the levels of openness, trust and acceptance of diverse opinions.
Pulp Innovation Chapter LXXVII: The Culture Shift
With the first innovation effort under way, Marlow sets out to gradually shift the corporate culture of Accipiter to encourage more innovation. His mission begins with finding a champion in the HR department.
Creating the Conditions for Sustainable Innovation
Is your company a great place for innovation? That probably depends on whether you ask the boss or the underlings. According to a new study by Development Dimensions International, a human resources consulting firm, the boss and the workers could hardly disagree more. Read more and download the report that does recommend some practical action steps that can be used to help bridge this disconnect between leaders and employees.
Innovation Method – Copy and Paste
One of the most common operations performed on a computer is copy and paste. We copy a section of a webpage and paste it into a document. We take it for granted. We grab an idea from one place and put it to use in another. So why not use this method for your next product or service innovation?
Fracking: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
US carbon emissions have hit a 20 year low. This is due in large part to the switch from coal to natural gas as an energy source. Fracking technology has enabled access to natural gas and oil reserves at much lower cost providing access to huge resource reserves. But many believe the price to access these energy reserves is too high- not in monetary costs, but in environmental and health costs.
Threat vs. Opportunity – The Art of Pitching your Ideas
Why is your boss neglecting the fantastic idea you came up with even though it looks promising (in your eyes at least)? And why is your boss so intent on avoiding negative situations? This is an irritating behavior many of us have experienced and one that Bengt Järrehult examines more closely in today’s blog.
A Simple Exercise in Anticonventional Thinking
Anticonventional thinking forces out of our normal pathways of creative problem solving to consider a wider range of potential solutions. Jeffrey Baumgartner explains how it works via a simple example.
The Grand Challenge – How to use Open Innovation to Generate Worldwide Awareness
Grand Challenges represent enormous potential in their power to use open innovation practices to generate worldwide awareness of — and affinity for —private and public sector organizations. As challenge prizes grow and social media bring them to the attention of the world, Grand Challenges have also become an important part of public relations exercises for Grand Challenge sponsors like Virgin, Netflix and General Electric.
A Lesson for Building your New Business Opportunity Case
Many would-be innovators share a common frustration: persistent difficulty in gaining traction for their new ideas with the people they need to cultivate in order to advance them. Why do they often struggle? There are numerous reasons, but a common one is that they all too often rely on opinions to make their case instead of applying facts and data.
Pulp Innovation Chapter LXXVI: a CFO Full of Surprises
Marlow approaches the CFO with a request for innovation funds expecting him to hem and haw, and say they need more evidence and a better projection of the results of the work. Instead, he is pleasantly surprised...
Conflict in Teams – Does it Stimulate Creativity & Innovation?
Conflict is a dreaded word. Most people associate conflict with interpersonal clashes ranging from inelegant avoidance tactics in the breakroom to fierce and open hostility. Surely, it is obvious that conflict in teams is detrimental to creativity and innovation. But is it? In this post we will explore this matter further and see when conflict sometimes can enhance the creative thinking skills of teams.
Halal Products – Burgeoning Growth Ahead
The race is on to take advantage of the $2 trillion (and rising) market opportunity represented by the global Muslim population, many of whom are young, well educated, fashion conscious and tech savvy.
Making Collaborative Innovation Stick
People who practice collaborative innovation commit to transforming their communities and organizations in authentic ways. Through the practice, people realize their potential for leadership by posing the critical questions that matter and by convening peers to pursue the ideas that follow. And, let’s be honest: the practice takes a lot of work. In this article, innovation architect Doug Collins reflects on ways in which people can approach the practice to increase the odds that it persists and proliferates.