Creativity

Speed of Innovation – How to Master Rapid Prototyping

In the disciplined and structured process of innovation we search for unmet needs and unfulfilled desires, and when we think we find them we have to construct a sort of a mental map that defines why our proposed solution will be better than whatever currently exists. We may use the business model map to show how we’re using this innovation to move up and to the right, or we may use the customer value ladder to show how this innovation provides differentiated value. And once we’re convinced that our idea is a really good one, the next step is often prototyping.

Ideascale2019-10-15T15:21:10-07:00May 19th, 2015|Categories: Collaborative Innovation, The Innovation Formula|Tags: AB testing, agile innovation, agile project management, Creativity, Failure, groupthink, innovation networks, prototyping, serialized book, Teamwork, the innovation formula book|

Three Common Ways Organizations Trip When It Comes to Innovation

Innovation appears prominently as part of almost any company’s strategy. Why then is it so hard to make it repeatable, scalable and lasting success? Scholars name key elements that bring innovation in sync, such as leadership, strategy and governance. Often, though, it’s not what organizations aren’t doing that causes a problem, but what they are doing—they’re tripping themselves up.

Ideascale2020-07-10T14:38:18-07:00December 22nd, 2014|Categories: Organization & Culture|Tags: challenge, Change Management, company culture, Creativity, governance, Innovation Culture, innovation team, leadership, Problem Solving, project teams, team building, Teamwork, wisdom of the crowd|

A Myriad of Ways to Being Creative

Have you seen this equation: innovative = creative? Novelty always comes from “outside the box,” right? It’s a land of confusion to many, who then conclude they are just not the creative type. As a result, organizations lose out because being innovative is but one of a myriad of ways to being creative. All people can be creative—in their own way.

Ideascale2019-11-28T09:23:54-08:00December 10th, 2014|Categories: Organization & Culture|Tags: case study, Creativity, Employee Engagement, innovation, inspiration, Kirton Adaption-Innovation Theory, motivation, Problem Solving, prospect theory, team building, team development, team diversity, Teamwork|

Fueling Your Employees’ Entrepreneurial Spirit: A New Approach to Intrapreneurs and the Value They Create

Cast your mind back, to pre-2008 times, when bright and bushy tailed graduates would come out of business school looking for roles in the relevant employers of choice. Generally those organizations were large businesses, providing incentives such as expensive dinners, a career advancement path and generous financial packages.

Ideascale2022-01-24T16:49:21-08:00December 1st, 2014|Categories: Collaborative Innovation|Tags: Creativity, Employee Engagement, employee network, enterprise innovation, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, innovation team, intrapreneur, intrapreneurship, motivation, talent management, team building|

Where Your Next Great Idea Comes From: 3 Great Ideas from Surprising Places

Innovation without borders means that you’re no longer concerned about where your next great idea comes from – you’re only concerned with it being great. It means that there is no job title, mission parameter, or geography that curtails creativity or delivering on that creativity.

Rob Hoehn2019-10-15T15:18:55-07:00September 30th, 2014|Categories: Idea Management, Open Innovation, Organization & Culture|Tags: brainstorming, Creativity, Crowdsourcing, Ideation, innovation, Innovation Management|

Why You Should Embrace Creativity Within Your Culture

As a company grows, its creativity typically tends to decrease. What can be done to prevent a decrease in creativity within an organization?

Ideascale2020-07-11T07:16:00-07:00September 18th, 2014|Categories: Leadership, Organization & Culture|Tags: company culture, Creativity, culture, Employee Engagement, HR, innovative people, inspiration, motivation|

Company Culture: A Driving Force For Innovation

Real innovation will starts with your company culture. Your shared values will help your business grow while stale company culture can sink you entirely. Your company culture can change in subtle ways over time but there are many ways to keep your infrastructure on task and in line with your overall mission. Simply stated, a good company culture drives innovation.

Ideascale2021-12-05T20:55:37-08:00May 12th, 2014|Categories: Organization & Culture|Tags: company culture, Creativity, Employee Engagement, HR, infrastructure, innovation, Innovation Culture, innovation team, leadership, risk-taking, values|

Boosting the Brain’s Creative Powers & Creating the Best Environment for Innovation

Creative thinking can be trained, and an environment for innovation can be purposefully built. Often plagued by a sense of urgency and pressure the modern office does not appear to be the ideal incubation opportunity for innovation – and yet there are strategies that can be used to defy the odds. So just how do we maximise the brain’s neurological capabilities in the midst of the busy contemporary working environment?

Ideascale2019-10-15T15:17:32-07:00April 30th, 2014|Categories: Idea Management, Organization & Culture|Tags: company culture, Creativity, Innovation Culture, innovation training, knowledge, lateral thinking, multitasking, neuronal innovation, talent, training|

Ten Ways to Motivate Employees to be More Innovative

You love your employees, and, obviously, you think they do awesome work, or else you probably wouldn’t have hired them. Yet, do you ever find yourself wishing they could become a little bit more innovative? After all, the companies that are thriving in today’s competitive marketplace are also some of the most creative.

Ideascale2019-10-15T15:17:36-07:00April 4th, 2014|Categories: Organization & Culture|Tags: Creativity, Employee Engagement, enterprise innovation, feedback, HR, Innovation Culture, inspiration, motivation, team building|

Top 10 Eureka Moments: Shower, Sleep and Drive

Looking for new solutions, we brainstorm a lot. Getting together to generate new ideas for urgent challenges. And when it's done professionally we even get a lot of ideas. But are they our best ones? That's the question. Brainstorming is under a lot of criticism these days. Is this tool giving us the best ideas possible? Do we do it the right way?

Ideascale2019-10-15T15:17:42-07:00March 3rd, 2014|Categories: Idea Management, Life Cycle Processes|Tags: brainstorm, brainstorming, Creativity, ideas, innovation, thinking|

Tips For Quicker And More Innovative Analogies

In this article Dr. Stephen Sweid is sharing a few secrets of the analogy method that has been refined throughout the years. Suggested techniques render this method more user friendly, but also allow it to generate WOW type new ideas that are more compatible (for integration) and that work in the real world, e.g. in the market.

Ideascale2019-10-15T15:16:18-07:00January 10th, 2014|Categories: Idea Management, Life Cycle Processes, Organization & Culture|Tags: analogies, Best Practices, Creativity, Ideation, WOW|

Innovation and Culture – Two Halves of the Same Coin

There would be few organisations that did not cite innovation as a desirable quality in their workforce, whether as part of the whole organisational culture, or critical in one area. Over the past five years, with businesses being buffeted by economic storms, finding sources of innovation can be the difference between success and failure.

Ideascale2019-10-15T15:16:33-07:00October 31st, 2013|Categories: Leadership, Organization & Culture, Strategies|Tags: Creativity, culture, innovation, Innovation Culture, innovative companies, invention, strategy|

Leaders’ Dual Roles When Managing Innovation

Leaders have dual roles when managing innovation. In a bottom-up role, they stimulate innovative results as they facilitate ideas and initiative coming from individuals and teams. In a top-down role, leaders are the primary means for the organization to realize its innovation goals and strategies. A fundamental challenge is to balance these two roles.

Ideascale2021-11-16T13:30:11-08:00September 11th, 2013|Categories: Innovation Psychology, Leadership, Organization & Culture|Tags: bottom-up leadership, Creativity, Innovation Culture, innovation leader, Innovation Management, innovation resources, innovation team, motivation, Problem Solving, roles, top-down leadership|

The Creative Process

There is one aspect of the creativity that is not often discussed in the vast literature, but it’s essential to achieving consistent creative results. This is a detailed understanding of the creative process itself.

Ideascale2021-12-05T17:26:14-08:00August 29th, 2013|Categories: Serialized Book, The Innovation Master Plan|Tags: Creativity, serialized book, The Innovation Master Plan, the innovation master plan book|

The Innovation Disconnect

CEOs talk enthusiastically about the need for innovation. Workers at the front line can see the needs and opportunities for fresh ideas. But somehow nothing happens. Ideas do not get implemented. Innovation grinds to a halt. This is the innovation disconnect and it has to be tackled head on.

Ideascale2021-12-05T17:10:11-08:00July 4th, 2013|Categories: Leadership, Organization & Culture|Tags: Communication, Creativity, idea implementation, idea management, influencing leadership, Innovation Culture, leading by example|