In looking for improvements and innovations we tend to focus our attention on what went wrong. We try to fix problems. A typical management meeting consists of a group of people who are looking at what is not working and trying their hardest to come up with ways to put things right. But in the process they are often allocating blame, arguing, becoming negative and getting frustrated.
Mike Dalton explains how the "5 whys" can be a powerful tool for innovators seeking to uncover new product and service opportunities.
A case history of a company that set out to encourage creativity and an analysis of why it didn't succeed.
Did you learn all you really need to know about innovation in kindergarten? Michael Dalton learned an important innovation lesson by visiting a kindergarten class taught by his wife.
Culture, Communication and Collaboration are the 3 C's that form the "soft-side" foundation of successful innovation. Without understanding your personnel "raw material" for innovation, the process may be difficult if not impossible to execute successfully.
There are indeed pitfalls, trapdoors and "worst practices" associated with innovation.
Natalie Jenkins explains how adopting a set of creative thinking methods can help to prepare you for today's world of constant change and upheaval.
Our fears narrow our perceptions, limit our potential, stifle our creativity and exhaust the energy for innovation, according to Andrew Papageorge.
History is full of example of innovative tactics winning the day, sometimes against formidable odds. What lessons can business leaders today learn from the history of warfare? Plenty, explains Paul Sloane.
Boomerang innovation is never intended. It just happens. It's a tremendous waste of money and highly demotivating for all concerned. Read on to learn what boomerang innovation is, and how to avoid it.
Take a lesson from Airbus and WebVan: When you have that really big, disruptive, amazing, incredible, world-changing idea, it should not mark the end of your innovation process.
One key to successful innovation is to learn quickly from failure, according to author Jim Clemmer.
The organization that implements lots of ideas will most likely have many failures but the chances are, it will reap some mighty successes too. By trying numerous initiatives we improve our chances that one of them will be a star, according to author Paul Sloane.
