Walking on the Edge with Innovation
May 6, 2013
Innovation thrives on a diet of news ideas. It needs new views, fresh thinking; a different perspective from across the organization, from the center to the edge. Walking on the edge According to John Hagel and John Seely Brown for the Aspen Institute Roundtable Discussion in 2012, the place where innovation is most likely to flourish is not at the core of an organization but at the edge “where the weight of inertia is less inhibiting and where disruptive initiatives are more likely to be tolerated”. Edges... Read more »
What drives Innovation and who owns it?
December 11, 2012
Ownership is one of the key imperatives of Robert’s Rules of Innovation. Most would agree that innovation is everyone’s responsibility, but employees can’t innovate unless their leaders empower them to do so. Innovation needs a champion within the organization to push them to take calculated risks, and to step outside their own comfort zone. Without ownership, positive results are almost impossible to achieve. To find out if you are on track in your companies’ innovation ownership; ask yourself the... Read more »
Innovation in a Reinvented World, + Website: 10 Essential Elements to Succeed in the New World of Business
August 28, 2012
A step-by-step guide to the 10 essential and practical skills a business needs to innovate and thrive in uncertain times The reinvented world of business will profoundly impact America’s leaders and workers in the decade ahead. Companies capable of transforming their organizations during this period of “Great Disruption” will thrive in the reinvented world however, the reverse holds true as well. Innovation in a Reinvented World reveals how transformation occurs when business leaders and... Read more »
Innovation and the Individual
June 12, 2012
Although we need teams to make things happen, innovation can occur on an individual basis. For an individual to create innovation, he or she must think creatively and understand the market as well as consumer wants and needs. An example of this took place during my early hands-on innovation days as marketing manager at Sylvania Lighting. Philips had developed the Long Life Soft White light bulb strategy, competing against GE Lighting. Consumers wanted soft white light bulbs and ideally longer life, so Philips... Read more »
How to Build an Innovation Leader
January 24, 2012
Every organization needs an Innovation champion. This very important role requires exceptional people skills and communication skills, and the ability to be a master consensus builder among all players in the organization. Innovation champions come in a wide range of styles of interaction. Renowned psychologist Michael Kirton developed the Kirton Adaptive Innovation Inventory (KAI) as a profiling tool to measure problem-solving styles. The general characteristics of innovators are as follows: * Ingenious,... Read more »
Innovation Democratization: How to Get the Most Out of Your Team
December 6, 2011
One of the first steps of achieving Innovation in the new product development process is to assemble a team. While the organization’s leader may be tempted to call in “the usual suspects”, people with a history of success in that field, it is important at this point to include fresh faces in the group. Dr. Harlan Weisman, chief science and technology officer of Medical Devices & Diagnostics at Johnson & Johnson suggests connecting people who wouldn’t normally work together* – people from... Read more »
Innovation and How to Harness the Creative Mindset
July 26, 2011
Every organization has a diverse group of personalities that respond differently to particular management styles. The creatives of an organization are often the group that stands out and may be misunderstood. How are creatives perceived in your company? What is the nature of the creative type, and how can they best be managed for the purposes of achieving Innovation? First, let’s describe what creatives are like. Highly charged creative types may act out or resist when they feel restricted by the confinement... Read more »
Defeating Devil’s Advocates to Become an Innovation Champion
July 12, 2011
In an organization, it’s human nature to resist change and to stick with the status quo that’s often more comfortable and safe. Some of your teammates in your company may be devil’s advocates who claim they want what’s best for the business while they oppose initiatives for Innovation. As a leader and innovator-in-chief of your company, it is critical to drive the culture of Innovation throughout the organization even in the face of opposition. To defeat devil’s advocates, first you must examine... Read more »
Innovation Evolution
