When it comes to innovation roadblocks, one of the biggest problems I see firms cite is a shortage of new ideas. In my experience, however, there rarely is a shortage of good ideas, but rather a problematic set of criteria used to identify them. When looking for ideas, management tends to look in the wrong […]
Is COVID19 the best time to innovate? I would love to answer that with a resounding ‘yes’, but looking at previous research the answer seems to be more nuanced. Yes, necessity is the mother of invention. And yes, external events trigger innovation. However, uncertainty impacts how we make decisions and if you have never brought […]
Over Thanksgiving we got our puzzle board out for a jigsaw puzzle. This time it was a Wasgij (jigsaw in reverse). A puzzle where you get a few hints, but don’t know the picture you are putting together. It occurred to me, that there is a lot of resemblance between putting together the unknown in […]
How do you give your interns a meaningful experience in the brief period that they are part of your organization? Have you ever thought about the value of a (no-code) hackathon? A 2-days workshop within their internship in which they will get to experience what innovation truly entails? An experience that will make their summer […]
What happens with an idea, after it pops up in your head? You think about it. You read about it. Do some background research. Talk with a few people… Eventually, when it has passed these initial “sanity” checks, you may put it forward to your manager, to get his or her take on your idea […]
Many professionals challenge me on the need for a process to foster creativity and innovation. In their opinion creativity and innovation are the fruits of inspiration. Innovation management, or any process for that matter, would just add a smothering layer of bureaucracy…
Imagineering is the design and development arm of the Walt Disney Company. It is the methodology used to create the magic in each Disney theme park and kingdom worldwide. Although few professionals will consider their job entertaining, there are a few lessons to be learned from the Imagineering concept.
The Food and Drug Administration offers $500,000 for the best breakthrough idea it receives for detecting salmonella on fresh produce. Including coaching for the five finalists. The Washington Post called it “The Voice, but then for science geeks”. Are Idea Contests indeed tapping into the wisdom of crowds, or is this another fad of groupthink?
This add of GE says it all. Ideas are scary, messy, and fragile, but under the proper care, they become something beautiful.
Does innovation happen like magic? No, innovation takes a lot of hard work. However, according to Stefan Thomke, professor at the Harvard Business School, innovation and magic have more in common than you think.
The Organizing4Innovation Idea Generation Webinar explains what the idea generation phase of the innovation process entails for professional service organizations. The Idea Generation stage is the first stage of any innovation project. It is both important and time-consuming, because only during this phase do you have maximum flexibility to get your solution right. Executing changes in your concept at a later stage is more difficult and expensive. While making changes and iterations may not seem to you like progress, in terms of learning you will discover that you are in fact advancing in leaps and bounds during this phase.
It may takes 10,000 hours to become an expert, but fortunately, acquiring creative thinking and working skills takes less time. Unfortunately, these skill are rarely taught, and reading a book about creativity is unlikely going to make anyone more creative. The only way to learn creative thinking and working skills are by doing. Living and breathing these skills every day, is what makes an organization like IDEO so creative.