Address fault lines

3 Ways to prevent faultlines from breaking up in a time of crisis

Is the coronavirus causing the faultlines in your organization to break up? For example, because one department is overwhelmed trying to manage the crisis, while another department is looking for meaningful activities to stay busy. Yet, these groups are not able to help each other because of different skillsets and perhaps mistrust. The team literature […]

Putting together the unknown

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 to follow up after an idea campaign?

You launched an idea campaign. The results were fantastic. Lots of buzz around innovation and a boatload of creative energy floating around. A long list of ideas, with at least a few that seem to have real potential. What now? From idea to implementation The goal of an idea campaign is to get ideas out […]

Stop talking, start doing

IBM once featured a campaign around “the innovation man”. Stop talking, start doing was the main theme of these advertisements. This slogan seems still very relevant. However, how do you start doing? And does that mean that you should stop talking?  Talking is important Stop talking is not really an option. You cannot launch […]

How to Accomplish Your Innovation Goals

Sitting behind your desk and day dreaming about how the future is going to look like is a fun past time. How can you turn these ideas into reality, how to make these dreams come true? In other words, how to accomplish your innovation goals and be successful?

Innovation campaigns; The good, bad and ugly

Innovation campaigns are popular. They are an excellent way to get your organization engaged in innovation activities. The yield in numbers of ideas is typically very high. However, what happens thereafter? The good Engagement Innovation campaigns enable an entire organization, across multiple locations, to focus on a critical issue over a brief period. I don’t […]

Making innovation and digital transformation activities pay off in service organizations

Digital transformation seems the new buzz word in organizations. No wonder, given what you can do for your clients, with all the computing power, data, analytics, artificial intelligence, and other new tools. While the opportunities seem unlimited, the reality is harsh. Forbes estimates that over $900 billion worth of spend on such initiatives will miss their mark; mismanagement […]

How often should you launch a new service offering?

Does it matter how often you launch a new service offering? The answer is yes, it matters. Recent research from Georgia State University shows that the pace, rhythm, and scope of new market introductions have a big impact on the market value of pharma companies. What does that tell service firms? Finding the perfect pace […]

Overconfidence as the biggest pitfall to innovation success and what to do about it

Overconfidence drives poor decisions. We humans, tend to focus on the evidence for outcomes that we believe and want to happen, while ignoring other possibilities. As a result, overconfidence is the biggest pitfall when it comes to bringing an innovative idea to practice. Now, research has shown an effective strategy to avoid overconfidence: focus on […]

What You Can Do With Technology

“Don’t ask what technology can do for you, but ask what you can do with technology.” This is the marketing slogan from Microsoft for their Artificial Intelligence platform. This commercial ends with the question: “You have the power of technology at your finger-tips. What will you do with it?”.  Technology at your finger-tips Indeed, you […]

How to Justify Going to an Interesting Conference or Meetup

Especially on a gray rainy day, inspiration is always very welcome. Going to a conference or meetup, to me, is like coming out of a hole. It brightens my day and turns the future into an opportunity. While I don’t always like the networking part- that seems to be a must nowadays – I like […]

Changing the game in the professional services

There are many fascinating technologies – from big data, artificial intelligence, to blockchain – that can truly enhance the services provided by lawyers, clinicians, engineers and many other professionals. However, incorporating these technologies is not going to happen by itself. Successful incorporation requires professionals to take charge, take on the role of innovation champions, and […]