The Innovation Blog

In the last Ideation Skills post, we discussed Passive Listening, the problematic way people typically tend to listen in creative problem solving meetings.  Here I will outline two simple techniques to enhance your ability to listen, generate ideas, and communicate your ideas to the group.  These two skills will make you a creative problem solving meeting All-Star in no time.

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Topics: Chris Dolan, active listening, headlining, critical ideation skills, creative problem solving skills

We are often asked if the best way to structure for innovation is top-down or bottom-up? The answer is both if you are going to succeed in the long run.

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Topics: Mark Sebell, Stage Gate, structuring for innovation, game-changing, Innovation, breakthrough innovation, strategy, growth, decision-making, Incremental Innovation

Topics: information silos, departmental silos, Mark Sebell, Innovation, Collaboration, Cross Functional Teams, Management, Creating an Innovation agenda

Bill Belichick is widely regarded as a football genius, contrarian, and grump. He is also an innovator. All of the X's and O's of design thinking can be found under the hoodie.

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Topics: Design, Design Thinking, Innovation, Innovation Strategy, strategy

Innovation clients frequently ask us how to make better decisions when pursuing breakthrough innovation.  Decision making in pursuit of breakthrough and transformational innovation is significantly different that which is for sustaining or incremental innovation (where frames of reference, past benchmarks, etc. exist).  There are five key decision points along the journey.  At each point, beliefs, assumptions, SWAGS, etc. will get tighter, and more useful.  

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Topics: Jay Terwilliger, SNIFF test, Innovation criteria, selecting, selection, evaluating ideas, evaluating innovation, Innovation, Innovation Strategy, criteria for innovation

It's 2015, we posted this blog in 2010, five years ago.  How are we doing? Take a look at our predictions and decide for yourself how many are still viable and on-track!

 

Two weeks ago, I attended the PDMA 2010 Global Conference, where innovators gathered and traded tips on the latest in innovation business practices.  Several themes consistently emerged from the various presentations – the emergence of open source ideation, the importance of engaging the customer, and a shift toward business model innovation, to name a few.  Reflecting on the conference, I got to thinking about the business trends that seem to be unfolding.  Innovation is happening not just in product development, but in how businesses are run.  What does the company of the future look like?  Here are 10 predictions for 2020.  Some of these developments are a lready happening on a large scale, others are more esoteric.  Although stemming from things I have read or heard, these predictions are admittedly (un)educated guesses.  If any of these predictions came to fruition, they would undoubtedly bring with them new set of challenges, but I believe that in each case, the opportunity far outweighs the complications.

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Topics: Chris Dolan, Jay Terwilliger, Future, Stage Gate, trends, Open Source, 20% Time, 20 Percent Time, Innovation