Innovation

Thinking Outside The Box

2005-10-19T03:02:00.000-07:00

By Steven Gillman

When innovators talk about thinking outside the box, they mean coming up with creative ways to solve problems - new ways to look at things. How do they do it? How can you do it too? We first have to ask what the "box" is. Then we can look at how to get outside of it.

The "box" is the normal way of doing things and looking at things. It is the assumptions that almost everyone involved is making. The best way to start thinking out of the box then, is to identify and challenge all the assumptions that make up thinking inside the box.

One of the major liquor brands was faltering years ago, and they couldn't seem to boost their sales. Promotions, lowering the price, getting better shelf placement - these were the "in the box" solutions. Then someone challenged the assumptions, by asking "What if we stopped the promotions and just raised the price?"

The price was raised as an experiment, and sales soon doubled. As it turns out, some types of liquor are bought quite often as gifts. Buyers don't want to buy the most expensive one, but they also don't want to seem cheap, so they won't buy products that don't cost enough. Now imagine what happens to your profit margins when you raise the price and double the sales. That's the power of thinking outside of the box.

Ways To Get Outside The Box

Challenging assumptions is a powerful creative problem solving technique. The difficult part is to identify the assumptions. If you are designing a new motorcycle, write down assumptions like "speed matters," "it has to run on gas" and "it needs two wheels," not because you expect to prove these wrong, but because challenging these can lead to creative possibilities. Maybe the time has come for an electric three-wheeled motorcycle.

Another way to get to creative solutions is to "assume the absurd." This is either fun or annoying, depending on how open-minded you can be. All you do is start making absurd assumptions, then finding ways to make sense of them. The easiest way to do it is by asking "what if."

What if a carpet cleaning business was better off with half as many customers? It seems absurd, but work with it. Hmm...less stressful, perhaps. More profitable if each customer was worth three times as much. Is that possible? Commercial jobs that involve large easy-to-clean spaces (theaters, offices, convention halls) make more money in a day than houses, with fewer headaches. Focusing on getting those accounts could be the most profitable way to go - not so absurd.

Another way to more innovative ideas is to literally do your thinking out of the box. Get out of the house or the office. Look around at how others are doing things. On busses in Ecuador, salesmen put a product into everyones hands and let them hold it while they do a sales pitch. Then you have to give back "your" product or pay for it. It is very effective. How could you use the principle in your business?

Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower and related topics for years. For more creative problem solving techniques, and to subscribe to the Brain Power Newsletter, visit: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com

Implement Your Idea Today Lest Someone Else Does

2005-10-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Michaela Scherr

I’ve had some great ideas in the past, as a matter of fact I had some really huge ideas – only problem was in the past I didn’t make things happen, others unfortunately, did it for me.

Years ago when I was studying freelance photography and travel writing, I made a list of all the great interviews I was going to do – one of which was with the airport sniffer dogs, the gorgeous and unassuming Beagles. I’d set up the interview and then, for a reason I can’t remember, never got around to it. I also made a list of photographic ideas. The project idea of a moon calendar really had me motivated – for awhile. Again, for whatever reason at the time, I simply didn’t get around to it. Then there were the seascapes I sold at the Opera House Markets before anyone else did the nautical ‘thing’ – unfortunately I had no idea how to market myself so that idea eventually fizzled out.

All the ideas I had ended with someone else doing the doing and receiving credit for it!

I’m far more focused these days and if an opportunity presents itself that I’m interested in, I go for it!

If you’re toying with an idea now…today…run with it, because if you do not, someone else will and receive the accolades and all the opportunities that go with it. You being the first off the starting block with a new idea or concept can have far reaching consequences much like the Butterfly Effect (see Chaos Theory) - a small thing such as the flap of a butterfly’s wings on one side of the planet, can in effect have a monumental outcome on the other side of the world.

When you next have some quiet time, ask yourself a few questions starting from the very beginning, and jot them down in rough draft.

**What’s your idea?

**Why do you want to pursue this idea?

**Where does your idea come from?

**What’s the purpose of your idea?

**What do you need to do first?

**Can you achieve your outcome in seven steps or less?

**What are the seven steps?

**Who will you need to involve? During the conceptual phase it is prudent to keep ideas to yourself until you’re clear in your mind how you will achieve your outcome. Then seek professional advice.

**When you list the seven steps – begin with the smallest first and work your way up.

**When will this come to fruition? How long do you give yourself?

If you’ve become totally involved and excited by this stage, fine tune your idea with a business, marketing and operational plan and have a professional go through it with you.

When you have a great idea (or think you have one) it can be easy to become overwhelmed. Your mind fills with a multitude of thoughts and possibilities. The secret here is to chunk down to the most basic of actions (like putting pen to paper) and work your way up from there. So next time an idea comes to you and fills you with possibilities know that someone somewhere has the same (or pretty close to it) thought.

Seeing the overall big picture is easy - The difficult bit is starting the 'doing' to achieve the big picture!

Michaela is a Transformational Coach, certified practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), writer, and Metaphysician who is totally committed to helping others create positive and action oriented changes to their lives. (see http://www.michaelascherr.com)

Michaela is the author of several e-books including Book of 10 Colour Meditation Scripts and Basic House-Clearing 101 the Energy Way. She is also publisher of a monthly newsletter called From My Desk; an engaging, inspirational, and often humorous newsletter which offers 'real life' tips aimed towards achieving a more peaceful, spiritual and fulfilled 'real' life.

Michaela Scherr

Married to David, Michaela has two children and a grandchild and currently lives in Brisbane Australia.

Creativity Management and Innovation Management Competencies

2005-10-19T02:58:00.000-07:00

By Kal Bishop

Creativity and Innovation are often used interchangeably, yet they are (and should be) separate and distinct.

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whereas innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

From the above, it is clear that at least six competencies are required (including one holistic).

Problem identification alone requires considerable expertise. Ask five people what the problem is and it is not unusual to receive six answers. Customers, sales, marketing, designers, technicians, finance and managers all have their own ideas regarding what the problem is. Thus any problem identification session should include as diverse a variety of people as possible.

Further, people’s ideas about “what the problem is” are not static. Their views change according to the information they have. The process of information gathering is the first step in the problem identification process and the good decision-making process. Before the group “brainstorming” session, it is wise to ask each contributor to research in depth their perspective of the problem. Thus when they arrive in the group session, their ideas and contributions are more mature.

With a problem to be resolved in mind, the idea generating session begins. This involves generating a large a number of ideas as possible, a large number of diverse ideas and a large number of novel ideas. Competencies in idea generation techniques are a must. For example, creative versus critical thinking is used – where ideas are generated without evaluation and then critically evaluated at a later stage, preferably in a polar opposite environment. Creative thinking is best done in an environment with many stimuli, whereas critical evaluations tend to be more effective in conservative, corporate environments where factors such as the bottom line have more gravity.

Idea selection involves just as many people as the previous sections. All must input their arguments if the best decision is to be made. Many more ideas are chosen than will actually make it through to the final commercialisation stage. The Economist (2003) stated that 3000 bright ideas are needed for 100 worthwhile projects, which in turn will be winnowed down to four development programmes for new products. And four such development programmes are the minimum needed to stand any chance of getting one winner.

Development is the prototyping, experimentation and funnel stage. The best of the best ideas are put through a stage-gate process where their viability is tested. There is a fine line. Keeping an idea in the funnel longer allows it to attain its potential but takes away resources that may allow other ideas to flourish.

Finally, commercialisation is the ultimate testing ground for decisions made thus far. However, commercial failure is not necessarily disastrous. Strategic, technical and other competencies may be learned and may aid in the success of future endeavours. Creativity and innovation infrastructures may blossom that help improvements in the product, process, positioning and paradigm levels. Ridley Scott scored an early failure with Blade Runner but went on to great successes later.

You can read more about this topic, purchase the MBA dissertation, DIY audit, Power Point presentation, Good Idea Generator software and more from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://www.managing-creativity.com

How Do You Use Your Whole Brain?

2005-10-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

By Rich Douglas

Want to increase your creativity by 15%…

Take your shoes off....

Imagine for a moment, top executives with a major fortune 500 company huddled around a board room table brainstorming new ideas for products and services. Now picture them with their shoes off and wearing comfortable white tube socks.

You may think I pulling your leg but believe me, this really does happen. Studies revealed that people who wore the socks generated 13% more ideas than those who kept their shoes on. If the feet are comfortable, the brain will be comfortable.

Another unorthodox but highly effective method of brainstorming is through the use of lateral thinking. Adidas for example,used lateral creative thinking to generate ideas for new basketball shoes from looking at new car designs. Generals Mills uses it to create new products as well.

Here's a sample of how it works. Lets take a paper clip as an example. Everyone has to come up with as the many ways possible that it can be used for. With paper clip in hand, you look to other industries, products services or whatever and converge with it. What this does is it makes you look at something from a completely different perspective.

You'll get some crazy and ridiculous uses with this exercise but you'll also may get that one amazing idea or application that sets you in motion. This is how innovation is born. It's a succession of thoughts and ideas that guide us to the end result.It could be a new product or a completely new market for an existing product.

Interesting facts about the human brain…

-Weighs about 3 pounds

-It uses 20% of our energy

-It has a trillion cells

-Its cells are capable of connecting with a hundred thousand other cells

-It contains 100 billion neurons

-There are more possible interconnections between these

-neurons than there are atoms in the universe

-All the worlds telephone connections would have to be recreated 1,349 times to equal the total number of possible brain connections

-It can record a thousand new bits of information every second of our lives

While these are amazing facts about the brain, they pale in comparison to the most alarming fact:

WE USE LESS THAN 10% OF OUR BRAINS CAPACITY!

MANY OF US USE JUST 1% OR LESS!

How do you Use Your Whole Brain?

While at a seminar recently I was intrigued by a brain
power game that identifies and categorizes individuals based on selecting cards that best describe their strengths and personality traits. Each card is color coded and divided into 4 quadrants of the brain.

Blue = Investigator (mathematical, technical, analytical, logical)

Yellow = Creator, (creative, conceptual, synthesize, holistic, artistic)

Green = Evaluator (planner, controlled, detail oriented)

Red = Activator. (action oriented, talkative, musical, emotional, interpersonal)

The exercise serves several valuable purposes.

· It identifies which areas of the brain your strengths are

· It lets you see where your deficiencies or weaknesses are

· It identifies where you should seek outside help

Once your selections have defined your color quadrant, a colored
dot was applied to your name badge. This lets you and everyone know where your strengths are. So, for someone like me who's technically challenged, I would be seeking out those individuals that have a green dot on their badge for help.

How do you use your whole brain? Find people who are strong in the areas where you display weakness. Enlist their help in those areas. Delegate those tasks and activities that suit their strength.

Rich Douglas is a self improvement newsletter columnist and the creator of an amazing software program that will
recondition your mind to positively impact over 31 key areas in your life. His simple as pie approach means it works unobtrusively while you're in front of your computer,
working, surfing, typing or playing a game.

Click Here Now ==> http://www.easymotivation.com

Click Here Now ==> http://www.easymotivation.com/familyeditionfull.html

Think Outside The Cup and Saucer

2005-08-31T23:23:00.000-07:00

By Larry Galler

There were four of us at dinner. Three ordered “regular” coffee, the fourth requested “decaf.” Every so often a server, carrying two pitchers, refilled the coffee cups and knowingly poured three cups from one pitcher and one from the other. He never asked who wanted which type of coffee.

As we were leaving, one of us asked the server how he knew which of us preferred “decaf.” “Simple, the three of you drinking “regular” coffee have black cups with white saucers, we serve “decaf” in white cups with black saucers.” Instead of thinking outside the box these people have been thinking outside the cup and saucer.

What an elegant, easy solution. The server doesn’t have to interrupt conversation to find who is having which coffee, there is no mix-up or confusion, and everyone gets what they want. More importantly, it demonstrates how deeply the “customer satisfaction” thought process has gone in that particular establishment and it is a lesson for everyone who manages a business.

Imagine how many opportunities for little confusions that exist in delivering any product or service, from not greeting a customer properly to forgetting to return a credit card, and everything in-between. Management that really wants to deliver a superior customer service experience systematically looks at every possible opportunity for confusion or error and attempts to eliminate them as they are identified. In the case of the cup and saucer solution there was no cost expended to solve the problem, just a little time and creativity.

An owners or managers challenge is to identify a little confusion or opportunity for error in your business that can be overcome by thinking through the process and developing a low cost / no cost solution. Instead of thinking outside the box, let’s call it “thinking outside the cup.”

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com

Great Ideas and Radical or Disruptive Innovation

2005-08-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

By Kal Bishop

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Great Ideas and Radical or Disruptive Innovation

We’re all looking for great ideas right?

There are a few Creativity and Innovation principles that are relevant before we discuss practical application:

a) Franklin (2003) states that successful innovations tend to be moderately new to the market, based on tried and tested technology, save money, meet customers' needs and support existing practices. By contrast, the products that fail tend to be based on cutting-edge or untested technology, follow a “me-too” approach, or are created with no clearly defined solution in mind.

b) There is a perception that radical innovations break from the past and are resultant from disruptive leaps. While some radical innovations follow this pattern, the vast majority of radical innovations result from cumulative incremental changes. That is, continuous tinkering, toying, experimentation and improvement results in greater “originality” vastly more often than “waiting for the big idea.” The Internet is a good example: though often perceived as a radical leap, it is actually the result of many years of incremental improvements traceable back to the solid-state transistor and beyond.

c) Ideas can be measured in many ways, but one of the most useful measures is to benchmark for feasibility along the S-curve. That is, what are the practical impediments? For example, a time machine is less likely to reach commercialisation as a whole host of technological impediments stand in the way, whereas an idea for a new flavour for soda does not have that degree of obstacle.

Taking the above into account, we will discuss some ideas that have had significant commercial success by applying (inadvertently) the above principles:

a) EasyJet or South West airlines. The no frills airline model has found success – and can be defined as a radical shift – by simply operating at vastly lower prices – prices that previously would have been considered to be “outside the box.” This business model obeys Franklins rule, is an incremental change and has low impediments.

b) GlassedDirect.co.uk – a recent success story that follows the above principles to provide, would you believe it, cut price specs. This is similar, by the way, to Dell, as the business model has been successful combining the Internet and Mail Order.

c) IPod – follows Franklins rule, is an incremental change and didn’t have too many practical impediments.

So what is the lesson? To generate ideas that have a chance of commercial success, think outside the box but stick to the three rules above.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com.

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com

Innovation

2005-08-31T23:20:00.000-07:00

By John Vinturella

Innovation, in a business context, is generally thought of as the product or application of creativity. Peter F. Drucker suggests that innovation "is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship."

Mr. Drucker further suggests that there are seven sources of innovative opportunity. Four of these relate to a specific industry or service sector: the unexpected; the incongruous; process needs; and structural change. The other three relate to the human and economic environment: demographics; changes in perception, mood, and meaning; and new knowledge.

Let us observe some of these factors at work in a coffee shop venture. The unexpected factor in the recent success of gourmet coffee shops is the willingness of the consumer to spend two or three times the cost of a generic cup of coffee for exotic, flavored or brand-name coffee. An incongruity is the popularity of fat-free desserts ("healthy" indulgence) to go with that coffee. The structural change in the industry is the emergence of franchises. Environmental changes have also contributed to this phenomenon. As the "baby-boomer" generation has aged, the preferred place to meet has moved from the bar to the health club to the coffee shop.

Let us consider information about some current trends to see if we can relate them to potential opportunities in the context of Professor Drucker's categories. For each, see if you can possibly find a niche on which to build a business:

• The unexpected The International Association for Financial Planning is observing a rapid (to the point of unexpected) increase in calls requesting referrals for financial planners. A spokesperson for the IAFP says, "People are realizing that financial planning is not just for retirement or saving for a child's college education; it's for all stages of a person's life."

• The incongruous Many Americans are feeling pressed for time, incongruously wishing to lead simpler, easier lives without giving up those activities that take the most time and effort. The opportunity lies in offering personal time-saving products and services that relieve these people of tasks that they find less than fulfilling, not worth the time, or unpleasant.

• Process needs Individuals and businesses are spending unprecedented sums of money to acquire the education, training and skills necessary to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace, creating opportunities in consulting and training.

• Structural change The health-care industry will flourish because of an aging population, myriad technological advances and people's expectations of readily available medical care. One of the industry's fastest growing segments is home-based health care, which is well-suited for entrepreneurs because of its ease of entry.

• Demographics The aging population referred to possesses a combination of leisure time and discretionary funds that makes them a great market for new ventures in services relating to their comfort and recreational needs.

• Changes in perception, mood and meaning The amount of money that citizens and businesses spend on security products and services is growing rapidly; the preferred method for many forms of purchase is increasingly becoming the Internet.

• New knowledge In 1996, for the first time, computer sales outnumbered television sales in the United States.

Do any of these sources of innovative opportunity suggest an entrepreneurial niche to you?

John B. Vinturella, Ph.D. has almost 40 years experience as a management and strategic consultant, entrepreneur, author, and college professor. For 20 of those years, Dr. Vinturella was owner/president of a distribution company that he founded. He is a principal in business opportunity sites jbv.com and muddledconcept.com, and maintains business and political blogs.

Take Your Good Idea One Step Further

2005-08-29T01:45:00.000-07:00

By Robert Abbott

Whether you're an executive, manager, professional, or entrepreneur, you need to think ahead. When you do it in a formal sense, it's called it planning, when you do it informally it's something like speculating.

Whether you're planning or speculating, the exercise represents just the tip of the iceberg. For the plans or scenarios to amount to something, they have to be implemented. In turn, that usually involves other people.

Which takes us to the subject of communication: How do you convert those ideas in your head into instructions or position papers or even real plans?

I recommend writing, as in the sense of spending at least a few minutes to put the ideas to paper. Several benefits come out of the writing process:

First, you'll force yourself to clarify what you're doing and what you want others to do. As long as an idea remains in our heads, it's not made accountable, so to speak. That is, we don't subject our ideas to rigorous scrutiny when they're just thoughts.

But, when we write out an idea, the strengths and weaknesses show up rather quickly; we force ourselves to look at the idea more critically. When I wrote the publishing plan for Abbott's Communication Letter, for example, the writing process uncovered many key issues.

But, writing it down assumes even greater importance when we need to communicate with others. Since most thoughts for the future are inherently complex or uncertain, a written version of your plan enables you to explain much more.

As you've probably noticed, you can't really deal with much complexity verbally, unless you're making a speech or presentation. In face-to-face communication, for example, a train of thought often gets derailed by questions or interjections by the other person.

A written plan also communicates to others a broader scope than a verbal plan. After all, when you're writing, you can bring in the past, cover the present, and look into the future. Or, you can illustrate your points with more detail than you can in a verbal report.

So, let's subject this article to the writing test, to see if hangs together.

First, the article opened with the idea of looking or thinking ahead, and I assumed -- note, I assumed -- this thinking implied future action.

Second, you'll see the idea to take action, or to get others to take action on our behalf, we need to be clear about the 'what' and the 'why' before we start. Of course, not every action needs this kind of launch; perhaps I should have said "For important projects...."

Third, I suggested the way to get this clarity is to write it out, but in retrospect, perhaps that simply reflects my bias toward writing. Perhaps you manage well simply by thinking, and don't need to write.

Fourth, I next listed a couple of benefits that flow from writing, and looking back I see a that I had bigger projects in mind when I wrote it. Smaller projects may not warrant the writing process.

So, all in all, subjecting this article (at least the first part of it) to the writing process did have the desired effect, and I discovered a couple of assumptions that I wasn't conscious of while writing. And, if I was writing a plan, especially a plan for a big project, those would be worthwhile discoveries.

In summary, writing down your ideas not only helps you clarify your plans or goals, but also helps you communicate what you want others to do or think.

Robert F. Abbott is the author of A Manager’s Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results, which explains how to create effective newsletters, newsletters that get the desired responses. Learn how to start a newsletter, with real-life examples, at:
http://www.managersguide.com/articles.htm

Creativity Management and Good Ideas

2005-08-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

By Kal Bishop

Some ideas occur in the office and others occur away from the office.

If you think of creativity as problem identification and idea generation, then it follows that problem identification and some of the more straightforward ideas will be generated in an office environment.

An office environment is also helpful in that, with goals, targets, people management and so on, it forces output, which produces better results than a “do your best” approach. There is a positive relationship between the quantity of ideas and quality.

However, richer and more complex ideas require the mind working on problems at various cognitive levels – the process of incubation – and are more likely to be produced without time pressure and when the mind is engaged in other tasks, which is why it is often said that good ideas are produced “out of the blue” and away from the office – in the bath, walking across a zebra crossing and so on.

Creative Thinking is a process that, roughly, goes like this:

a) Identify the problem

b) Intensely investigate the problem

c) Separate creative from critical thinking – use techniques to force out ideas

d) Seek stimuli

e) Constantly engage with the problem

f) Allow unconscious processes to take over through rest and engagement in unrelated activities

This illustrates that it is not the place that is most important, but the process.

This topic is covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

How An Idea Can Lift You

2005-08-29T01:43:00.000-07:00

By Saleem Rana

What determines your destiny? What predisposes your choices?

It is your intention.

When you hunt for your dreams, you become a magician. When what is out there emerges from what is in here, you experience joy.

In the privacy of your mind, you can think original, stirring thoughts. You can find what stirs you. When you find what moves you, you can determine the direction in which you wish to go to shape your destiny.

Your days, by default, may lead you down many false roads, roads where you fail to find a sense of purpose, roads where you lose your poise, your balance, and your sense of your own presence.

Yet through an act of stubborn resolve, you can turn everything around for yourself. You can courageously dream up some great purpose that lights the fire in your belly.

Simply through a moment of thoughtfulness, you can find a way to rise above the profane and enter into the sublime.

When your life becomes more than merely surviving and socializing, you let a new spirit emerge from you to pierce the world.

Make lists, then, not of things that need to be done but of things that you never dared to do before.

What fiction can match the romance of creating your own reality?

From the depths of fantasy, you can birth a new reality, substituting the clouds of your limitations for the sun of your aspirations. Armed with a dream, guided by a hidden purpose, moved by a willful intensity, you will find yourself lifted by the wings of some great and noble intention.

Time will pass; events will unfold; but somewhere in that flux, you can find a great premise that will guide you like a lover.

Resource Box

Saleem Rana got his Masters degree in psychotherapy from California Lutheran University. His articles on the internet have inspired over ten thousand people from around the world. Discover how to create a remarkable life

Copyright 2004 Saleem Rana. Please feel free to pass this
article on to your friends, or use it in your ezine or
newsletter. It's a shareware article.

How To Be An Innovator In A World Of Change

2005-06-27T00:26:00.000-07:00

By Neil Greenberg

Innovators are opportunity-oriented.

What’s the hidden opportunity in that problem? Where is the opportunity in that trend? How can this be made to work better? Innovators search for the unsolved problems, the markets inefficiencies, and the unmet needs and wants of existing customer groups. They also search for unmet needs and wants and build new customer groups.

Innovators are strategists.

They attempt to anticipate the future to maximize their ability to thrive and prosper in that future. They continually define and redefine their goals, and have well developed but flexible plans to reach them.

Innovators “unhook” their prejudices.

In their approach to problem solving and opportunity creation, they constantly attempt to rid their thinking of preconceived beliefs, biases, thinking ruts, and unchallenged assumptions.

Innovators are trend-spotters.

Innovators monitor change (social, attitudinal, technological, and so on) so as to spot new opportunities before everyone else. But what passes for “vision” is really just a unique way of deciphering where things are headed. Innovators do this by concerning themselves with the “big picture”. They utilize every available moment to keep abreast of these trends.

Innovators are idea-oriented.

Innovators gain an edge through the way they work with ideas. They are constantly generating ideas, always on the lookout for concepts they can borrow and apply from other fields, constantly developing and experimenting new ideas.

Innovators rely upon intuition.

In a world that is growing ever more complex and fast-paced, innovators use their intuition as a kind of sixth sense. It helps them assess risks, read people, recognize emerging patterns of change, and make complex decisions.

Innovators are extraordinarily persistent.

They are willing to “face the heat” in pursuit of their dreams. Their passion for ideas helps them overcome what might otherwise be roadblocks, and they are long-term thinkers.

Innovators are resourceful.

They see no walls to implementing ideas because of their skill and persistence at gathering Strategic Information (specialized, state-of-the-art knowledge and insight). They understand the role of information in the Innovation Age.

Innovators are feedback-oriented.

They constantly poll their customer group to determine how their product or service can be improved. Feedback acts as their “checks and balances” mechanism. It guides their decisions and helps them avoid prejudices and blind spots.

Innovators are superior team builders.

They realize they cannot succeed alone. They either need teams to help them implement their ideas, or, if they work alone, support networks or fellow professionals, mentors, friends, and advisors.

Neil Greenberg is a sales manager with a DC based e-commerce company. He also keeps his blog, Sales Sherpa
(http://salessherpa.blogspot.com/) fresh with articles on sales, goal setting, motivation and more.

Types of Innovation

2005-06-22T23:35:00.000-07:00

By Kal Bishop

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Types of Innovation

Tidd et al (2005) argue that there are four types of innovation; consequently the innovator has four pathways to investigate when searching for good ideas:

a) Product Innovation – new products or improvements on products. The new Mini or the updated VX Beetle, new models of mobile phones and so on.

b) Process Innovation – where some part of the process is improved to bring benefit. Just in Time is a good example.

c) Positioning Innovation – Lucozade used to be a medicinal drink but the was repositioned as a sports drink.

d) Paradigm Innovation – where major shifts in thinking cause change. During the time of the expensive mainframe, Bill Gates and others aimed to provide a home computer for everyone.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with an Innovation Bible, Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on
http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Discontinuous Innovation

2005-06-20T00:29:00.000-07:00

By Kal Bishop

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Discontinuous Innovation

Discontinuous innovation is very closely related to radical innovation. In fact, the two are often interchangeable. There are three important methods of achieving discontinuous innovation and one important consideration:

a) Incremental innovations result in radical or discontinuous innovations. Small changes have big effects and the input of new knowledge can push thought into radical new directions.

b) Starting over or creative destruction. It is hard to improve on the ball point pen or the pencil. Years of incremental improvements have not yielded a significant change. Starting over with no past memory would perhaps encourage a paradigm shift.

c) Importing distant knowledge to affect the problem. Just as IT has influenced the way the publishing industry operates, so perhaps importing knowledge from a distant industry, such as laser technology, may help improve upon the ball point pen.

Finally, it may be that once an optimal solution has been found, there is no going beyond that point. The pencil is almost an optimal solution – efficient, easy to make and cheap. Similarly, evolution has designed legs – is there a better solution for us?

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with an Innovation Bible, Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on
http://www.managing-creativity.com/

Innovation and Competitive Advantage

2005-06-16T00:22:00.000-07:00

By Kal Bishop

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Innovation and Competitive Advantage

Creativity and Innovation are intricately linked to competitive advantage:

a) There is a positive correlation between new products and market share. This is best explained by examining what would happen if firms didn’t introduce new products – Microsoft would almost certainly have lost its dominance if it hadn’t improved on Windows 95.

b) Firms have to introduce new products as life cycles decrease – the average life span of a mobile phone is less than a year.

c) Competitors force the introduction of new products – if Nokia didn’t introduce new mobile phones every year then Motorola or Siemens would.

d) Macro changes push innovation – China’s entry into the WTO meant that Western firms would face competitions of scale and scope.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with an Innovation Bible, Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on
http://www.managing-creativity.com/