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Phil McKinney

Phil McKinney is an innovator, podcaster, author, and speaker. He is the retired CTO of HP. Phil's book, Beyond The Obvious, shares his expertise and lessons learned on innovation and creativity.

Innovating with Nanobots: What You Need to Know

During the Cold War, Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman investigated the possibility of science on a microscopic scale. He wanted to create machines that could assemble molecules atom by atom. While this sounds like science fiction, the "nanoscale" exists. Nanobots exist. Nanotechnology is growing rapidly, and I believe

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Selective Neglect – What Do You Not Do?

It can be tough to know which tasks to focus on, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done. We want it all. But by using the Eisenhower Matrix, we can focus on the right tasks and apply selective neglect to those we should delegate or ignore […]

picture of General Eisenhower

Process Innovation – Including the Innovation Process

Process innovation is the implementation of new or significantly improved processes to achieve tangible outcomes. There are two types of processes: operational and managerial. Operational processes seek to improve efficiency through streamlining activities and eliminating production waste. Managerial processes strive to enhance the effectiveness of a process by improving coordination

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Chunka Mui on Innovating a Perfect Future

Chunka Mui is passionate about changing the world by thinking through future problems. He loves to ponder what is possible in the future, given the exponential growth we are experiencing now. As innovators, we forget to consider our innovations' unintended consequences. Chunka says innovators also don't think

The Innovators Studio podcast cover art: Chunka Mui on Innovating a Perfect Future

Should You Outsource Your Innovation Process?

Outsourcing your innovation process is an exciting way to increase innovation competitiveness. Utilizing organizations like an innovation agency can allow firms to focus on other business areas. The results are increased efficiency, improved quality, faster innovation implementation, reduced innovation risk, and increased flexibility. Outsourcing innovation can be a powerful tool

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Innovating with Design Thinking

Design plays a vital role in our lives and is ever-evolving. In the past, it meant designing or planning something. In the early 1800s, the term was synonymous with art, and in the late 1900s, it referred to creating products or services. Over time, design has gone from being

Innovating with Design Thinking

Continue Innovating During An Economic Downturn?

The current economic downturn may have you feeling like you need to hunker down and wait it out. Especially in innovating during an economic downturn. This is understandable—no one wants to risk their hard-earned money in uncertain times. But this is actually the optimal time to take innovation lead

innovating during an economic downturn

The Science of Creativity

The science of creativity has many theories and ideas that seek to explain it. New approaches and models are constantly emerging, which provide some insight but are not exhaustive. One theory suggests that creativity combines cognitive processes, including knowledge, imagination, etc. However, proof shows that experts and those with fresh

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Pushing Back on The Chronic Innovation Critics

Chronic innovation critics are people and processes that kill new ideas before they can thrive. They prevent you from trying new things and learning from failures. The criticisms may result in your organization getting stuck in its current state. Innovation critics love to point out why an idea will fail.

The Innovators Studio podcast cover art: Pushing Back on The Chronic Innovation Critics

Are Innovations Invented or Discovered?

Are innovations invented or discovered? We have debated this question for many years. Some people believe innovations are inventions, while others believe they are discoveries. With people’s growing curiosity to understand how to be more creative, more innovative, there is a strong desire to learn t

Thomas Edison inventing and discovering innovations