Innovation
These essays on innovation cover a wide range of topics, from the basics of innovation to detailed case studies and examples. Each essay is designed to give readers an understanding of the principles that drive innovation while providing practical advice on creating successful innovations. Through these essays, I aim to help readers better understand the process of innovation and use it more effectively in their own lives.
Elastic Innovation - A Needed Innovation Capability
Innovating in the face of the unexpected can stretch the most decisive innovation leader. COVID taught us that flexibility and adaptability is the name of the game. This is especially true within an organization’s innovation efforts. A new capability is needed to respond to these disruptive shock situations effectively.
Creating Time for Innovation
Last week, I wrapped up a workshop I was teaching innovation leaders on the 7 laws of innovation. At the end of every workshop or session I teach, I conduct an "AMA" or ask me anything time. There seems to be a recurring question I get from leaders
Groupthink Kills Innovation
In this show, we will discuss how groupthink kills innovation. Groupthink is thinking or making decisions as a group. This way of thinking discourages creativity or individual responsibility. A downside of groupthink is that it can create blind spots resulting from not listening to dissenting opinions. Groupthink tends to end
Innovation Isn’t Just About New Products
Innovation isn’t just about creating new products or services. While this is critical to an organization, it is also essential to look at other areas such as business model innovation, process innovation, and marketing innovation. The Framework for New Products We use the FIRE framework, which we have discussed
Are You Afraid Of Running Out Of Ideas?
When I run into fellow innovators, they often want to share their ideas with me and get advice. In many cases, they have an idea that they believe is the pinnacle of ideas. They love their idea to death and hold it close to them. While they may have a
How to Avoid Innovation Burnout
What comes to mind when you hear the term innovation burnout? Webster's dictionary says that burnout is the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive or prolonged stress. Burnout occurs when we feel overwhelmed, drained, and unable to meet that constant demand. Innovation Burnout For innovators, it&
Innovating Wicked Problems
Wicked problems are problems that are extremely difficult or impossible to solve. The best example of this type of problem comes from a project I did with the Department of Education. Wicked Problems This project aimed to innovate kindergarten through 12th-grade education in the U.S. We ran a series
10 Inventions I Would Uninvent
If only innovations that had unintended negative consequences could be uninvented, we can fix our mistakes. Let's look at a list of past innovations that I would uninvent if I could. The Invention of Robocalls The first invention that I would like to uninvent is robocalls. These calls
What is Innovation?
Innovation is a term often abused through advertising, marketing, and business meetings. Innovation means to introduce something new. A more expansive definition of innovation is — the result of a multi-stage process whereby organizations, teams, and individuals take an idea and transform it to make an improved product, service, or process
5 Questions Every CEO Should Answer About Innovation
For the first time, we are recording a show in the mobile studio in Austin, Texas. Once we get past COVID, we plan to travel a lot more and visit different innovators in various areas of the country. This past week, I interviewed three CEOs of billion-dollar companies for a
