One of the biggest misconceptions about innovation is that innovation is usually synonym for radical change. In reality, while every firm wants to differentiate itself in today’s crowded marketplaces, most companies are reluctant to introduce revolutionary products to market. The Hewlett-Packard: Flight of Kittyhawk case published on the Harvard Business Review explains why disruptive innovation…
Category: Learning
Experimentation and Learning
Many innovative companies first failed before they became successful. Apple, for example, had its share of failures. The company used to make products that only reached a few people (Macintosh, etc.). However, Steve Jobs learned, adapted and started to create products that had a broad appeal. Today, what continues to separate Apple from others in…
Challenge Assumptions
Conventional assumptions are unquestionably barriers to innovation. The problem with assumptions is that we learned them from our past experience, in childhood from our siblings, parents, etc. They have been part of us for many years so it is very difficult to challenge them. Because assumptions make it difficult to recognize opportunities, I decided to change…
Innovation and Organizational Design: What is the DNA of a successful innovative company?
The Corporate New Ventures at Procter & Gamble case written by Teresa M. Amabile and Dean Whitney and published in the prestigious Harvard Business Review is a great example of how innovation is closely linked to organizational design. In summary, the case demonstrates that it is almost impossible to innovate if a firm does not have…
My Favorite Idea Generation Techniques
Lateral Thinking and Mind Mapping Lateral thinking is a technique that seeks to solve problems by using unorthodox ideas. It involves approaching problems from unexpected angles and from different perspectives. Mind mapping is a graphical technique that connects thoughts, ideas or concepts from a central word in a diagram form. I like the lateral thinking…
5 Tips to help you find fresh ideas
Open your eyes: People have the tendencies to look at one particular thing or process only part of the information available to them. This is called selective attention. It’s important to capture/observe as much as possible from a particular scene or environment. Sometimes, the greatest innovative ideas come from our surroundings. Be open-minded: Try new…
Design Thinking
What is design thinking? I recently learned that the expression “design thinking” actually comes from IDEO. According to Tim Brown, president and CEO of IDEO, design thinking is a “human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements of business success”….
Innovassion 