The Innovator's Toolkit
This article came about as a result of a presentation made recently. The aim was to assist business people and entrepreneurs by telling them what would happen when they were innovating, what it would feel like, what the cost would be and what impact there would be on staff, family and friends. This is information not readily given out by consultants and business support organisations. The ideas are all captured in a document entitled ‘How Innovation Works' which is currently available in PDF format on request. So what is first? Well, rather like installing a new IKEA kitchen, you need a case for actually doing it. In the case of the kitchen it is simple - we have no room, it is a health hazard etc. In many businesses it is a case of ‘we do this or go bust' but there are less extreme reasons. Ask yourself: - Why do I want to do this?
- What will I achieve?
- Am I willing to take the risk?
- Are my stakeholders with me?
- Am I prepared to change?
Note at this stage you might not know what you are going to do but you will know why and that you have given yourself permission to carry on.. Rather like building that kitchen you will need some tools and a map. The first tool is a new brain! Not literally, but you will have to think differently. "Hallo Rabbit," he said, "is that you?" "Let's pretend it isn't," said Rabbit, "and see what happens." (Winnie-the-pooh)
Rather like Pooh and Rabbit we must adopt different modes of thinking. We will need to work with new tools, try out ideas, manage new staff and face new competition. The ideal model to follow is that of a modern terrorist organisation but without the flawed ideology. Think how they are managed and resourced, how they gather intelligence, how their networks are set up. You will need to consider one or all of the following:- Team working
- Is management too hands on?
- Is there a desire to win?
- Do you know how to win?
- Do you look inwards or outwards?
- How do you manage external relationships?
- Do you have the appropriate culture?
- Do you get the best from your employees?
All of these things can be measured with our Innovation Toolkit. Once you have the tools you will need some (metaphorical) space to work in. To create this consider: - Strategic barriers
- Organisational culture and networks
- Corporate culture
- Learning ability
- Process and structure
Is it hard to do? Well if you consider that you will have to come up with ideas, transfer knowledge, think in half a dozen or so different modes simultaneously and ‘herd cats' then you have some idea of the task ahead. It is all perfectly possible and many have travelled the path. It is possible to define a methodology to follow and plan both innovation projects and continuous innovation. The ‘How Innovation Works' document will shed more light on the topic if your are interested. Derek Cheshire is an expert, speaker, consultant and facilitator in the areas of Business Creativity, Innovation and Idea Generation. He is creator of the Innovation Toolkit, and co creator of workshops such as Creating The Difference, Creativity as a Business Tool, Sticky Strategy and The Idea Factory. Derek is also a director of the PRD Partnership, experts in commercialising ideas. You can receive regular ideas and updates on Business Creativity and Innovation by visiting http://www.creative4business.co.uk and filling out the simple sign up form. See also http://www.prdpartnership.com |
Other Articles
Calcium: The Great Debate And Some Cold Hard Facts Calcium, as well all know, is the primary mineral within our bones. What many people do not know though is that our bones are living tissue just like the heart, kidneys, liver, etc.Bones, like the rest of our organs are always losing and replacing cells. When we lose more cells than we replace on a daily basis, the bones become weak, fr ...Cricket History: A Glorious Past The game of cricket has always been loved by the entire country. Whenever a tournament starts, the cricket enthusiasts forget their daily work and sticks to his/her television set. The majority of cricket lovers have a thorough knowledge of the cricket history. Cricket history can take you to the 16th century era or even back to give you an insi ...Best Bosses Share Insights from the Trenches What do successful leaders of small organizations do to attract, retain and motivate employees? What are the best practices for leading a small organization facing a crisis? These were two of the topics tackled by small and midsize business leaders from around the country at Winning Workplaces’ third annual Best Bosses Conference & Celebration o ...Master Your Future - Become An Idea Creator “A man with a supply of idea fears nothing for he has become the master of his own fate.” – Robert P. CrawfordHow do you use your mind to create ideas that open the floodgates to other opportunities? One way is to set an intention to create a great idea and then to follow the thought up with action.Did you know that your mind is t ...Google Adsense - What is Adsense If you look at the Internet a few years back, you’ll see that advertising was done in a way that was very similar to other types of media like television, or actually, more like what you see in a newspaper.You’d enter a site, and in some location of the screen you’d get to see a banner (often these were quite numerous and very large), whi ...Earthquake and Disaster Delays in Scientific Innovation In our present period we are continually reminded that we live on the surface of the planet and with that great honor comes issues of Mother Nature we must deal with. It is a fair trade off, as you get sunshine, warmth and heat from the sun; water, fish and surfing opportunities from the ocean and the stars, moon and cosmos to propel thought, en ...The Best Vacuum Cleaner in the Market There are a lot of things to consider before buying a vacuum cleaner. The person has to think about the budget, the size and the brand.The task is not easy since there are more than a dozen brands out there in the market. The person may go to the appliance store and see some from Japan, China, United Kingdom, Germany and of course the Uni ...Miken Softball Bats Review - What's New For 2007 In the world of softball, finding a top quality slowpitch softball bat can sometimes be difficult. That is until you can swing a Miken softball bat. Their slogan of "Elite Equipment for the Elite Player" fits their company to the letter. Founded in 1998 out of Caledonia, MN, Miken softball bats are consistently at the top of any players' wish li ...How to Turn Nothing Into Something Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Weekend Seminar-Excelling in the New Millennium)Have you ever wondered how to turn nothing into something?First, in order to turn nothing into something, you've got to start with some ideas and imagination.Now, it might be hard to call ideas and imagination nothing; but how tangible are those idea ...Innovation Management: Corporate Man Innovation ManagementEstablishing terminology and frames of reference helps set the context and build a solid foundation from which we can have an intelligent conversation about this topic.Creativity and Innovation are very often confused. For example, one popular author recently defined innovation as "...any idea that gener ...Abel Fly Reel - You Can't Beat This Quality And Level Of Innovation When buying fishing equipment for your fly fishing ventures, few can argue about the true quality and appeal of the Abel fly reel. This brand, introduced to the market by Steve Abel and Mel Krieger, offers their customers with so many wonderful aspects to this fine reel. What stands out among the most notable features with the brand's reel is th ...Trusting Your Gut: How to Lead Using Your Instincts We were all born with natural instinct. We cried when we were hungry - not because we were taught to, but because it was our instinctive response to our physical need. Emotion calls on instinct too. The “flight or fight” response to fear is one most of us have experienced and, with the adrenaline pounding through us, we know the reaction was not ...Business Management: Optimizing Creativity and Innovation FORWARDI recently gave a presentation at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design on a topic entitled "Is creativity management an oxymoron?"The essential confusion to people resistant to the idea of "creativity management" was the word "management." Replace it with the word "optimization" and the resistance disappears; all ...Innovation - How Long Is A Piece Of String This is a question that children and parents often ask each other when playing and is of course a trick question. Why then do people ask the question 'how long will my innovation project take' when it too is a trick question? The reason it is a trick question is that rather like the piece of string we tend not to know where one (or both) ends ar ...Economics - Psychology's Neglected Branch "It is impossible to describe any human action if one does not refer to the meaning the actor sees in the stimulus as well as in the end his response is aiming at." --Ludwig von MisesEconomics - to the great dismay of economists - is merely a branch of psychology. It deals with individual behaviour and with mass behaviour. Many of its pr ...Organizational Culture and Creative Blocks - the Similarities Few Decision makers see the link between between creativity and innovation management, as performed by MBA’s in firms, and creative endeavours such as screenwriting. In fact, there are very strong linkages.The problems that prevent individuals coming up with ideas, writing and then commercialising their screenplays are the very same as th ...Facing Fear Of Failure We've all experienced some form of fear of failure while growing up or as an adult. It stops some of us from even trying, while others try half-heartedly, undermining their own success and confirming their fears. I've done both in so many areas of life, I thought it would be helpful for me to share some of my fears with you, along with some in ..."True Love Tarot: The Lover's Guide to Dating, Mating and Relating" : A Review Just in time for Valentine's Day, St. Martin's Press has released the latest book and deck collaboration from husband and wife team Monte Farber and Amy Zerner, True Love Tarot. This new set is designed to help us understand the complexities of our most intimate relationships by working to develop our own self-counselling skills. All long time r ...Can A Simple Idea Change Your Life? Ideas happen all the time. And when I say an idea, I don’t just mean a mere thought. An idea is more than a mental opinion and it is loftier than a sentiment. An idea is a special thought. It is a thought that gives you a rush, a sparkle, a feeling of exhilaration.We all have ideas, but usually we brush them off, rushing to do other more ...Free Trade and American Innovation; Can We Compete in the Future? Many say that treaties like NAFTA and CAFTA hurt our industries and specifically our manufacturing sector. It is hard to debate this on further review due to the number of textile jobs lost over the years in the Northeast and South. And this is one of many industries, which could not adapt to beat out the competition for cheap labor. The glass i ...10 Straightforward Tips on Receiving Constructive Feedback After the initial nervous breakdown, banging head on keyboard and brick wall (I suggest you restrain yourself from doing this - it hurts and leaves funny indentations in your forehead!) and sheer indignation of how could 'they' (whoever they are) think that? I calmed down and started dissecting each piece of information carefully.Only th ...BPO: A Sweet Seduction Can a sweet, chocolate coated figure appeal for the sweet and dreamy seduction?...Probably not… The evolution of new class in Indian society – ‘Educated labourer class’ is on the verge of asserting this fact. Recalling the days few months back, the lucrative job proposals rained by the BPO world at the doorstep of Delhi University was app ...Creativity and Innovation Management in Conservative, Staid Organisations Conservative and staid organisations generally have a harder time implementing creativity and innovation into their day-to-day work processes and people. Leaders may want to capture the benefits of creativity and innovation, yet there may be relevant and almost contradictory issues that they have to deal with, including:a) It may be that ...Business Innovation - the Value of Structure 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. ...
|