Tag Archives: collaboration

Serendipitous exchanges fuel innovation

twitter innovation networkWell, well, well…someone finally mapped out on Twitter what we intuitively know about how innovations happens:

The more diverse a person’s social network, the more likely that person is to be innovative. A diverse network provides exposure to people from different fields who behave and think differently. Good ideas emerge when the new information received is combined with what a person already knows.

It’s really simple, interactions, not individuals, drive breakthroughs.

In The Future You Are Either a Digital Business or a Dead Business

in the future you are either a digital business or dead businessToday, every business is digital and it’s changing how business is done. But many businesses have yet to wake up and understand this reality. Look at the chart below, I’m sure your business is lacking the digital skills necessary to compete in the information age:

One trait that determines success of your entrepreneurial ecosystem

pay it forwardThough most everyone agrees on what the basic components of an entrepreneurial ecosystem are, it is a myth that simply having those components will result in game-changing innovation.

For example, think about Silicon Valley, the use case for all innovation ecosystems; why and how does it sustain innovation? Sure, culture is one component. But, what distinct behaviors drive that? I believe the most important one is a “paying it forward” attitude.

Innovation needs outsiders. Here’s how to source them

imagine

The most interesting ideas, the ones that span boundaries, are found and at the intersection of domains. This isn’t a new insight, but it is one that is rarely taken into account inside most businesses.

True to form, established businesses suffer from the Curse of Knowledge: I already know what I need to know. The expertise on which they built their business blinds organizations from creating the future, it’s the reason many businesses that were thriving at the beginning of this century are no longer with us.

How do you break free from the Curse of Knowledge?

By shifting perspective…

What To Look For In An Innovation Partner

finding the right innovation partnerIf you’re a successful company, you’re probably not used to innovation. You’re used to being good at what you do, and that’s the opposite of innovation. Smart innovation that evolves a new and marketable product often requires an innovation partner.

There are a lot of reasons for that. But they boil down to a deceptively simple concept:

Two heads think better than one.

What kills most innovation isn’t a lack of ideas, it’s a lack of relationships

Do we still need old-fashioned physical offices to do work?

Contrary to reports that the demise of the office is near, I believe we still need physical offices; and more importantly physical interactions. I believe that the model that will be dominant for most types of organizations is a hybrid between being a mobile worker and being at a physical office.