Archive for: May, 2012

How to boost your creative capacity

Those of us in the innovation space know that to be creative, you need to be very diverse in your education and life experiences. Not only as a person, but also as an organization.

Put simply, diversity breeds breakthroughs.…

Falling prey to a company’s marketing = no value

Jorge in Innovation

Why is creating value so difficult? Is it a problem with measurement? Perception? It all began in a lively discussion a few Sunday’s ago on Twitter. It all started, with a one tweet by Max McKeown:…

Innovation must reads of the week: Is innovation dead?

Jorge in Must reads of the week

If you like these links, check out all the previous “Innovation Must Reads of the Week“. And don’t forget to Follow @jorgebarba

When should you begin trend-spotting?

Jorge in Innovation, Questions, Strategy

Most of the Innovation Consultants I know, advice businesses on doing trend-spotting as part of the innovation process. I also insist on doing the same because like creative thinking, I believe trendspotting isn’t a one time activity.

It is not a “communicate and forget it” activity. It is an ongoing activity.…

3 Ways to help customers win

Jorge in competition, Innovation, Strategy

“It’s not enough that we win; all others must lose.” – Larry Ellison

Heard this one yesterday. I’m all in for competition, but business isn’t about war (at some point I used to think like Genghis Khan too). It isn’t about beating competitors just for the heck of it. I find this focus on competing to beat competitors ridiculous.

The focus SHOULD be on the customer winning. …

Innovation Must Reads of the week: The Hierarchy of Innovation

Jorge in Must reads of the week

What Your Innovators Want You to Know – HBR
The Myths That Prevent Change – HBR
Before branding subcategory creating innovations ask four questions by Follow @davidaaker
The rise of idea festivals – Financial Times
The hierarchy of innovation – David Carr

If you like these links, check out all the earlier “Innovation Must Reads of the Week“. And don’t forget to Follow @jorgebarba

WTF is this? Do you really need it? Why?

My Mom taught me to be neat. To keep things clean and organized. And for the most part, I’m like her. But one place where those lessons don’t take effect is in my propensity to keep every single printed receipt of things I buy. Not only that, but notes, biz cards, un-opened mail, and everything else that is of paper form. I keep them. And they just add up to a pile of nothing. It’s almost like I collect them unconsciously.

I still have the receipt from the first Playstation. Crazy! I just can’t help myself to throw them away.

And no, it’s not what you think. I don’t keep receipts because I count every single penny. I’m not a stickler with money. It’s something else.

Because of this, every now and then when my mom comes over to check up on me, she wipes me clean! She always ends up asking me the same question over and over: Do you really need this? If I answer yes, she’ll then ask “why?”.

And it goes on, over and over again.…