Tag Archives: Innovation

Vote for the Top 50 Innovation Tweeters of 2012

in Innovation

Who are your favorite innovation tweeps to follow on Twitter?

Braden Kelley wants to create a list of the Top 50 Innovation Tweeters of 2012 on his blog and he needs your help to put it together. How? Vote on by:

  1. Leaving a comment on his blog
  2. Send a tweet to @innovate –

DEADLINE for nominations will be July 22, 2012 at midnight GMT.…

Innovation must reads of the week: Why non-experts are better at innovation

in Must reads of the week

Innovation must reads of the week: Why non-experts are better at innovation

Storified by Jorge Barba · Sat, Jul 14 2012 18:47:09

Rethinking the concept of ‘outliers’: Why non-experts are better at #innovation http://onforb.es/LhmoQb | via @forbes @medialab #MITre:invention, inc.
“I believe that people who will come up with creative solutions to solve the world’s biggest problems —  ecological devastation, global warming, the global debt crisis and distribution of dwindling natural resources, to name a few — will NOT be experts in their fields. The real disruptors will be those individuals who are not steeped in one industry of choice, with those coveted 10,000 hours of experience, but instead, individuals who approach challenges with a clean lens, bringing together diverse experiences, knowledge and opportunities.”
Interesting post by @bussgang Seeing Both Sides: Big Idea vs. Lean Idea http://bit.ly/LTHDUZScott Anthony
“Yet, I fear that the success of the Lean Start Up movement risks leading entrepreneurs to pursue Lean Ideas rather than Big Ideas.  I’d like to see that trend reversed, by pushing entrepreneurs to distinguish more carefully the differences between Lean Ideas and Lean Start Ups.”
Change is a threat if done TO me, opportunity if done BY me. One of 7 enduring change lessons: http://bit.ly/c4DduJRosabeth Moss Kanter
“I call these the Change Agent Bumper Stickers. Here are seven universal sayings that can comfort and guide anyone engaged in the effort of setting a new direction, orchestrating innovation, establishing a culture, or changing behavior.”
How to Innovate When You Have Limited Resources: http://onforb.es/NBPxoe | Forbes. | #innovationre:invention, inc.
“How can my group support innovation and be innovative without any resources? It’s one thing to have limited resources in the sense that you can only pick and choose one or two great ideas for action and implementation – and many of us fall into this bucket – but it’s quite another to have so few resources that you literally cannot act on any of them. Is it simply a case of the embarrassment of riches causing paralysis – in other words, in the face of so many great ideas is it so overwhelming that it’s impossible to even know where to begin – and so you don’t? Or is there truly so much day-to-day work that it’s impossible to see through the thicket of ideas  in the first place to begin to choose the good, practical ones?  Or is it more a case of a manager not knowing how to sift through the pile of so-so or just plain unrealistic ideas to find the good ones that can actually be implemented?”
RT @Innovering: Great content! RT @cloverleafinnov: What #innovation secrets do the most #innovative companies have? http://bit.ly/Oy7QbrTim Kastelle
“These companies not only have innovation as part of their strategic imperatives but also allocate both time and resources for fostering and promoting the culture of innovation within the organization.  Interestingly, many of these 16 companies utilize unique approaches to cultivate innovation within their organizations.” 
Must-read by I. Wladawsky-Berger: #Strategy & Execution in an Increasingly Complex World – http://blog.irvingwb.com/blog/2012/07/the-interplay-between-strategy-and-execution-in-an-increasingly-complex-world.html #complexity (via @dscofield)Ralph-Christian Ohr
“It is difficult to do strategic planning beyond a one to three year timeframe.  Unpredictable, unanticipated events require strategic corrections in even shorter timeframes.  Both strategy and operations need to continuously adjust to fast changing market conditions.  Our strategic planning now has to incorporate flexible execution.  Successful companies – especially market leaders being chased by small and large competitors – must achieve a delicate balance between carefully managing their existing operations, and formulating the appropriate strategies that will propel them into the future.”
The End of Middle Managers (And Why They’ll Never Be Missed) @Forbes http://ow.ly/c9aHA #socbiz #business #managementVala Afshar
“A company needs leaders—not managers. From the top down, every employee has the opportunity to lead, starting with the organization of one within the larger organization that we call “Me, Inc.” Every individual is responsible for shaping and creating their own future.”

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

Innovation must reads of the week: Why trends are for suckers

in Must reads of the week

Innovation must reads of the week: Why trends are for suckers

Storified by Jorge Barba · Sat, Jul 07 2012 22:51:01

New blog post: Are You Entering a Market or Building One? It’s a very important distinction http://bit.ly/NjqC4S #innovationTim Kastelle

When you’re launching a new innovation, you must think carefully about the type of market that you are in. If you are building a market, the main objective needs to be learning. In that case, you can launch something that looks like the Apple I. In fact, you’re probably better off launching something like that fast, because that will accelerate the learning.

When you’re building markets, you need to be building dynamic business models that evolve. That’s why the Apple I looks so different from what we see now from Apple. More than anything else, it’s because they were operating in a very different type of market then.

Great angle on "ambidextrous" organizations by @Grant27: Every Company Should Build a Second Corporation – http://s.hbr.org/NsIgFA #strategyRalph-Christian Ohr
Everyone knows that we live in a world of tremendous change. But our response has been what Andy Grove calls building a better fire house. We are committing to getting faster and more agile. But there’s an absolute limit to have fast we can get. Many corporations run pretty good fire houses as it is. They can’t get a lot faster. The world doesn’t care. It’s going to get much, much faster. Time to rebuild the fire house. Time to rethink firefighting.
Confronting the Pain of Innovation http://s.hbr.org/MAj8AqHarvard Biz Review
If your organization doesn’t talk openly and frankly about its “innovation pain” as it pushes to create new value in new ways, you’re guaranteed to misdiagnose and misunderstand critical elements of your innovation culture. What would you think of a doctor who discussed everything about a disease and its treatment except the pain that they cause? 
Why Trends are for Suckers – http://su.pr/2n57bO – Greg Satell – #innovation #sm #technology #consumers #mgmt #trendsStefan Lindegaard
So don’t get taken in.  No matter how many people are talking about the hot trend, unless it is creating true value by solving real problems it will die out soon enough.
"Be reverent about the process and good ideas will emerge." RT @natwhitlock On Learning from Improv http://risd.cc/M5k9KNjohnmaeda
Here are seven tactics to help spur uninhibited expression. With any luck, it’ll be raining innovative ideas in no time.
Cause & Effect http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/07/cause-effect.htmlFred Wilson
Read Sci-Fi to be cutting-edge
Great, You’re Inspired: Now Begin The Nitty-Gritty Of Idea Implementation http://bit.ly/O9nOsB by @ChrisGrivas & @pucciogjCo.Lead
For successful implementation, involving others in the development process is a key part of managing the change. Such involvement not only provides you the skill sets needed to improve your idea, but also increases the sense of ownership of the solution. With that buy-in and increased expertise, your innovative solution stands more of chance of succeeding.

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

Innovation must reads of the week: Valuing Radical Innovation

in Must reads of the week

Innovation must reads of the week: Valuing Radical Innovation

Storified by Jorge Barba · Sat, Jun 30 2012 21:53:17

Valuing Radical Innovation http://shar.es/sOIzR #innovationKevin McFarthing
Good post – RT @ireneimmink: The changing role of engineers: from problem solvers to demand creators – http://bit.ly/LiAb5GRalph-Christian Ohr
Ten Red Flags for Innovation: Why It Fails http://ow.ly/bSXTJ – do you agree?Stefan Lindegaard
The rise of social channels means we need to treat ideas, power with more openness: http://ht.ly/bTPrL via @HarvardBizChuck Frey
What innovators need to learn from distance runners: Breaching the innovation "wall" http://innovateonpurpose.blogspot.com/2012/06/breaching-innovation-wall.html #innovationJeffrey Phillips
Thought-provoking post: 8 patterns for thinking about strong network biz models (thoughts-in-progress) http://j.mp/OksB00Tim Kastelle
Culture: Don’t Copy – Create. My latest column on @Forbes: http://onforb.es/KDVBbQ #LeadershipMike Myatt

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

Adoption: The hardest part about innovation

in Innovation

Don’t worry about people stealing an idea. If it’s original, you will have to ram it down their throats. – Howard Aiken

If there’s one things that rarely gets talked about innovation, it’s that you will have to work hard to get people to adopt your ideas. Two weeks ago I was talking to a few of the participants of Startup Weekend Tijuana. Among other things, we talked about the hard part about innovation.

Mainly I told them about my own experience, and how coming up with ideas isn’t a problem. The key, is influencing people to adopt your ideas. And as far as I’m concerned, this is where the rubber meets the road

People and organizations rarely understand, just like I did a few years back, that ideas by themselves are worthless. Just because your ideas sounds cool, and everyone tells you the same, it doesn’t mean it will be adopted. You have to nudge people to adopt your ideas.

There just isn’t any way around it.

Being the guy or company that changes the game is really being the one who gets people to change the behavior.

Case in point: Facebook.…

Innovation must reads of the week: Innovation on the edges

in Must reads of the week

Innovation must reads of the week: Innovation on the edges

Storified by Jorge Barba · Sun, Jun 24 2012 01:18:07

10 Key Questions to ask if you are starting an #Innovation Initiative. http://tinyurl.com/7s6wj8a #mckinsey #gartner #KILNgreggfraley
When I am asked how to begin an Innovation Initiative, the ultimate complex question, this is my answer — it depends. If I know context I can do better than It Depends, but it takes time, effort, and money to know context well enough to give a good answer.
Step-by-step: How to build an innovation pilot program http://is.gd/vfe7q5Guy Kawasaki
Companies can reduce the risk of adopting new innovation methods by testing them first. A short, pilot program that addresses a specific product or service line helps you understand whether a new method is right for your company.  Pilot programs help keep your costs in line, and they help you reduce resistance to adopting new methods.
Long but insightful read: Joi Ito on "Innovation On The Edges" http://zite.to/LanhET via @ziteRalph-Christian Ohr
Today, what you want is you want to have resilience and agility, and you want to be able to participate in, and interact with the disruptive things. Everybody loves the word ‘disruptive innovation.’ Well, how does, and where does disruptive innovation happen? It doesn’t happen in the big planned R&D labs; it happens on the edges of the network. Many important ideas, especially in the consumer Internet space, but more and more now in other things like hardware and biotech, you’re finding it happening around the edges.
Resilience: the latest innovation buzzword http://smrt.io/LPKxhxSmartPlanet
Is resilience an “field,” as PopTech describes it on its Web site? Is resilience an innovation theory? A design strategy? Merely a catchy term of the moment? No matter how one describes the word, it could prove to be an approach that will resonate both philosophically and practically for businesses, communities, and individuals alike.
The Post-ROI Marketing World http://p.ost.im/p/ec8STnGreg Satell
The future of marketing services is to become effective API’s for open brands.  In the post-ROI world, the only limit is that of our imaginations.


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