Tag Archives: Innovation

Must read innovation stories of the week: Dare to question the status quo

in Must reads of the week

Nothing is ever set in stone.

The status quo (how things are ‘normally done’) is usually something that is taken for granted like a religion, it makes people feel safe because it becomes something very predictable. As we grow older this natural tendency to conform and comply to set behaviors becomes worse because we need life to be more predictable, but the truth is we live in a world that’s in constant flux where nothing ever stays the same.

To counter this we must call on our inner child (yes we all have it and it’s still there). As a child everything was to be discovered, questioning the world around them is something very natural. We never stopped asking ‘WHY’.

Do you know It’s because of their never ending attempt to getting to the truth.

And just like a kid to whom everything is new, we too must regain our sense of wonder by questioning how the world is supposed to work. If we truly want to change the world we have to questions the status quo.

When was the last time you dared question the status quo?

 

 

Weekend innovation tip: Create new products and services using subtractive thinking

in Creativity, Innovation, Innovation tips

subtractive thinking

How do you create new products and services that deliver new value?

Using subtractive thinking by:

Additive

+ Create: Develop by designing from scratch
+ Improve: Build upon by enhancing what already exists

Subtractive

– Reduce: Minimize by taking down to the bare essentials
– Eliminate: Remove by doing away with entirely

Subtractive thinking applies to Business Models, Product Design and Brand Development. Here are some successful examples:

  • Saturn removed negotiations from the car buying experience.
  • Subway removed the traditional kitchen from the fast food restaurant.
  • Netflix removed the storefront from video rentals.
  • Little Caesar’s removed the restaurant from the pizzeria.
  • Apple removed complexity from the user interface.
  • Yellow Tail removed the pretension from selecting wine.

Credit:

Must read innovation stories of the week: Can a successful innovation be predicted? Yes

in Must reads of the week

Ronin release

According to Phil Koos, by being aware of changing consumer needs innovation can be predicted.

War, Inc. video My Beautiful Laundrette move

 

Great innovation builds on what comes before it and does not require people to make radical changes in beliefs or behavior. What often looks like breakthrough innovation is actually a small advance or twist on an established idea. That the change is evolutionary, however, doesn’t keep its impact from being revolutionary. Monitoring market evolution across the globe over time reveals patterns consistent across categories and markets. Consumer needs evolve in predictable ways. There are waves of successful mass-market innovation that mirror a natural evolution in consumer needs.

 

 

The Assassination of Richard Nixon film

Body Armour trailer

Must read innovation stories of the week: Why pursuing innovation usually fails

in Must reads of the week

Today’s business leaders and organizations are argues Adam Hartung, they’re trained to be effective and efficient and that’s why there’s a high failure rate of innovation initiatives.

We all know we need to innovate. But we just can’t help ourselves. Everything we’ve been trained to do as business leaders is about staying on course–even when headed straight for disaster. Rather than do something different, we batten down the hatches and sail into calamity like Captain Ahab. Management is more comfortable putting everything at risk by doing what it has done before than sailing in a new, more hopeful direction.

 

Must read innovation stories of the week: How to innovate everyday

in Must reads of the week

How do you innovate everyday? There are , but there are enough ways to try and come up with your own.

Innovation is more than brainstorming or idea generation. To be truly innovative, you have to DO something different. But ‘doing’ innovation is a different story, it doesn’t come naturally to most people. Yesterday I introduced you to , a book that shows you how to ‘DO’ innovation and I encourage you to buy it but for now here are a few links that can help you get started ‘doing’ innovation. 

 

There is no normal. Everyday is a crisis

in Wisdom

reinvent yourself

 

There is no secret formula to mastering change but we can start by accepting that . Last week I was in Ninjutsu class and sensei said something very interesting that got me thinking:

Humans have been in crisis everyday since we created fire. 

He was referring to the fact that ninjas were trained to adapt and survive, but there’s something much deeper we can learn from this.

Ninjutsu was born in a time of turmoil in Japan and by it’s nature is fluid and non-linear, it was created on the assumption that war is unpredictable and so you must adapt to changing conditions intuitively.

As a society we are faced with tremendous challenges right now because as humans we fall into the mindset that some events are preceded by other events, this is flawed.

Instead of thinking of the world where the present is determined by the past, we must adopt the mindset that change is continuous and unending. is an art of war and in war there isn’t a normal state, you have to be constantly adapting and changing to circumstances which are out of your control. It is less and art of prediction and more of anticipation where you become part of your surroundings as much as your opponent.

Enough psp

You reinvent yourself by adapting to what’s happening around you and gain power by being able to constantly shift and adjust. By being fast and non-linear we stay ahead of our opponents and adapt to opportunity because standing still means death.

So what we should do is not wait for the storm to pass but act and behave as if the storm is always here.

Must read innovation stories of the week: Innovation must be in your vision

in Must reads of the week

. A brings everyone together on a real purpose. What’s your purpose?

 

The Day the Earth Stood Still ipod