The Innovation Blog

On Day 2 of the PDMA2010 innovation conference Dan Pink gave a fascinating talk about motivation in the workplace.  Pink is the best-selling author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.  Coincidentally, he is also a man with an understated sense of humor and tone that is vaguely reminiscent of Kevin Nealon.  Unfortunately, he did not do any Weekend Update style under-his-breath uttering of his inner thoughts, however he did offer several counterintuitive insights on motivation.

Product launches are complex.  That was the main takeaway of the PDMA 2010 Lab E – Launch for Commercial Success which I had the privilege of attending today.  The session kicked off with an apt and literal example: a NASA shuttle launch.  When NASA launched the Saturn V rocket, its engineers were depending on the successful integration of 2 million distinct systems.  2 million!  And, as Richard Koppel pointed out, NASA operates in a space (get it?) where getting it right the first time is “mission critical” – if something goes wrong, not only are millions of dollars wasted, but people die.  Fortunately, product launches are not as high stakes as shuttle launches, but you still want to ensure your innovation is brought to market as seamlessly as possible.  So how do you launch successfully given all of the variables, risks and uncertainties inherent in the process?  Here are the top 7 themes of the day which will help you make sure all systems are go when you blastoff.

Where do ideas come from?  I recently came across this fascinating interview from Wired Magazine in which authors Keven Kelly and Steven Johnson discuss the "natural history" of innovation and technology.  Together, Kelly and Johnson provide what I can only describe as an evolutionary/biological/anthropological perspective on the history of new ideas.  I highly reccomend reading the entire article, but here are a few key insights to keep in mind in any pursuit of innovation.

Last night on Monday Night Football, the much-hyped Jets got thumped by the Ravens.  This came after an offseason in which the team acquired several marquee players, were in the news for all the wrong reasons, allowed HBO's Hard Knocks cameras into their training camp, and entered the season among the favorites to win the Super Bowl. Much of the attention surrounding the Jets stemmed from the swagger and confidence they exuded as they publicly announced their goal was to win the Super Bowl.  What can their Monday night let down teach us about innovation? I am going to indulge in a little Tuesday Morning Quarterbacking and explore 5 lessons the Jets experience can teach us about setting a strategic roadmap for an innovation team. 

In the last Ideation Skills post, we discussed Passive Listening, the problematic way people typically tend to listen in creative problem solving meetings.  Here I will outline two simple techniques to enhance your ability to listen, generate ideas, and communicate your ideas to the group.  These two skills will make you a creative problem solving meeting All-Star in no time.

Here at Creative Realities, we have identified some critical ideation skills that anyone can develop to become better at creative problem solving.  The first one I will discuss involves the way we listen.