innovation process article

I've just read interesting article on Business Week:

about Whirpool's innovation process that evaluates and screen thousands of ideas.

Whirlpool's three-pronged definition of innovation:

"It must meet a consumer need in a fresh way;

it must have the breadth to become a platform for related products; and

it must lift earnings."

The final section of the article:

"What can executives learn from Whirlpool's approach to screening ideas?

• Define Innovation A brief, concrete definition of innovation will help employees evaluate new concepts at the front end, screening out those that just don't fit. As a concept progresses, keep returning to the definition to make sure that the idea still clears the bar.

• Never Kill Good Ideas A concept that might not be worth pursuing today—because of limited resources, for instance, or the lack of a partner—might be next year's innovation. Don't kill projects. Shelve them, and annually review all concepts for possible resurrection.

• Adjust Your Criteria Early in the process Whirlpool concepts are required to meet the basic definition of innovation. As projects progress, the evaluation criteria become more rigorous. Begin with easier requirements to avoid killing off concepts before they can be developed.

• Link Idea Screening with Strategy A concept might be innovative but still not smart for a company to develop because it would take the company too far afield. Make sure that the people evaluating ideas do so in the context of the company's strategic goals."

They give few months to add-on innovations and 3-5 years to new-to-the world innovations.

I can't often find this kind of story such as this article, where the innovation process is described in detail. So, this is one of the most useful articles I've read in this year.

10 tips for successful brainstorming session

When you have a group of people and you need to take their ideas from selected topic I can give you few tips:

1. start with mentioning expected results

2. use existing examples of realized ideas to avake inspiration

3. smile and mention funny ideas from past

4. write down every idea

5. try to include every participant

6. never focus to much only on one/two participants who have most ideas

7. after session send titles of all ideas to participants

8. send your notes to idea creator and ask for details

9. be boring when it comes to get more infos about ideas from creators

10. don't forget to send news about status of ideas to idea creators

Brainstorming is still the best way for idea-generation, so try to do it whenever you can!

10 ways to achive innovative climate in your organization

Second post from Top10 series:

1. Try to have fun, that’s the right way for creativity.

2. It’s ok to make mistakes, without mistakes, there will be no new ideas as there is a need for lot of ideas to have successful innovation.

3. Fear is your first enemy! Push away the fear from your workplace and innovation can replace it!

4. Promote successful ideas and their creators with brochures, intranet...

5. Try to keep process of idea-evaluation as simple as posible and as fast as posible.

6. Use piece of software for idea generation and evaluation

7. Customers are great source for new incremental ideas, try to use it!

8. Use new employees as the source of new ideas, they are looking to your organization with ‘fresh’ eyes and can generate improvements to your processes

9. Put innovation into a head of every person in the company, everyone should think and talk about it!

10. Try to push your colleagues with idea-contest if needed

yugo - what a bad idea

I've just read Business Week article where car from Kragujevac was mentioned:

"Also, low-priced offerings for lower-income regions often carry a stigma. Even a quarter of a century after the Yugo was introduced as the cheapest car in the U.S., the brand name remains synonymous with shoddy materials and workmanship, and is a reminder that quality is as important as price in industrialized nations."

I remember the times when 'Yugo goes to America' was a big story in former Yugoslavia, but soon other stories came back and there were no much time gone, when we watched how Americans make fun of this car in the movies. So, Yugo is the type of idea that everyone should avoid - it was the bad idea to go to biggest auto-market with cheap product which hasn't have no minimum expected quality. And this product was so ridiculed, that it tombs down all other attempts in the future to put new(better)product on the market.

I can still see some remains of this production on the streets of my town, as small number of Yugo's are still roaring.

ideas campaign started in ireland

Open Innovation in Ireland, just read following:
"The Ideas Campaign is calling on you, the people of Ireland, to propose solutions that will help rebuild the economy. It’s a grassroots, independent campaign for citizens, by citizens."
Nice way to get new ideas to boost economy (if only my country would do te same)!
Many ideas are already out there and I will enjoy whole month to read(campain will finish at end of March).
Its great that this concept of open innovation campaign can be spread to entire nation. Well done Ireland!
link

singapore no.1 on inno-report

Newest innovation climate study done by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), and The Manufacturing Institute (MI), listed 110 countries according to their Innovation Inputs and Innovation Performance score. This Internation Innovation Index is buid from 6 categories: Fiscal & Other policies, Innovation environment, R&D results, Business performance and Public impact of innovation. Link to study
Singapore is ranked 1st, U.S.A. 8th, Japan 9th, while European leadinng innovation states: Sweden, U.K., Austria & Germany are 10th,15th,17th and 19th.
Central Europe countries are near each other on the list: Hungary, Czech Rep. and Slovenia are on places 31-33 and Slovakia is on 36th place, while Croatia is 48th as the first country with negative score.
Link

ford's process & product innovation

When I was a school-boy I watched TV-series about Henry Ford with my father. He was really enjoying it, specially when they show how he made the new manufacturing system or process - the same one on which my mum was working for many years. Brilliant process innovation in the beginning of 20th century.

But the thing which was most impresing to us in this days - it was mid of 80's/last century - was that he made the car that many can buy. I'm not sure how to classify this innovation - it fits the best to product innovation.

However, Ford model "T" was cheap, easy to drive and easy & cheap to repair --> what an innovation!

local idea hero in organization

Main roles for the person selected as innovation-driver in organization:

1. well-known in organization as innovation-driver and open for any kind of questions

2. running innovation system and improving it

3. be sure that everyone knows about idea process(how to submit idea)

4. taking care for ideas that waits for any decision for long time

5. knows about each submitted idea and keep an eye on innovation metrics, such as no. of submitted ideas, no. of realized ideas and other metrics + creating new inno.metrics if needed

Other roles such as connecting intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs with innovators, can be the part of innovation system and be managed by other persons.

creativity moment

I saw interesting article in newspapers about time for creativity.

The creativity peak is on 10pm and the least creative time is on 4:30pm. The most creativity place in house of course, is bathroom.

So, the best thing to do for creativity is to take a shower :)

More then half people will forgot their ideas if they don't write them down immediately.

dog power! ;)

Nice idea for including your dog to a ride in park. On this link you can find out more... As I saw on that link, this is invented and produced by same person. Good story for startup job --> this is going all the way from invention to successful innovation.

ibm's next 5 in 5

IBM has released the video with predictions of 5 innovtions that will come in next 5 years. This includes:
- solar technology,
- health crystal ball,
- web talk,
- digital shopping assistance and
- smart appliances for help to remember things.

mousehunt

I'm addicted to the facebook application = game Mousehunt. This is one of the best applications on facebook and it's very popular.
The firm who launch it is canadian Hitgrab. It's interesting to see following sentence on their web-site:
"I woke up from a dream-like state and had the image of a mousetrap-type game for facebook", says co-founder of HitGrab Inc, Bryan Freeman.
--> It looks like a classical innovation story!

moleskine owner

Legendary 'moleskine' notebook is finally in my pocket. There are already some ideas inside, and I'll try to fill it quickly.

This concept of 'notebook in pocket' is well-known tool for generating ideas and thoughts. This was widely used by many great inventors and innovators.

I was using some word documents for description of ideas, but this was always extended with every paper I can get when I have idea in bed or when I'm on vacation. This notebook will solve that problem :)

first flushable diaper

The statistics says that disposable diapers make up 4% of solid waste and they are 3rd largest consumers item in landfills.

The solution for this problem is using gDiapers --> ok you'll need maybe a minute more, to change a diaper and sometimes a little bit of time to wash inner or outer parts of diaper, but when you see how the inner flushable insert dissolves in water it will turn your eco-switch on.
I'm talking only after reading one article, so please take a look:

link

I'm ready to try it (but, I'm not sure has my wife the same feeling)...

mobile broadcasting

I had this idea a year ago, to use mobile phone like an online camera for live broadcasting. My idea had no success, but now, it's available, where else, then in Sweden!

It would be great that you can record some events and broadcast it live. I was yesterday on away game of my favourite football team NK Osijek and I have to report to my father every 20 minutes about the game. If I can broadcast it live to him and everyone else who are interested.

Check out this link.

music video created without camera

Well, Radiohead don't stop to impress me. Their video "House of Cards" from album "In rainbows" was filmed without camera or light. They used just 3d scanner (if I figure out it right).
Here is the making of clip:


You can see the video here

ideation in big company

I had a small brainstorming session today, and I have to defend innovation process.

The problem is that some ideas were rejected in the past, but then they can be seen as successful products from other companies today. This situation in not great for morale of innovator who got rejection mail.

But after few minutes of explaining I got this innovator on the track again and I'm expecting new ideas from him.

I've noticed one thing today which can led to more thought or blog posts in future: it's hard for a big company to be competitive in small market with firms of just 2-5 employees. The problem is of course money, smaller firms can be cheaper(sometimes), but the strong possibility for big company to win in example, public funded project is the opportunity to use the knowledge from variety of projects in the past and to offer some features which can't be produced in small firm.

This is also essential when we think 'which idea can be successful in my country's market + my company can do it and be competitive with other 'players'.

radiohead 'nude' played by old computer parts

Radiohead held the contest for remixing their song 'nude' from last album 'In Rainbows'. This is the work of Jim Houston - the play done with old computer parts (guitar is played by ZX Spectrum) http://www.vimeo.com/1109226?pg=embed&sec=1109226 Great work!

Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

how to publish a book?

That's a question that I've been asking myself last four months. I've contacted the most probably interested publishers in Croatia, but they are not interested to publish my book about innovation management.
The country is small, so even if I find a publisher, the edition will be over 1000 copies. Maybe there will be more chances if I translate the book on english and try to publish it in UK or US. But the problem is the lach of time to do that.
I'm really dissapointed because I wrote it to help small and medium-sized firms to start with innovation climate. This problem really exist in this part of Europe, so I thought that I have found a niche for new product --> book. It seems now, that I was wrong. I know that it's always not easy to publish first book, so maybe I will put it for free on web or maybe just some chapters of it.
To have a sense what is inside my book, here is the list of chapters:

1. what is innovation?
2. brainstorming
3. innovations on demand
4. innovative climate
5. the innovator
6. rewarding ideas
7. evaluating ideas
8. innovation process
9. gently turning-down ideas
10. criterias for success of innovations
11. which innovations are needed in our company?
12. prototyping
13. storytelling
14. measuring innovations
15. how to become innovative
16. savings and improvements
17. how to come to the idea?
18. idea campaigns
19. types of innovations
20. how to catch the idea
21. patents
22. starting of innovation climate in croatian companies

If anyone have similar problem or have an idea, please write a comment.

open the roadside toilet with sms

New idea for security of roadside toilets in Finland. The system will open the door of the toilet only in case, when SMS is sent to specific number which is displayed at the door. So, opening will cost just like a normal SMS and all you have to do is to send text "OPEN". The call is directed to modem which will sound a buzzer and open the door.
This should prevent vandalism, because people will be identified with their mobile phone number. Link