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Innovation efforts should start by defining the dream or vision, not a plan. A dream tends to be inclusive, unconstrained, expansive, and can be accomplished in a number of ways.

Learn how to identify potential future competitors by asking strategic questions about your industry and the benefits your company delivers.

Three Global 50 companies shared a common theme of frustration with their innovation efforts due to a lack of implementation and urgency. The author shares three reasons for this.

Grass roots practitioners and top minds in the country alike came together at a community development conference hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis to discuss, collaborate, and learn about innovative approaches to community development.

To succeed in emerging markets, companies must challenge assumptions and prioritize customer insights. McKinsey Quarterly shows how to develop winning products for these regions with three key insights.

Conducting creative conversations is essential to building a culture of innovation. Learn how to hold these conversations with these three tools.

Understanding your company's why is the most important question a business leader should be able to answer. Without a clear purpose, employees and customers cannot align their values and beliefs, which results in a lack of innovation.

Collaborative synthesizim is a new global age phenomenon focusing on re-thinking and re-looking at the world. Innovators who master this technique will succeed in the new $100 trillion global economy.

There are flaws in ranking lists of the most innovative firms, as they often only highlight large, well-known companies with good publicity engines but overlook smaller firms that may be doing much more innovation.

Innovation is essential for businesses to avoid becoming commodities. Here are six steps to spark innovation in your company.

Mick Simonelli, an innovation thought leader talks about the challenges of innovation in the insurance industry, highlighting the urgent need for change and transformational leadership.

The Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards celebrate individuals and groups that have challenged the norm in fields like social good, business, and government by advancing technology and human invention to create societal progress.

Participating in a Warrior Dash teaches valuable lessons about innovation, teamwork, and experience-seeking.

Innovation expert shares his top eight practices for effective innovation: communicate a compelling 'why innovate', have a formal innovation plan, adopt an experimentation mindset, reframe failure as an opportunity to learn, look inside and outside for ideas, focus on changing behavior first, create an idea-receptive culture, and learn and use a new toolkit.

The Science Scout and Cross Innovation Hub, two intermediaries from Hamburg, discuss the need for new measurement frameworks to stimulate and measure open and cross innovation processes.

Innovation is often viewed as a fad, but it is a crucial tool for growth and differentiation in a rapidly changing market.

Do we really need leaders? This article explores successful examples of organizations that have succeeded without managers and how leaders can effectively direct passion rather than just work.

Big data can help predict the future of innovations, whether in sports, market opportunities or employees. It provides real-time updates and reduces cognitive biases.

Innovation management requires the ability to differentiate between everyday challenges and unforeseen problems. Creative thinking is necessary to navigate the latter.

Running equals innovation – that’s what the author learned from running the Berlin Marathon. This article explores the need for innovation in endurance running equipment and how running can teach us characteristics for successful innovation.

Seven metaphors for creative leaders to drive innovative behavior: Lift the veil, focus the lens, don't boil the ocean, plant seeds in rain forests not deserts, learn the script as you make a film, balance the dish and guillotine your team.

Remote employees need recognition and rewards, especially during the lead-up to Christmas. Here are six ways to engage and reward remote employees.

Ricky Gervais' return as host of the Golden Globes holds important creative lessons. Doing more of what you did before isn't always the right creative answer.

Innovators need to be rewarded for ethical and responsible behavior. This can be achieved through financial incentives and cultural frameworks to promote responsible innovation.

The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act is a new law that could mean a speedier patent approval process.

Deckers' SVP of Innovation and Product Development emphasizes the importance of people, culture and courage in driving innovation, sharing examples from UGG and Hoka One One.

Consider going opposite with your new product innovation strategy. Find out how this innovation technique can spark innovation opportunities by exploring the opposite direction.

Brainstorming is a popular creativity tool for groups, but there are common mistakes that can hinder the effectiveness of the session.

Ignoring the risk of cyber attack can put 60% of small and medium-sized businesses out of business, and it is highly likely that you will encounter this risk.

A simple framework to improve your creative performance: Perspective, Passion, Perseverance and Practice.

Is it better to have a lot of small innovations or one big innovation? This article explores the benefits of both, with a focus on the value of small innovations for small businesses.

The Edinburgh Fringe festival's lessons in innovation are discussed in relation to start-up businesses.

Learn from Kärcher's product development journey, including identifying customer needs through Voice of the Customer research, using Lean startup methodology, and successful launch strategies.

This article discusses Elon Musk's success as an innovator and his ability to challenge industry orthodoxies.

The final article in a three-part series on innovation in the Caucasus looks at Azerbaijan, which boasts a history of fire worship and a pedestrian-friendly capital city.

Open innovation intermediaries, like IdeaConnection and InnoCentive, offer a great way for small companies to engage in open innovation, build skills and collaborate with experts.

Cybersecurity is threatened by the abundance of malware and human error, and a shortage of cybersecurity experts. However, new technologies like blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI) show promise in the fight against cybercrime.

Bettcher Industries, a meat processing and food service company, has expanded into the medical industry with their equipment improving burn and wound healing procedures.

The Midwest work culture and philosophy have played a crucial role in 3M's success in innovation.

The stage gate innovation process has many drawbacks, so a simpler and faster process called small wins innovation has been developed. It consists of 6 steps: goal, create, test, measure, learn, and share.

Celebrating successful innovations and rewarding their contributors with small incentives leads to increased motivation, more ideas, and better innovation processes.

Aspire Foods from McGill University wins the 2013 Hult Prize of one million dollars in a global competition promoting social entrepreneurship.

Motivating employees to participate in innovation can involve compensation via points systems or priceless awards, but peer recognition can be the most effective form of motivation.

Qantas and UNICEF's "Change for Good" program has raised $28 million dollars by encouraging passengers to donate spare change. The program is a great example of small wins innovation.

Defining the problem statement is key to successful innovation campaigns. Companies should consider a two-step approach to identify the problem and ideate. Narrow topics, clear communication, and fun branding also help engage participants.

The First World War has a lesson for leaders: small changes can have enormous impact, especially in complex systems, creating the Butterfly Effect. A small wins innovation approach can lead to cumulative impact.

General Mills' G-WIN initiative focuses on connected innovation, enabling the company to match business needs with the right talent.

Over half of the employees Gallup surveyed don't have a clear understanding of what's expected of them in terms of job performance, which can undermine excellence. Here are the top five things that managers don't do that contribute to this issue.

GE's FirstBuild exemplifies a successful business model that incorporates crowdfunded ideas and community rewards to develop and sell innovative home appliances.

Overcoming the fear of innovation implementation is crucial for organizations to thrive in a competitive environment. Encouraging and rewarding creative errors can help shift the culture and promote risk-taking among employees.

Suggestion systems are important for companies to improve business processes and develop the company. This article discusses the advantages of employee suggestion systems and how they work.

Innovation cannot be successfully implemented into an existing culture unless all aspects of the culture are changed, including how people interact and how work is done. Providing new tools and skills is crucial for innovation to thrive.

The author questions the value of Top 50 Most Innovative Firms lists, arguing that there is no good methodology to measure innovation and that smaller firms are often overlooked.

Johnson & Johnson and Janssen's Derick Kurdy and Neel Tilak discuss the importance of innovation culture and working with key suppliers to support it.

Innovation Leader has launched a new report that examines the traits shared by successful innovation programs. It is based on input from 270 executives who analyzed several innovation programs delivering tangible results.

Curiosity plays a big role in innovation and scientific discovery. Cultivating curiosity in an organization is important for constant improvement.

Open-space offices are becoming more common, but they can hinder productivity and lead to loneliness. The solution is activity-based workplace design.

Learn creative thinking exercises for borrowing ideas and finding new approaches from other industries and environments while ensuring ethical and productive use.

Creating an innovation culture in Telcos requires a shift towards user-centric, agile, open and global approaches. This can be achieved by combining technological skills with design, becoming agile and focusing on global impact.

An innovation consultant shares his experience of how an outsider can easily see obvious answers, that insiders may miss, in creating strategic impact.

Effective communication is key to the success of an innovation program. There are four stages to consider: Pre-Launch, Launch, Post-Launch, and Challenge-Driven Communications.

Engaging employees in innovation during times of change is key. Establishing a transparent innovation process and understanding employee motivation are crucial for success.

Managing both the supply and demand side of innovation is a critical balancing act for any company. Here are some principles and techniques that will help you manage this supply-demand equation.

Innovative thinking is a learned skill, and an innovative mindset is necessary for success. Five simple behaviors can help you ground yourself in the mindset of discovery.

To tackle environmental challenges and create a sustainable future, design innovation must transition from human-centered design to humanity-centered design.

MIT Professor John Hauser and his team develop active machine learning to understand customers' decision rules, providing insights for marketers to design and market new products effectively.

Learn how to ensure that your company's strategy or planning days are not just a wasted opportunity with these helpful tips.

Creating a sustainable culture of innovation in companies is crucial for success. Here are 7 ways to implement innovation in your organization.

Non-traditional incentives programs can be designed to stimulate engagement in innovation communities without requiring large rewards. Recognition and acknowledging the value of contributions can also motivate employees to work harder.

Four intrapreneurs share their experiences in large companies, discussing their challenges, successes, and personal growth at the Intrapreneurship Conference in Stockholm.

Creating a culture of innovation is crucial for any organization. This article offers five tactics to enhance a company's innovation culture, including clear communication, workshops, innovation days, creativity workshops, and innovation awards.

Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign put friends’ names on bottles and increased consumption by 7%. The campaign earned 18 million media impressions and an 870% increase in Facebook traffic.

You have the power to edit your personal backstory, which can either limit or open up possibilities for you professionally and personally.

Google's B2B Buyer at Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) is the online research potential customers do before interacting with your brand. Companies need to have a strong online presence, reflect customer interests, and respond quickly to opportunities and challenges.

The mobile phone is changing banks, and those who fail to adapt to this new model will be replaced by upstarts who use new technologies to completely redefine what it means to bank.

Customers are providing unfiltered commentary on products through social media, but many innovation teams are not engaging with these insights.

Entrepreneurs can contribute to the veteran community by offering employment and support. Recognition and employment are key ways to create inclusiveness for veterans.

Open innovation is crucial for businesses to adapt to the new more porous and externalized environment. To stay competitive, companies need to collect data from sales staff and suppliers to create disruption maps that show how their products can remain relevant.

Creating an innovative workplace culture is more than just a buzzword. Companies must focus on bold values, a flexible work environment, diversity and inclusion, managing their digital reputation, and seeking third-party feedback for success.

Learn 9 ways to improve collaboration opportunities within remote work teams.

Crowdsourcing may not be the solution for innovation in businesses, as it gathers opinions in aggregate but fails to bring diversity of feedback, and superusers often have too much control over opinion.

Listening to others with compassion is an essential skill to have, especially since many individuals may face personal battles unknown to others.

IHOP has announced a name change to IHOB, with the "B" standing for burgers, in an attempt to drive lunch and dinner traffic, but experts predict it is a temporary brand strategy.

Dr. Arlen Meyers, President of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, explains 10 mistakes biomedical entrepreneurs make when trying to commercialize their ideas.

Are we losing sight of the power of innovation? This article warns against complacency and suggests we need to encourage creativity and innovation in order to unlock new possibilities.

Your team or firm might not be ready for open innovation despite its importance. Organizations have difficulty managing internal innovation and defining innovation, culture and processes.

Open source intelligence can lead to evidence-based decision support for new product development. Signals Intelligence Group explains how their team utilized this approach in creating a winning product in the personal healthcare sensors space.

Social media is more than just a platform for broadcasting messages. In order to unlock the full potential, businesses need to create solutions for customers' social problems, according to Harvard's Mikołaj Piskorski.

Trends often fail, despite appearing promising. The S curve, the Hype Cycle, the flattening curve and the importance of value are all discussed as indicators of falsity.

The cloud approach to technology is changing the way we do business. Semantria's cloud-based software and Xero's intuitive online accounting software demonstrate how disruptive innovation can transform traditional industries.

The world of business is changing, and openness is becoming a critical capability. 100%Open's Give|Get philosophy and Open Organisation Test are helping organisations become more open.

Marketers play a crucial role in business innovation, as they have the ability to connect with consumers, understand what they desire and create the buzz around new products and services.

TEDxGlasgow's Labs experience featured three innovative workshops, exploring new techniques for imaging the human body and building more inclusive cities, open to everybody.

Mid-career marketers need to adapt to the disappearance of traditional marketing roles in social media strategy to remain relevant and in-demand in the industry.

Following in the footsteps of successful companies may not always lead to innovation success as context and undersampling of failure can play a big role.

The blog post discusses the rise of uncertainty in markets and suggests a way to deal with it through disruption vector analysis.

Apple's iPhone X launch faced a major glitch when the face recognition feature failed to work on the primary demo phone. However, the backup phone saved the day and the incident taught presenters a lesson in staying calm and confident during a demo gone bad.

Disruptive innovation is rare among established industry players because they are comfortable with current practices. Incremental innovation is easier and fits within existing frameworks. Companies seeking disruption should consider creating new businesses.

A young finance professional reinvented her career by becoming a cafe owner in Sydney, showcasing an entrepreneurial mindset and taking calculated risks.

Crowdsourcing through dedicated ideation software is crucial for successful Idea Challenges.