Two Major Innovations, Two Different Outcomes In the 1850s, infection rates in maternity wards were very high, and this was a big problem. No one knew why, and no one knew how to fix it. Ignaz Semmelweis wondered “what if everyone washes their hands before the come in contact with patients?” It was an experiment. […]
How much do we know about innovation in mining (and other mature industries)? Last week I gave a keynote speech at the CEEC Workshop aiming to facilitate a paradigm shift in comminution. CEEC is the Coalition for Eco-Efficient Comminution. Communition is the process of smashing rocks as part of the mining process. The workshop gathered […]
Guest Post: by Ralph-Christian Ohr Remark : Coincidentally and amazingly, Tim and I were obviously thinking and writing about business model experimentation and pivots at the same time. Hopefully, I can add some complementary thoughts to Tim’s post from yesterday with mine today. In one of my previous posts I discussed the crucial distinction between need […]
People frequently ask me “How can I be more innovative?” The answer can be elusive, as they are often asking for permission to innovate, which you will rarely receive. Fortunately, you can learn to be more innovative. Here are some thoughts on how: Innovate because you have to. I was talking with Brendan Coram last […]
I’ve written a couple of posts recently on the importance of network diversity for innovation and how dense networks can actually inhibit innovation. Since the 1970s, the dominant view in network analysis of innovation is that novelty comes from sparely connected network where ‘structural holes’ exist to preserve diversity. Weak links between knowledge clusters are […]
Occasionally I run into a particular situation that is based on a very fundamental misunderstanding of the function of social networks. In an effort to make an organization or industry more innovative, someone gets the idea that we need to get everyone talking to everyone else. In other words, the most innovative network is a […]
I ran across a great quote today from Ernest A. Jones about creativity and commercialism. As usual with these sorts of things, it’s nearly impossible to track down the original source, but here is the quote: Only for the phony is commercialism-the bending of creativity to common utility-a naughty word. To the truly creative, it […]
There are no innovation shortcuts. I was reminded of this when I ran across the Crispin Porter + Bogusky Employee Handbook. Here is what the 2004 version looked like: Crispin Porter + Bogusky employee handbook View more presentations from whatidiscover The firm has been reasonably successful, and the Handbook makes it sound like a pretty […]
If you have been reading this blog for a while you will know that a lot of the research work that Tim and I do looks at the link between networks and innovation. When we talk about networks, we mean all sort of ways that people and businesses can connect to each other. For example, […]
