Innovation is about finding a better way of doing something. Like many of the new development buzzwords (which many of them are over-used on many business documents), the concept of innovation originates from the world of business. It refers to the generation of new products through the process of creative entrepreneurship, putting it into production, and diffusing it more widely through increased sales. Innovation can be viewed as t he application of better solutions that meet new requirements, in-articulated needs, or existing market needs. This is accomplished through more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are readily available to markets, governments and society. The term innovation can be defined as something original and, as a consequence, new, that “breaks into” the market or society.
Innoveracy: Misunderstanding Innovation article points out that there is a form of ignorance which seems to be universal: the inability to understand the concept and role of innovation. The way this is exhibited is in the misuse of the term and the inability to discern the difference between novelty, creation, invention and innovation. The result is a failure to understand the causes of success and failure in business and hence the conditions that lead to economic growth. The definition of innovation is easy to find but it seems to be hard to understand. Here is a simple taxonomy of related activities that put innovation in context:
- Novelty: Something new
- Creation: Something new and valuable
- Invention: Something new, having potential value through utility
- Innovation: Something new and uniquely useful
The taxonomy is illustrated with the following diagram.
The differences are also evident in the mechanisms that exist to protect the works: Novelties are usually not protectable, Creations are protected by copyright or trademark, Inventions can be protected for a limited time through patents (or kept secret) and Innovations can be protected through market competition but are not defensible through legal means.
Innovation is a lot of talked about nowdays as essential to businesses to do. Is innovation essential for development work? article tells that innovation has become central to the way development organisations go about their work. In November 2011, Bill Gates told the G20 that innovation was the key to development. Donors increasingly stress innovation as a key condition for funding, and many civil society organisations emphasise that innovation is central to the work they do.
Some innovation ideas are pretty simple, and some are much more complicated and even sound crazy when heard first. The is place for crazy sounding ideas: venture capitalists are gravely concerned that the tech startups they’re investing in just aren’t crazy enough:
Not all development problems require new solutions, sometimes you just need to use old things in a slightly new way. Development innovations may involve devising technology (such as a nanotech water treatment kit), creating a new approach (such as microfinance), finding a better way of delivering public services (such as one-stop egovernment service centres), identifying ways of working with communities (such as participation), or generating a management technique (such as organisation learning).
Theorists of innovation identify innovation itself as a brief moment of creativity, to be followed by the main routine work of producing and selling the innovation. When it comes to development, things are more complicated. Innovation needs to be viewed as tool, not master. Innovation is a process, not a one time event. Genuine innovation is valuable but rare.
There are many views on the innovation and innvation process. I try to collect together there some views I have found on-line. Hopefully they help you more than confuze. Managing complexity and reducing risk article has this drawing which I think pretty well describes innovation as done in product development:
8 essential practices of successful innovation from The Innovator’s Way shows essential practices in innovation process. Those practices are all integrated into a non-sequential, coherent whole and style in the person of the innovator.
In the IT work there is lots of work where a little thinking can be a source of innovation. Automating IT processes can be a huge time saver or it can fail depending on situation. XKCD comic strip Automation as illustrates this:
System integration is a critical element in project design article has an interesting project cost influence graphic. The recommendation is to involve a system integrator early in project design to help ensure high-quality projects that satisfy project requirements. Of course this article tries to market system integration services, but has also valid points to consider.
Core Contributor Loop (CTTDC) from Art Journal blog posting Blog Is The New Black tries to link inventing an idea to theory of entrepreneurship. It is essential to tune the engine by making improvements in product, marketing, code, design and operations.
4,505 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Scientists Create World’s First Living Organism With Fully Redesigned DNA
https://science.slashdot.org/story/19/05/15/2158209/scientists-create-worlds-first-living-organism-with-fully-redesigned-dna?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
Scientists have created the world’s first living organism that has a fully synthetic and radically altered DNA code. In a two-year effort, researchers at the laboratory of molecular biology, at Cambridge University, read and redesigned the DNA of the bacterium Escherichia coli (E coli), before creating cells with a synthetic version of the altered genome. The artificial genome holds 4m base pairs, the units of the genetic code spelled out by the letters G, A, T and C. Printed in full on A4 sheets, it runs to 970 pages, making the genome the largest by far that scientists have ever built.
Cambridge scientists create world’s first living organism with fully redesigned DNA
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/may/15/cambridge-scientists-create-worlds-first-living-organism-with-fully-redesigned-dna
Researchers create altered synthetic genome, in move with potential medical benefits
Tomi Engdahl says:
Let’s be real: Diversity and inclusion is a business issue
https://opensource.com/open-organization/19/5/inclusivity-solution-innovation
If the problem is a struggle to innovate, then the solution is greater diversity and inclusion.
Having spent most of my career in the technology industry, I’ve observed one fairly common approach to addressing issues: Identify a problem, isolate that problem’s causes, develop a solution, implement that solution, then gather data to determine whether the solution has in fact solved the problem. If it hasn’t, then rinse and repeat the process with updated data. If it has, then check that problem off the list and consider the problem “solved.”
This approach works well when applied to technical processes—those with stable and identifiable variables, with fairly linear progressions, and with clear “beginning” and “ending” conditions. But I would argue that other types of problems require a different approach, because they aren’t “solvable” in the traditional sense.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Untapped Potential of Making and Makerspaces
https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/05/15/four-ways-higher-education-could-make-more-making-and-makerspaces-opinion
Charles M. Schweik describes four ways higher education could make much more of such educational opportunities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lizzie O’Shea / Longreads:
All harmful technologies are a product of unethical design, yet, like car companies in the ’70s, today’s tech companies would rather blame the user
Technology Is as Biased as Its Makers
https://longreads.com/2019/05/14/technology-is-as-biased-as-its-makers/
From exploding Ford Pintos to racist algorithms, all harmful technologies are a product of unethical design. Yet, like car companies in the ’70s, today’s tech companies would rather blame the user.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Eric Feng:
VC-backed consumer startups are outperforming enterprise startups at IPOs in this decade, going public more often at higher valuations, compared to the 2000s
Why the IPO market for consumer startups is stronger than ever, and will it continue?
https://medium.com/@efeng/why-the-ipo-market-for-consumer-startups-is-stronger-than-ever-and-will-it-continue-7b6267f55970?sk=a446a9979a8f9c4c50adeaa259c46548
Ever since I was first introduced to the world of Silicon Valley startups and venture capital investing in 2010, I’ve been continuously reminded of a simple truth: “returns are a power-law distribution” with the majority of returns concentrated in a small percentage of companies. And at the head of that concentration, where you’ll find the standouts amongst even the winners, are consumer startups. Call this the consumer outlier investing theory. Obviously there are also amazing enterprise companies that turn into incredible investments (think Dropbox, Workday, Duo, Github, and soon to be Slack). But consumers are by definition the superset of all markets, so the biggest startup success stories happen when consumer startups dominate a category of consumption and spending. Think Facebook in social networking or Netflix in streaming video consumption or Amazon in e-commerce spending. When you win in consumer, you win big, so says the consumer outlier investing theory.
Another way to describe the consumer outlier investing theory is to describe the difference between enterprise and consumer investing in a baseball metaphor: enterprise investing is a batting average game, and consumer investing is a slugging percentage game.
So enterprise startups get on base more often, but these hits also often are singles, hence the batting average description.
So consumer startups get on base less often, but these hits often result in extra bases or even home runs, hence the slugging percentage description.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Firia Labs Teaches Coding Through Real-World Learning Experiences
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/david-ashton/articles/firia-labs-teaches-coding-through-real-world-learning-experiences
Firia’s primary purpose is to teach kids programming using the real-world Python language, not a graphical drag-and-drop approach.
Some considerable time ago, Max (our esteemed editor) ran a column on Firia Labs, a company started by David Ewing, who started his computer life with a Sinclair ZX81 in 1981 — coincidentally, I had the same little computer at about the same time (he just took his experiences a whole lot further). I learned a lot from my ZX81 but had similar experiences to David, who, Max says, “quickly became frustrated by the fact that many of the books were written at too high a level for a beginner.” David told himself, “I’m going to learn all of this, and then one day, I’m going to write a book that will let kids like me learn this stuff more easily than I’m having to do right now!”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Four Changes That Could Improve the EE Industry in the Next Five Years
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/kaylamatthews/articles/4-changes-that-could-improve-the-ee-industry-in-the-next-5-years
Here are four changes that could help improve the EE industry over the next half a decade:
1. Digital innovation
2. More work on advanced technologies
3. Closing the diversity and gender gap
4. Streamlined ordering systems
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Smartphones Sabotage Your Brain’s Ability to Focus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig6I3prnlnE
Our phones give us instant gratification. But there’s a cost: loss of attention and productivity. WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez goes on a quest to understand the science of distractions and what you can do stay be more focused and productive.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The People’s Republic of The Future
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taZJblMAuko
When it comes to technology, Shenzhen may well be the most fascinating city in the world. It makes the majority of our electronics. It clones the best technology Silicon Valley has to offer with ease. And, these days, Shenzhen buzzes with new ideas and an unrivaled energy that ensure it will play a major role in shaping our collective futures.
In this episode of Hello World, journalist Ashlee Vance heads to the spectacle that is Shenzhen to experience it firsthand. The results are equal parts inspiring and disconcerting as tech-fueled entrepreneurs try to navigate an authoritarian regime.
Tomi Engdahl says:
21 Inspiring Tech Companies Leading in Ethics
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1334704
The ubiquitous attention to creating and maintaining ethics and compliance programs point to the importance of being a good corporate citizen, but research also bears out that the most ethical companies are perform noticeably better financially. This year, in the Ethisphere Institute’s list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies, high-tech players, from consultants to OEMS have distinguished themselves for their high standards.
“Today, employees, investors and stakeholders are putting their greatest trust in companies to take leadership on societal issues. Companies that take the long view with a purpose-based strategy are proven to not only outperform but last,” said Ethisphere’s chief executive officer Timothy Erblich.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Scientists with Ideas That Nobody Believed … Who Were Right
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_zFyXWxxMA
People have struggled to understand some hypotheses scientists had, which are correct but were disclaimed back then. So here’s the 5 scientists and their ideas that nobody believed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Paintings, PCBs, and Possibilities – How Chinese Copies Became Originals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWd9nnaDL3M
What do Van Gogh reproduction oil paintings have to do with PCB circuit boards? They’re more alike than you think! I want to take you on a deep dive into how the oil painting and electronics manufacturing ecosystems in Shenzhen, China are organized, explain how they’re so chaotically efficient, and show you why I think they’re so cool.
Tomi Engdahl says:
TSMC’s 2019 Technology Symposium highlights 25 Years of Innovation
https://www.3dincites.com/2019/05/tsmcs-2019-technology-symposium-highlights-25-years-of-innovation/
Tomi Engdahl says:
10 Cutting-Edge Disaster Relief Technologies
https://www.designnews.com/sustainability/10-cutting-edge-disaster-relief-technologies?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=8839&elq_cid=876648
From artificial intelligence, to remote car upgrades and rescue robots, here’s a look at some of the latest innovations in relief efforts for hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Culture Makes Us Feel Lost – Dr. Gabor Maté On Finding Your True Self Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIjvXtZRerY
Dr. Gabor Maté gives a beautiful speech on human nature and the implications culture has on our ability to maintain it. In this segment of the speech, he discusses four different categories of self-alienation, and provides a sentiment of hope to stay in touch with our true nature as we move forward through the challenging times of modern culture.
Tomi Engdahl says:
5 Scientific Ways to Make Yourself Smarter
https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/5-scientific-ways-to-make-yourself-smarter.html
While science has proved that memory games don’t make you smarter, there are 5 methods that actually do work.
The most recent research in psychology and neuroscience, however, has found five effective strategies for improving your intelligence. Some of them may surprise you.
1. Believe that it’s possible.
2. Socialize more frequently.
3. Exercise more regularly.
4. Drink more coffee or tea.
5. Daydream more often.
Contrary to popular belief, letting your mind wander isn’t mental laziness; it’s the exact opposite. When you’re daydreaming, your mind is crazy active.
Daydreaming stimulates imagination and creativity by allowing otherwise disconnected parts of your brain to wire themselves together with new neural pathways.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Remember the ‘10,000 Hours’ Rule for Success? Forget About It
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/28/books/review/david-epstein-range.html?fallback=0&recId=1LyAJqlw1buadtNxea8Np4YkkSs&locked=0&geoContinent=EU&geoRegion=18&recAlloc=story&geoCountry=FI&blockId=home-featured&imp_id=747643176&action=click&module=editorsPicks&pgtype=Article®ion=Footer
Are you a generalist or a specialist? Do you strive for breadth or depth in your career, in your life? After all, you can’t have both. Your time on earth is finite, as are your energy and attention. If you concentrate on doing one thing, you might have a chance of doing it really well. If you seek to do many things, you’ll taste a wider variety of human goods, but you may end up a well-rounded mediocrity — a dilettante.
Folk wisdom holds the trade-off between breadth and depth to be a cruel one: “jack-of-all-trades, master of none,” and so forth.
To attain genuine excellence in any area — sports, music, science, whatever — you have to specialize, and specialize early: That’s the message. If you don’t, others will have a head start on you in the 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” supposedly necessary for breakout achievement.
But this message is perversely wrong — so David Epstein seeks to persuade us in “Range.” Becoming a champion, a virtuoso or a Nobel laureate does not require early and narrow specialization. Quite the contrary in many cases. Breadth is the ally of depth, not its enemy. In the most rewarding domains of life, generalists are better positioned than specialists to excel.
If true, this is good news. It means that excellence and well-roundedness naturally go together; that each of us — in principle, at least — can realize the “comprehensiveness and multiplicity,” the “wholeness in manifoldness”
So Epstein gives us two distinct reasons for thinking the generalist might have an edge over the specialist: (1) Generalists are better at navigating “wicked” learning environments. (2) Generalists end up with better “match quality.” What he doesn’t seem to notice is that these two reasons imply contradictory prescriptions on how to live. If life is “wicked,” you should start off broad and stay that way. If life is about “match quality,” then you should start off broad and then go narrow when you find what hits your sweet spot. What are we to do?
the evidence suggests, you should strive for broadness throughout your career. Students who take an interdisciplinary array of science courses are better at thinking analogically; researchers with offbeat knowledge combinations score more “hit” papers
Or suppose you aspire to be an inventor. Here specialists and generalists each have their advantages. But the really enviable type is the “polymath,” who possesses deep expertise in one or more core areas but also knows the “adjacent stuff” in dozens of other technological domains. While polymath inventors are less deep than the specialists, they tend to be even broader than the generalists. Schematically, polymaths resemble a T (broad + deep) or even a π (broad + double-deep).
Just declare: “I am a polymath. You are a generalist. He is a dilettante.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Is Typing Making You Stupid?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_yM7D5cxsA
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to explain design thinking in plain English
https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2019/4/design-thinking-how-to-explain
Design thinking – a popular approach in organizations pushing for innovation, as well as in agile teams – often confuses newcomers. Here’s how to break it down in simple terms
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Power of Doing Nothing
https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/power-doing-nothing
People love the default option. Why aren’t we using this instinct to better the world?
Tomi Engdahl says:
The World Is Getting Increasingly Dumber, Study Finds
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-22/world-getting-increasingly-dumber-study-finds
Tomi Engdahl says:
How growing cities are making it hard for makers
As garages and similar spaces grow less accessible
https://www.fastcompany.com/90349511/making-space-for-makers
in places like Silicon Valley, we can’t make things where we used to.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kaikki osaavat suunnitella!
https://fraktio.fi/blogi/kaikki-osaavat-suunnitella/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Approach Top-Down Innovation
https://innovationcloud.com/blog/how-to-approach-topdown-innovation/?vis=bp2805
Tomi Engdahl says:
The 10 Breakthrough Technologies That Will Define 2019
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-10-breakthrough-technologies-that-will-define-2019/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to undertake pre-development research of your next innovation
https://innovationcloud.com/blog/how-to-undertake-predevelopment-research-of-your-next-innovation/?vis=bpfb1305
Tomi Engdahl says:
Better Than Market Research: How Watchmakers Could’ve Used Patent Landscape Analysis To Predict The Smartwatch Boom
https://www.greyb.com/patent-landscape-analysis/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=growandconvert&utm_content=Patent+Landscape+Analysis+-+%28-button%29
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why your workplace arguments aren’t as effective as you’d like
https://opensource.com/open-organization/19/6/barriers-productive-arguments
Open organizations rely on open conversations. These common barriers to productive argument often get in the way.
Tomi Engdahl says:
When Innovation and Ethics Collide
https://spectrum.ieee.org/at-work/innovation/when-innovation-and-ethics-collide
We had created the Internet, cellphones, GPS, lasers, computers, and so much else that was an integral part of modern life.
Of course, when I, and other engineers, said that we had changed the world, the implication was that we had made it better. Now this has been put into question. Every day it seems that there are stories in the media saying that tech has gone out of control and is causing harm. Privacy has been lost, the cellphone is dangerously addictive, spam and scams are omnipresent, security is weak, conspiracies and fake news abound, powerful monopolies have evolved, jobs will be lost to AI and robotics, and so forth.
Growing numbers of advocates are calling for more control over the evolution of technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Top 10 Ways to Kill a Creative Sprint
https://medium.com/@andrematarazzo1234/the-top-10-ways-to-kill-a-creative-sprit-c2b6b131a9ba
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. College Grads Are in For an Unpleasant Surprise
https://www.statista.com/chart/18432/gap-between-median-annual-early-career-salaries-and-average-salary-expectations/
many students have “seriously unrealistic” expectations for their early career salaries.
Computer Science majors are in for a pleasant surprise when they enter the working world: according to Clever’s findings, they are underestimating their earnings potential by nearly $10,000.
Tomi Engdahl says:
13 Difficult Things Highly Successful People Learn To Do Young
https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannawiest/2018/02/26/13-difficult-things-highly-successful-people-learn-to-do-young/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90370520/the-2-top-office-distractions?partner=rss&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to work a room: No-fail networking tips
https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2019/4/networking-how-work-room
Feel a bit of dread at networking events? These tips and mental tricks will help you work a room like a pro
Tomi Engdahl says:
7 Habits That May Actually Change The Brain, According To Science
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2016/04/14/7-habits-that-may-actually-change-the-brain-according-to-science/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Want To Do Something Great? Don’t Be Afraid Of Failure
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jillgriffin/2017/11/20/want-to-do-something-great-dont-be-afraid-of-failure/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2017/07/31/5-reasons-why-extreme-early-rising-can-be-beneficial-for-you/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nomanazish/2018/03/30/10-daily-habits-that-can-actually-change-your-life/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino and Google get middle schoolers kitted out for science
https://newatlas.com/google-arduino-science-kit-physics-lab/60337/
Middle schoolers can experiment with electromagnetism, thermodynamics, kinetics and kinematics courtesy of the Arduino Science Kit Physics Lab
Tomi Engdahl says:
The innovation delusion
https://opensource.com/open-organization/19/6/innovation-delusion
Innovation is a messy process. Our stories about it aren’t. We shouldn’t confuse the two.
If traditional planning is dead, then why do so many organizations still invest in planning techniques optimized for the Industrial Revolution?
One reason might be that we trick ourselves into thinking innovation is the kind of thing we can accomplish with a structured, linear process. When we do this, I think we’re confusing our stories about innovation with the process of innovation itself—and the two are very different.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Would you high five a machine?
https://thepracticalengineer.com/blog/highfive
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intuition Is The Highest Form Of Intelligence
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucekasanoff/2017/02/21/intuition-is-the-highest-form-of-intelligence/
Intuition, argues Gerd Gigerenzer, a director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, is less about suddenly “knowing” the right answer and more about instinctively understanding what information is unimportant and can thus be discarded.
In some respects, intuition could be thought of as a clear understanding of collective intelligence. For example, most web sites are today organized in an intuitive way, which means they are easy for most people to understand and navigate.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Get Smart
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessicahagy/2017/02/14/how-to-get-smart/
Smart.
It’s when you’re obviously clever. Clearly informed. And surely valuable. It’s an adjective you can own, practice, and trade on. It’s not something you’re born with (no babies are out there solving the world’s most pressing problems). Nope. Smart is something you become. Something you earn. Something you practice. And ironically, it’s easier to be than you think.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Different Types Of Meditation Change Different Areas Of The Brain, Study Finds
https://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/10/05/different-types-of-meditation-change-the-brain-in-different-ways-study-finds/
There’s been a lot of discussion about what kinds of mental activities are actually capable of changing the brain.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stop Doing These 8 Things In Order to Become More Efficient
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhall/2019/04/28/stop-doing-these-8-things-in-order-to-become-more-efficient/
Unless you have zero ambition, I think everyone would love to become more efficient. The thing is, it’s always about starting to do things differently.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Eight Bad Habits You Must Break To Be More Productive
https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2017/01/31/eight-bad-habits-you-must-break-to-be-more-productive/
Tomi Engdahl says:
6 Morning Rituals That Will Make You Productive All Day
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianscudamore/2017/04/19/6-morning-rituals-that-will-make-you-productive-all-day/
Tomi Engdahl says:
When business processes and workflows become inefficient and bureaucracy becomes overwhelming, organizational innovation to the rescue.
#innovation #lean #Samsung
Where to Innovate – Organizational Innovation Explained
https://innovationcloud.com/blog/where-to-innovate-organizational-innovation-explained/?vis=bpfb110719
Tomi Engdahl says:
6 Surprising Downsides Of Being Extremely Intelligent
https://www.businessinsider.com/downsides-of-being-smart-2016-7?r=US&IR=T
Tomi Engdahl says:
Indian Toddlers Are Learning How to Code Before Learning to Talk
This prepares the next generation for a future dominated by data.
https://www.vice.com/en_asia/article/wjv3pq/indian-toddlers-are-learning-how-to-code-before-learning-to-talk?utm_source=viceasiafb&utm_campaign=global