Design Innovation - Are You Customer and Partner Referral Worthy?

Lunch topic today is client prep work while nibbling on a home-made holiday eggroll from my nail salon and a gourmet hot cocoa with marshmallows from my real estate agent looking for January referrals. An unlikely (yet yummy) combination and it reminds me that my clients are super creative and willing to go the extra mile to acknowledge the business received by their best clients.

Is your business referral worthy? Are you as an executive referral worthy? Does your team (and I mean not only sales reps, but IT guy, receptionist, and shipping clerks alike) bring referrals to the business?

Design Innovation is not just about your product road map - it is about connecting your entire organization with your customers in a circular way. 20% of your clients are the ones bringing you the most business? I would assert you could design creative ways to expand this percentage, reduce your cost of customer acquisition and create deeper and more meaningful relationships with your clients and your partners.

January is the month of Design Innovation workshops. Not merely a marketing, tech or executive's game, plugin your entire organization and their communities to discover innovative ideas that can support growth in the business. Maybe there is a strong non-profit service element within your employees. Are you recognizing them for that? What if you gave away a slice of your business to your employees non-profit in such a way that you were able to connect with the non-profit, understand how they use your product/service, and then do a joint marketing campaign or event to bring awareness to both organizations?

Design-Driven Innovation has become a buzz phrase recently. Usually led by only one of the two (marketing or technology), it is the delicious combination of both critical thinking groups in conversation with your current and future customers that will spark the next process, product or service change that will allow your business to forge ahead of your competition.

Bringing in people OUTSIDE your company is also a must. Status Quo will simply move the needle ever so slightly. If you want to really be the leader in your market, you must embrace the entire market.

Which brings me back to the question on the table, 'Are you customer and partner referral worthy?' Of course, you could ask. Some other ways to answer the question: 1) online reviews 2) track the source of your business 3) survey your employees and ask them to describe what your business does and give a prize for referrals over a 30-day period 4) give a referral to each of your partners, and track whether or not they return the favor.

Grace Lanni, Managing Director of RSE Consulting, leads the design innovation practice at RSE. RSE supports clients in the areas of operational efficiency, sales & marketing, and product road maps. For a FREE copy of Are You Ready for Your First Start-Up?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7468434

Creating Innovation Cultures in Companies: CEOs, People and Collaboration Tools

Creating Innovation Cultures in Companies: CEOs, People and Collaboration Tools

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This article shares two strategies that are proving most effective for CEOs that aim to make their companies more innovative: developing a creative culture (people’s behaviors) and applying new processes and technologies.

The summary of The 2012 Conference Board CEO Challenge reveals that the top two concerns for CEOs are innovation and human capital, while the top two CEO strategies to cope with them are creating a culture of innovation and applying new technologies (product, process, information, etc.).¹
Today’s market expectations, competitive pressures and pace of change make the CEOs look at innovation as “the” solution. CEOs tend to do it however in an episodic manner, without discipline and without clear expectations on return. Executives would like to move boldly with big and discontinuous choices rather than with incremental innovations, but they miss clear strategies, structures and procedures. This results in most ideas going to the drawer without ever seeing the market light. Consequently, the company retreats to more familiar territories, and the cycle of people’s frustrations repeats itself. ²

Innovation as a discipline – creating a culture

This is a good starting point for the company, as it generates a desire for change, and there is no action without desire. Innovation is a choice, a strategy. As Deming said, nobody forces a company to become innovative. Converting the desire into action requires an intentional initiative, systematically planned and organized like any other important management activity – strategic planning, implementation of ERP systems, etc. At the same time, there are still many executives that consider innovation a peripheral or luxurious activity.
Innovation must be understood as a discipline in its double meaning. Discipline is a field of knowledge (like Finance Marketing or Six Sigma), which requires “discipline” or rigor in the approach. It is not magic but deliberate, it is systematic and with some degree of predictability. Unfortunately, our under-standing of innovation lags thirty years behind that of, for example, quality. The good news is that it can be learnt, practiced and fine-tuned with a rigorous approach through continuous experimentation.
Creating a culture of innovation in the company gives the CEOs an opportunity to exercise leadership, showing their desire with actions rather than with words only. Walk the talk. How much time is committed in their calendars to innovation or devoted to innovation in the Management Team meetings? What is the message that their Management Teams receive consistently from them? Then, how is this commitment communicated to the organization?

The difference between success and failure of the innovation initiatives lies in having strong company values to create an environment that generates entrepreneurial behaviors.

Many organizations approach innovation with the same left-brain elements as any other discipline, dedicating resources, processes and measures to track the progress. They are all needed, but not enough as they forget critical right-brain elements. The difference between success and failure of the innovation initiatives lies in having strong company values to create an environment that generates entrepreneurial behaviors.³
Assessing the current situation in which the organization is at present under the perspective of these six left and right pillars will give the CEOs and the Management Team an understanding of the key gaps between the current and the desired situation, allowing them to first design and then implement the changes required to create the necessary culture of innovation amongst the people in the organization.

CEOs as leaders of people

Revolutions start with people. Cultures start with Leaders. How many of the 5Es of leadership are shown in this communication? All great leaders have an empowering and motivating vision. A vision is like a lighthouse that guides the people through the journey, also in stormy weather, transmitting to them a desire to make the journey, arrive to the desired end and become part of a winning team. Developing and communicating this vision is a critical first step in the journey towards innovation, and then defining the focus and the rules, allowing experimentation, rewarding learning (also from failures), not allowing mediocrity, holding the people accountable and providing them the tools that will make the journey more effective and enjoyable.

Emerging trends and technological changes are having a significant impact on the ways of doing business. Cloud computing, enterprise mobility devices as doorways, fluid collaboration technology, the conversation economy via social computing and the commoditization of analytics will make data and decision making key competitive differentiators.

An academic approach to learning from previous experiences in other companies will help set up the base. Involving consultants to provide supporting seminars on creativity, on enrolling the organization into the journey to a new culture, providing personal and group coaching if needed, are tools within the reach of the CEOs and Management Teams to increase the effectiveness of the change in culture.

Online collaboration tools are becoming critical in managing the company development and the change process, especially in those cases where the teams are geographically distributed.

CEOs can therefore provide these tools to take along the journey to change. The Forrester report shows that on line collaboration tools are becoming critical in managing the company development and the change process, especially in those cases where the teams are geographically distributed. There is a growing trend to make use of the new technologies and collaboration tools/platforms. Similarly, there is still some questioning on feasibility amongst IT leaders. At the same time they report that SaaS helps to improve the business agility.

Click to enlarge

We can see many of these tools becoming available to companies at different levels of complexity, offering different versions for different company sizes – for example Chaordix, a unique methodology and expert services with advanced technology to harness the power of crowdsourcing for companies; or easycrit, an innovation management platform that helps companies systematize a continuous, broad and multidimensional approach to business innovation. Heavy IT platform investments are not required, with Cloud computing reducing the entry barrier and facilitating the implementation. It is critical for employees to see these collaboration tools as something that makes their job more efficient and their life easier, rather than as one more task to perform on top of their daily duties.

In conclusion, many companies claim that people are their most valuable asset. At the same time, many of them also forget about people when making the commitment to become innovative. Leading people into a motivating journey towards creative ways of working, treating them with respect, making them accountable for results and providing them the tools to make the journey fascinating will help CEOs bring the discipline of innovation into their companies and achieve better business results in a faster changing world.

Why Bother about Innovation Strategy as SMEs?

 There is discussion about how much effort should be put into developing an innovation strategy especially by small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). Aren’t many successful innovative offerings just a result of trial, error and finally good luck? Insights in more than 1,500 SMEs from the IMP³rove database demonstrate that strategic focus helps secure profitable growth by innovation.
 
Companies that are among the top ten per cent in terms of growth in revenue, growth in profit and growth in number of employees from innovation, actively disseminate and implement their innovation strategy.

Figure 1: Innovation strategy dissemination to and implementation by top management (Likert scale 1 to 7)

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Growth Champions communicate this innovation strategy more intensively to their “top management”. By doing so, they enable a better understanding of the company’s innovation strategy by these managers who then, in turn, seek to implement it better.  The difference between the growth champions and the average “supporters” is obvious. Nevertheless, the growth champions too have room for improvement. This is even more evident when taking a look at how the corporate strategy is disseminated and implemented by a company’s employees.

Figure 2: Innovation strategy dissemination to and implementation by employees (Likert scale 1-7)

Click to enlarge

Even in small firms, where one would expect that the distance between management and staff is shorter than in larger corporations, the dissemination of the innovation strategy to, and implementation by, employees is below average both at Growth Champions and at the “other” SMEs. On a Likert scale of 1-7, the growth champions hardly reach a score of 3 and above. The “other” SMEs score even below 3.

The low score in implementation of the innovation strategy results from the missing link between the strategic focus and the operational innovation activities. 25 per cent of the SMEs have not assessed their innovation projects systematically regarding their alignment with the innovation strategy; another 12 per cent concede that their innovation projects are well linked to their innovation strategy. Although about 50 per cent of the sample indicate that their innovation strategy fully guides their current product, service, process or business model development, less than 20 per cent claim that their innovation projects are fully in line with the innovation strategy.  This confirms that the implementation of the innovation strategy still shows room for improvement within SMEs.
However, growth champions still show a higher score on the Likert scale in disseminating and implementing their innovation strategy than the “other” SMEs. This indicates that the development, dissemination and especially implementation of the company’s innovation strategy has a positive effect on the profitable growth of the company.

Generating value from innovation strategy development

SMEs that have a clear innovation strategy increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their overall innovation management – especially if the company involves key staff members in the development of the innovation strategy. Assessing the core competences of the company, identifying potential new customers and white spot opportunities in the markets, developing key performance indicators and targets for innovation results as well as gaining a common understanding of the ambition for growth within the company creates buy-in of the staff members. At the same time this team approach helps to position innovation as a key topic within the company’s culture.

SMEs that have an understanding of their strategic focus can quickly decide which ideas they want to develop into an innovative offering as they have defined the focus areas and the performance criteria. In other words, they save time and start developing the selected idea into the next innovation while other SMEs still brood over which ideas might be the right ones. Furthermore, during the development phase they keep marketing and sales in the loop so that these functions can prepare for the launch of the next innovation and keep the time to market as short as possible. In short, if marketing and sales have been involved in the development of the innovation strategy they can pre-market the new offering to key customers.

Within the same industry the time-to-market hence can vary significantly. In the food and beverage sector the IMP³rove benchmarking sample represents a time-to-market (the time from beginning of the development to getting the innovation on sale) that ranges from 1 month to more than 72 months. About 45 per cent of these companies manage to launch their new offerings within less than 6 months, 35 per cent need 6 to 12 months, 14 per cent between 13 and 24 months and 6 per cent require more than 24 months. Companies can calculate the benefit of accelerating the launch of the next innovative offering by just one month.

Apart from clear financial benefits that SMEs achieve by taking a more strategic approach they also gain in terms of:

• Awareness of trends that might affect their own business;
• Improved ability to listen to the customer’s voice;
• Better understanding of the white spot opportunities and new markets;
• Better understanding of the company’s own core competences as well as lacking capabilities (core rigidities);
• Anticipating potential competitors’ moves;
• Alignment of the key staff members to strategic goals;
• Team-building and strengthening the innovation culture in the organisation.

SMEs that would like to assess their own innovation strategy dissemination and implementation can benchmark themselves with in their industry at www.improve-innovation.eu ¹)

Providing support programs to promote effective innovation strategy development at SMEs

There are many innovation support programs for SMEs aiming at technology or knowledge transfer. The objective here is often the commercialisation of research results. The impact of these programs can be significantly increased if the knowledge or technology intended to be transferred is compatible with the SME’s own innovation strategy.  Only then it will contribute and drive the sustainable growth of the SMEs. Therefore, it is highly recommended to first assess to what extend the SME has an innovation strategy that drives the future growth and whether this innovation strategy matches with the transfer of technology or knowledge. This will help the SMEs to gain a better understanding how to get and remain on the profitable growth path and it will help to focus public funds on the most promising companies.

Experience shows that SMEs that are supported in the assessments by well-trained innovation management experts gain higher value from the benchmarking. Furthermore, these entities will get useful guidance from recommendations that leverage their company’s innovation management for competitiveness and profitable growth. Experts focused on technology transfer that have participated, for example, in IMP³rove training programs on innovation management learn how to identify the drivers for growth in innovation management in SMEs and how to help SMEs improve their innovation management performance effectively.

When Innovation Turns Into Exasperation

Failed innovations can be traumatic for teams. They feel a sense of devastation. Sometimes cynicism about innovation replaces enthusiasm for it or fear of another failure paralyzes team members. A former Google executive, who headed the company’s ill-fated Google Wave venture, shares important lessons for leaders and managers.

Innovation trauma is often found in a situation where a team has become close and worked together in startuplike conditions during an intensive period, says Liisa Valikangas, professor of innovation management at Aalto University in Finland and a research affiliate at the nonprofit research organization Institute for the Future in California.

On the negative side, members of failed teams can be viewed in some companies as bringing a “culture of failure” to subsequent teams and projects. Other firms take a more positive view, helping team members to realize their work wasn’t in vain and extracting valuable lessons and practices from the failed project.
Leaders can help establish a culture that celebrates the team’s hard work and doesn’t stigmatize those who worked on the unsuccessful venture. They can also encourage managers to diagnose what specifically worked and what didn’t, rather than pointing fingers and blaming others. Other companies have developed strategies to help employees cope with the grief that sometimes comes with experiences of failure. One expert cited in this article recommends adopting the mindset of companies in California’s Silicon Valley, where failure is an inevitable part of the process, and teams are used to mitigating their losses and moving on to the next big innovation project.

Business Innovation Strategy - Don't Stop After One Good Innovation

An innovation strategy for your business should support your business objectives - including both short-term and long-term goals. Does your Innovation Strategy have a long-term outlook to identify and develop a steady flow of creative ideas?

Unfortunately, many companies actively identify and develop innovations for a limited period of time. The flow of creative ideas is often strong when a company is getting started and looking to establish itself with a unique product or service. However, once that first innovation is identified and developed, too many companies stop the innovation process that created the business success in the first place.

Don't fall into this trap. Here are a few ideas to maintain a steady flow of creative ideas.

1. Develop A Culture of Innovation - Encourage everyone in your business to identify creative ideas and submit those ideas for evaluation. Make innovation a part of the daily routine for all personnel.

2. Schedule Regular Brainstorming Sessions - These can be individual brainstorming sessions as well as small group sessions. Try different brainstorming formats and techniques to see what works best in your
business environment.

3. Hold an Innovation Contest - Do something to make innovation fun - a diversion from the "regular job". Offer prizes, put together innovation teams and schedule innovation activities. You will be surprised at the creative ideas an innovation contest can generate.

4. Celebrate Innovation Success - Throw a party to celebrate successful innovations that strengthen your business. These are fun events and they provide excellent examples to all employees - showing the importance of innovations to the growth of the business.

Implement one or more of the ideas mentioned above to continually identify creative ideas that can increase revenue, create a competitive edge in your industry, and reduce business expenses.

To start identifying business innovations in your own organization today, claim your Free Report "Innovation Excellence - Unleash the Power of Innovation to Boost Your Bottom Line" by visiting http://www.InnovationStrategyReport.com
From Steve Sponseller - Innovation Strategist

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Sponseller

Innovation and Business - 7 Common Mistakes When Implementing a Business Innovation Strategy

Many entrepreneurs and business leaders do not understand how to fully leverage innovations in their business. Here's a list of common mistakes when developing an innovation strategy.

1. Only for Technology Companies - Many people believe that innovations are only for technology-based companies. Although technology businesses develop plenty of innovations, any business - regardless of size, location or industry - can develop innovations. These innovations may relate to the company's products and services as well as internal business procedures.
2.  
3. Just for Scientists and R&D Department - Business leaders often leave the company's innovation activities to the Engineering or Research and Development departments. However, this approach can cause a company to miss out on many valuable innovations. I have seen numerous examples of innovations developed by individuals without any formal science or engineering training. These individuals often come up with great ideas because they are not "burdened" by the scientific training of others. They approach problems from a different angle and do not limit their thinking based on existing company products or systems.
4.  
5. Thinking Innovation is Expensive - Teaching people how to identify innovative ideas takes some time, but the returns produced by new products and new product features can far outweigh the investment of time. Educating all personnel about innovation builds a culture of innovation that produces a steady flow of innovative ideas throughout the business.
6.  
7. Failing to Identify All Innovative Ideas - Innovations can be found throughout most companies, but there must be a system for identifying and recording those innovative ideas. A good identification system provides a quick and easy method for all personnel to submit innovations for evaluation. 
8.  
9. Making Innovation Boring - People who have not been involved with an innovative company often do not understand that innovation can be fun. Celebrate creative thinking and reward great ideas that help the business grow. Offer innovation contests, brainstorming sessions and other activities that encourage innovation throughout the company. Show examples of innovations that are strengthening the company's position in its market.
10.  
11. Delaying the Innovation Process - Don't wait until your business grows to a particular size to begin developing an innovation strategy. Many small businesses can bring creative ideas to market faster than large corporations because of their small size. Take advantage of the flexibility available to small companies and start building your innovation culture today.
12.  
13. Not Letting Customers Support the Innovation Process - Many valuable innovations have been developed based on customer suggestions and problems identified by customers. Treat every problem or suggestion from a customer as a "seed" for developing your company's next innovation. 

If you are making any of these mistakes in your own business, consider a change today to accelerate the growth of your company.

You can start taking action on your own Innovation Strategy today by claiming your Free Report "Innovation Excellence" at http://www.InnovationStrategyReport.com
From Steve Sponseller - Innovation Strategist

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Sponseller

Business Innovation - Turning Problems Into Solutions

Problems, Problems, Problems - Wouldn't life be grand if we never had any problems. Everything would work perfectly, everyone would always get along and be happy, everything would be wonderful for everyone everywhere, and things would only get better as we live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, in the real world there is no avoiding the grim realities of the dark side. Viewed from a business perspective - take the number of problems of each person, multiply by the number of employees, multiply the result by every single aspect of doing business, and the final result is what keeps every business owner chewing their fingernails down to the bone.

The most commonly accepted method of solving problems is simply to remove the cause. But this method is not always as simple as it would seem. Determining the true cause of a problem can be a very complicated affair, and even if you get this right - removing the cause can just as easily create a whole new set of problems.

Wouldn't it be nice if a business could institute policies and procedures were problems would solve themselves and the business would reap tremendous benefits in the process?

How Problems Can Solve Themselves

It's all about turning disadvantages into advantages, which is accomplished by finding innovative ways of viewing problems from a new point of view. A simple shift in perception is all it takes to reveal a whole new range of possibilities as seen from a new frame of reference.

The Value of Business Innovation

Innovation is a buzz word bandied about the business community for quite a while now. In fact, the concept of innovation has blossomed over the years to become an entire industry unto itself.

What is business innovation? The more traditional view would characterize business innovation in terms of creating new marketable inventions. Business innovation is also commonly associated with the research and development activities involved in designing new products and services, and finding innovative ways of bringing them to market.

As the marketplace becomes ever more saturated, innovation takes on a vital role in distinguishing your products from the competition and leveraging every resource available to glean the crucial competitive advantage. The modern view recognizes the strategic value in applying business innovation in EVERY phase of a company's infrastructure encompassing the entire scope of company business.

Establishing a Culture of Business Innovation in the Workplace

Business innovation cannot thrive within a pyramid structure were it starts at the top and spreads through an organization with diminishing intensity, reaching to near zero at the base. A more effective strategy would be to invert the flow so that business innovation starts at the base and continuously accelerates as it picks up momentum on the way to the top.

Establishing a corporate culture of innovation throughout the workplace begins with fostering proper attitude of management. Innovation is all about recognizing value in the attribute of flexibility, and welcoming the challenge of adapting to circumstances in a constant state of change.

Abolishing the Status Quo

This type of freewheeling thinking can be difficult for those accustomed to the emotional comfort and security of simply maintaining the status quo. Innovation is generally applied incrementally in small "safe" baby steps, and only to streamline established procedures rather than risking potential fallout from instituting major change. Major change usually happens only out of necessity as the old proven procedures become ineffective and obsolete.

The Hallmark of Creative Genius

Given proper training, everyone has the potential of developing the type of refined mental flexibility that is the hallmark of creative genius. Unfortunately, this kind of specialized training is not included in the standard curriculum of formal education. Education cultivates a very rigid style of thinking. As a result, the natural childlike flexibility we are all born with deteriorates out of neglect. Adults endowed with creative genius are those that have nurtured their mental flexibility by their own volition in spite of the destructive aspects of education.

Companies would be well advised to seek out these rare individuals for key management positions, not only for their own creative input but more importantly for their ability to recognize the value of innovative ideas contributed by others. These are the people best equipped to lead the effort of developing effective strategies to deploy new ideas successfully.

Even though our creativity has been suppressed, it is not completely lost. A corporate culture endorsing perpetual innovation thrives on the realization that everyone has their eureka moments of inspiration from time to time.

Removing the Impediments to Innovation

Frontline workers see a company from their own unique perspective, and rightly so since they are intimately involved every working hour of every day. They often see problems management do not, and see how certain changes could benefit the company. Many are reluctant to come forward for fear of inciting negative repercussions. Frontline staff are sensitive to the risks provoking the ire of those with power over their position in the company, not to mention their entire career.

People in management positions often harbor the notion that they are the ones that do the "thinking", and that frontline workers are paid to work - not to think, have ideas, or god forbid - to question the validity of existing policies or procedures. Managers often view this kind of input as a challenge to their competence and authority which could threaten their own position. Corporate cultures with a rigid hierarchy create a working environment were everyone develops their own private self-serving agenda which are often out of sync with the company's best interests. A rigid hierarchy tends to stifle innovation leaving substantial opportunities lost by the wayside.

A critical factor in cultivating a culture of business innovation is removing intimidating fear factors endemic to the more common authoritarian culture so that staff can genuinely feel free to contribute ideas. Indeed contributing new ideas should be encouraged and staff should be rewarded for ideas that are adopted and prove beneficial to the company.

A company can realize tremendous benefits by deliberately allowing everyone in the organization the freedom to devote a small percentage of their work week exclusively to generating innovation. Furthermore they should be provided with quality tools and training to maximize their potential for success.

It Starts at the Top

Of course even the most revolutionary business innovations are completely worthless without principal management's willingness to institute change. It is the vision and fortitude of high caliber management that determines a company's overriding philosophy. There comes a time when this philosophy itself must be challenged for a company to evolve with a changing marketplace.

Success in deploying a culture of innovation depends entirely on cultivating the proper attitude of EVERYONE in the organization, there can be no exceptions. It is our rigid preconceived notions about how we think things should be that prevents innovation from working its magic.

Plant the Seeds and Reap a Bountiful Harvest

One of the precious few immutable facts of life is that everything changes. We prosper by realizing that every adversity contains the seed of new opportunity. The current economic crisis is just another example of change that challenges our ability to innovate, adapt, and exploit the fresh opportunities presented by change. As previously stated - It's all about turning disadvantage to advantage, and all that's required is a shift in perception to a new point of view.

In order to determine how to shift our perception we must be willing to continuously re-examine and re-evaluate the truth of our existing perceptions. Innovation is the means to move beyond our existing perceptions to explore new territories ripe with opportunity. A corporate culture of innovation is the means to utilize in full measure the most valuable resource of any organization - its people. There is nothing more powerful than open hearts and open minds working together in synergistic unity for a common purpose.

Every business that plants the seeds of innovation throughout the entire organization, provides all the nutrients needed to sustain new growth, and removes any obstacles that impede new growth, will surely thrive and reap a bountiful harvest.

Milo Bono is the founder and lead developer of
Promptoria - Software for Innovation and Creativity.
Innovation Software
Creative Critical Thinking
Promptoria is dedicated to helping people expand their natural gifts of creativity and critical thinking skills. Open ended environments that literally draw new life experiences from your imagination without ever having to leave the comfort, convenience, and security of your own desktop. Each Promptoria product features a unique implementation of Random Word Stimulation, tailored to serve a specific purpose, and with unwavering focus on producing practical results based on your needs, your desires, your aspirations and ambitions, and does so completely under your control and direction.

Using Business Innovation to Achieve a Radical Increase in Profits

Introducing a new product/service which customers are not yet familiar with, either by pioneering a novel technology or changing the quality of an existing good, could ensure a business a high market share. This is because it is considered an early mover. Companies that employ this strategy are also able to charge high prices in the short term for their products and services, as they recover their capital investment before competitors enter the market.

Organizational restructuring often involves an improvement in internal processes. Changing the way things are done within an organization, could bring about dramatic reductions in costs. New ideas in this form, could involve an elimination of non-value adding activities and improving the efficiency of value-adding activities. The same thinking could be extended to service delivery, where companies can improve their customer interaction and satisfaction by remodeling the channels through which their products reach the end-user. In recent times, many organizations are interacting directly with customers using corporate websites and smart phone applications to sell products, gauge customer satisfaction and promote new products.

Customer value is assumed to increase when a product does what it says it will at prices consumers perceive to be a bargain. The innovative business strategy concerns itself with producing goods that meet identified customer needs, at estimated market prices. Most organizations that pay attention to customer value enjoy the loyalty of satisfied customers making repeat purchases. This often ensures capacity utilization, higher productivity, increased market share and profit maximization.

Improving or replacing existing processes or products could have a positive effect on the level of efficiency attained by an organization and the quality of its end product. An efficient production system usually implies that, there is a drastic reduction in wastes and raw materials used. If a new idea improves the quality of products or services an organization offers, it can opt to differentiate its products, thereby creating a niche market from which it could earn abnormally high profits.

Most organizations can innovate; new ideas can always be employed in majority of companies to improve processes, products and services. There has also been a development of specialist firms that are able to provide professional advice, on how to utilize innovative techniques to achieve super profits. These firms could provide long term solutions for companies that need to continually innovate to survive.

Using business innovation to earn super profits could involve any or a combination of organizational restructuring, introduction of a new or improved product/service, paying attention to customer value and changing the way things are done within an organization to achieve higher levels of efficiency and quality. It is advisable for organizations to seek professional advice when employing innovation as a strategy.

Aveta Solutions - Six Sigma Online (http://www.sixsigmaonline.org) offers online six sigma training and certification classes for lean six sigma, black belts, green belts, and yellow belts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tony_Jacowski

Business Innovation Strategy

Business needs to innovate in order to survive. I truly believe that there is no eternal business. The world is changing constantly. It is causing the market changing so there is no reason why the business has to stay the way it is. Change or die.

As business leaders we need to realize that failures are normal and natural part of the innovation. Companies that succeed in launching new products have 35% failure rate. The leader has to be wise enough to accept, understand and be brave to take risks in order to achieve new success.

They need to identify the existing problems with the current products and develop a new approach to fix the problem before we decided to bring out a new kind of product. Accept customer complaints and protests. Process the input to creatively bring out a new output solution.

The leaders need to allocate the money to fund the research and development department with no hesitation. They need to be proactive and implement positive attitude towards the early failures in the development.

The leaders also need to design an incentive based program for those who manage to bring real results and bring profits to the company. Fair portion and bonus preposition is essential to stimulate the employees entrepreneurship.

All of the efforts will be useless if the management do not have the commitment to innovate. They are the one who need to set examples and lead the innovation of the company from the inside out. If all the elements fulfilled then it is time to reap the result.

Jaxky Lim wants to share his knowledge about home appliances. Based on real life experiences, his Black and Decker blender parts site is created to share those resources so men and women all around the world can benefit from it.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jaxky_Lim

Innovation Management Tips for a Successful Business

Innovation is essential to a business' success. Many companies simply do not know how to encourage and discover innovation, and can sometimes discourage it; although it may not be on purpose. Innovation management is the technology of managing the process of creativity and can be used for the development of new ideas, products, or organizational innovation.

Innovation management includes multiple tools and methods that enable professionals to work within a recognized understanding of the objectives, goals, and targets. In order to achieve a breakthrough development in innovation, the emphasis must be on research and development, almost entirely.

Innovation management discovers the practices and actions that can turn an idea into a reality for the purpose of business value. Some tips for innovation management are outlined below:


Take action immediately. Include collection and analysis of data as part of your innovative strategy. This makes you better capable of identifying needs and problems so that an appropriate solution can be devised. Welcome employee participation. Invite feedback from your customers as well as within the company. Know the difference between good and bad ideas.

Make your team more diverse. They can provide different outlooks and points of view. Sum up your staff of experienced, skilled, and academic qualities. Do not limit yourself to one set of ideas or opinions. Diversifying your staff increases your chances of success.

Know the difference between good and bad conflict. With the diversity of staff, expect conflicting ideas and opinions. However, as long as the conflicts do not escalate into a problem, conflict is good for coming up with a successful innovation strategy.

Select teams for who they know as well as what they know. This helps to develop a well connected team. For instance, an employee with connections to a media marketing employee may be able to provide useful pieces of innovative media strategy that can be utilized within your own corporation.

· Pick a leader and provide them with the tools necessary to be successful.

· Build a team to identify gaps in marketing or marketing in the gaps.

· Find team members that are good story tellers. Your team needs members that acquire the skill to communicate new business ideas.

· Set goals and measure progress.

· Think like a newbie entrepreneur in the sense that they have a heightened level of motivation and focus.

· Ensure members to dive in with both feet in the water. Let them know you want their all and not to be fearful to provide just that.

· Beneath the surface of media companies' innovative media strategies lies a treasure trough of data. You may wish to partner with a media company in order to send the right messages that reach the right audience at the right time.

· Social media press is becoming a game maker in innovative media strategies. Also, reaching to the mobile audience.

These useful tips, in combination with further research, will give you a heads up on innovation management. This can be a difficult task, but with the correct education and research can prove to be highly rewarding.

If you are interested in innovation management, check this web-site to learn more about innovation management.

Launching Your Business Innovation Strategy Today

During an economic downturn there are many different ways a company can react. They have the option of watching their business shrink and potentially die or they can prove themselves to be business innovators and take advantage of the situation.

Sometimes the smart move is using business innovation strategy during this time to get to the next level. It requires leadership within a company and the ability to see the bigger picture. When a business is booming, companies are less likely to want to make process changes. This is why a downturn may be a real opportunity.

Communication
There are many ways to foster innovation. One way is to take the time to get to know your customers and find out what they really need. You may have provided the same service for several years only to determine that there might be other niches you could fill for them.

Questioning your Purpose

It may be beneficial to question the purpose of your company. I don't mean asking the obvious questions. Sometimes it can be helpful to rethink some of the fundamentals of your products and your business.
Product Innovations and Organizations

Have you considered adding a new product or service to your company? What if you spoke with your customers and found out what they truly need may be new features or new products you can provide for them.

At some point you may want to spend more time and money on research and development idea creation. This would be an opportunity to provide further innovation of your new product ideas and enhance them.
Sometimes feedback can come from internal departments as well. It is always a good idea to make sure you get feedback from all departments and coordinate them through your research and development department. There are many types of idea tracking software that will allow you to keep track of these potential innovations.

If you have a product or service with a short lifecycle, there may be opportunities to upgrade your products on a more regular basis. This is going to be a factor in how quickly you can get the innovations out to your customers.

Google can be a great example for this. Their marketing strategy allows them to have very quick turnaround times and deliver to customers a regular basis.

Commitment

Once you have come up with these new and brilliant ideas, it is important to give them form as soon as possible. This may mean creating a prototype or testing the service with a long-term customer you trust. This way you will have a better idea as to whether the product or service is likely to succeed.

Finding the Right Talent

When some of your competitors close their doors, it may be a great opportunity to pick up their best talent. This can help you improve your overall business innovation strategy and prepare yourself for the eventual upturn.

In Conclusion

When working with different innovations and organizations, it is important to find the right management companies to help with business development. They can help you find the right business innovation strategy so you can grow your business once the economy gets better.

If you are interested in business innovation strategy, check this web-site to learn more about business innovation strategy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Donovan

Business Innovation Services Can Bring Life to Your Business

In business, innovation means progress. Innovation is everything! There's never a time you should ignore it because growth in any industry means progress, and growth means a lot of money being available for expansion and success. There is nothing like tapping into progress before everyone else, and that is what any successful business does. Being a pioneer in an industry requires innovation and it's something that every successful industry giant you might be inspired by has done. Harnessing innovation isn't easy though, you can't just flip a switch and come up with new ideas that can make money; at least not all of us can. The best way to start is to consider enlisting the help of business innovation services.

Human resources have always played a significant part in any company's success. After all, who is going to be moving ideas around? Who is going to be motivating employee's to meet not only your goals but their own personal goals? Employing exceptional people who can deliver innovations in HR can help your business stay ahead of the curve. Business isn't just something to throw money and hope that something sticks, but investing in professional business innovation services is a move that will definitely deliver a return on your investment. Their creative ideas and solutions will save you money, solve any current or future work related problem and make your company stand out. Luckily there are many business innovation services out there that offer counseling. You can meet with seasoned veterans of many different industries and get tips and ambitious ideas that can help you meet new goals. Every business has room to innovate in one way or another but sometimes it can be difficult to see when you're so close to it. Even if you're a small enterprise there are ways you can make yourself stand out, but if you aren't a veteran in the industry and don't have the right experience, you might not always see how to improve things. It's also helpful to over mull ideas and seek out solutions when you have someone to bounce ideas off of. These counselors are there specifically for this kind of help and can offer solutions as well as help lead you to your own.

Innovations in HR don't just mean hiring innovative thinkers either. While hiring seasoned business professionals and counseling them can help, you need to think about progressive organization. Businesses are changing today and many of them no longer have a massive hierarchy and are instead built around a more horizontal chain. For a small business, having this horizontal management style allows you to be the owner of the business while still having your employees on a level playing field. They'll be more like partners than simply employees, and they'll be more motivated and enthusiastic about coming up with solutions and efficient changes by themselves because they'll feel like a part of it all.

Innovations in HR come in many forms, whether it is hiring people you can bounce ideas off of or managing your employees in a new and non-traditional manner. No matter what changes you make to your business platform, make sure that it leads to the ability to think and innovate. You have to encourage the people around you as well as yourself to come up with creative solutions. That is how you become a pioneer, and that is how you become truly successful.

If you are interested in business innovation, check this web-site to learn more about business innovation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Donovan

3 Steps to Effective Business Innovation

"Logic will get you from A to B, but imagination will get you anywhere."
- Albert Einstein.

The difference between a nut and bolt business and one that inspires and attracts is imagination. Visionary companies and people have a story to tell that keeps the 'audience' hanging out for more. But while the corporate Vision is essential, this article is about a more immediate goal: getting the customer story right.

Interestingly enough, the most imaginative and exciting stories are those that are firmly based in people's reality. We can all relate to the fairy tales and nursery rhymes of our childhood. But did you know that many of them had real life events as their source - major disasters like the plague or current issues of social injustice - that showed disguised opportunities for solutions?

In today's business environment, the traditional business tool, 'the analysis', is not enough. We can analyse things to death, but until we truly understand customer experience - and usually it is the future experience - we will not move forward, i.e. we will not be able to provide competitive value to our offer.

Scenarios as a more flexible business tool, is just that: creating a narrative based on real life and real experiences of customers and especially non-customers with the view of understanding their unspoken problems with the current product or service solution. Observing how they 'consume' products or services helps identify the most valuable gaps for innovation in business.

Innovation through Scenarios:

In a recent RIOT event by InnoFuture, Anthony Colfelt, Creative Director with Different, leading customer experience design firm in Australia, gave a comprehensive presentation of what 'customer experience' scenarios are and how to use them as a business tool.

Here are three steps to take to apply Scenarios as a business tool and innovate more effectively:

• True innovation in business is always based on customers' needs. So spend some real time with your (and your competitors') Customers. Walk through their experience. Observe.
• Start developing a Story about your experience with your company's products or services, through the customer's eyes. Describe.
• Walk through the experience with your customers and document all the things that actually happen. Document.

Why are Scenarios a great business tool to bring into your everyday practice? They trigger imagination and a flood of ideas. Importantly, ideas generated in this fashion are valuable, because they are a natural continuation of your customer's story.
In this you already have an 'audience' hanging out for more...

Go ahead. Enrich your creative inputs.

InnoFuture exists to foster innovation in business and to inspire them to adopt innovation as a way-of-life by connecting them with curated innovation knowledge, tools and resources to create sparks of greatness. Our uniquely advantage is that in the ever changing and evolving market of business innovation we remain unbiased to specific models and tools, while continually exploring new and emerging concepts, tools and expertise.
 See more here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Margaret_Manson

Innovation In Field Service Management Solutions

The use of technology in field service management is creating news ways of working for service management business.

Within the context of the rapid IT advances we are seeing innovation rise to the fore, as new technology such as mobile devices and cloud computing open new opportunities and approaches. Innovation is widely prevalent within the field service sector and companies should take note and look at the fantastic technology now available to them, to maximise workforce productivity, increase competitiveness and improve customer service.

Looking across the sector, here are some of the latest developments taking place where technology businesses have used innovative approaches and technologies to enhance field service management software, working alongside their customers to specifically target innovation to support every day work.

Here are some examples:
Mobile apps using HTML5: One of the really exciting features of HTML5 apps is the use of "local storage". Local storage increases the offline capabilities of mobile devices used by operatives. So, if an internet connection is lost, the app simply stores browser data so the operative can continue working on their mobile. Once the connection is regained the app updates the central system with any information added whilst offline. For example, operatives working in tunnels with no phone signal are able to continue working offline using the new app with seamless updates occurring once the connection is available.

User interface developments: Field service software is often developed with customer input. One example of a business using customer input has been during the development of a mobile app, whereby operatives were consulted simply because it is known that they can sometimes find smartphone screens difficult to use. In this example, operatives helped test the app so simpler screens and clearer buttons could be developed which are more intuitive to use.

Intelligent two-way SMS texting: Many businesses use older mobile devices, yet require the latest in SMS texting without any capital expenditure to upgrade phones. Intelligent two-way texting technology works by delivering threaded SMS texts through a unique process that matches responses to outbound messages. What this means is that businesses are able to communicate with their customers and easily track conversations and decisions. For example, a registered housing provider is able to text a customer regarding a gas safety check required at a property, offering a number of possible dates. The customer is able to respond by texting either "1" for Monday at 9.30am; "2" for Wednesday at 10.45am etc. The SMS technology threads the conversation and records which dates and times were provided and which one the customer accepted.

Restful APIs and Talend: Restful Web Services enable information to be transferred quickly and shared online simply and efficiently. One advantage is that they can be mapped by our customers, providing more autonomy and the capability for customers to interact with the software and map the exact data they require

Restful APIs are effective alongside applications such as Talend, a graphical-based toolkit designed to help organise and manage the way you can handle, manipulate and transmit data. Because Talend is an "agnostic"
application it enables decoupling from the main application. What this means is that Talend is able to talk to a central;l system through Restful APIs, giving more control, ensuring interfaces perform quickly for customers and preventing performance issues arising due to an over-reliance on one server running integration.

Oneserve is a trailblazing technology company developing and providing leading-edge field service management solutions to support service management business and service delivery.

Visit www.oneserve.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sebastian_Street

Excellent Outcomes of Product Innovation

Global expansion of businesses has forced business organizations to employ various techniques to attach new customers with their products and services and retain existing ones. Product innovation supposes to be one of such services which proves to be way effective than others. In simple words, it's a process of development and launch of new or substantially enhanced products or services. These enhancements can be brought by changing design of the product, adding some new functions in it or including some new features.

Significance of Innovative Employees

A successful innovation process depends on innovative employees. As it's generally spoken in business world, the most valuable asset of a business organization is its employees. No business organization can survive without product innovation process and no such process can survive without innovative employees. Employees with innovation strategic approach can take a company to much higher levels. Best innovative ideas are those which don't cost much but give stupendous outcomes. Such ideas can be developed by only those people who have creative thinking.


Human resource department of an organization should be sensible enough to recognize creativity within people. They should organize trainings for transforming good employees into innovative employees.

 Attributes of an Excellent Product Innovation Process

An efficient product innovation process starts with finding problems in the existing product. Companies can contact users of existing products on functioning of them. They can also refer to websites or magazines publishing reviews of customers. Complaints stated in such reviews or surveys can be very helpful in innovation of a product. Companies can end up with a much improved product while removing flaws from existing one. Customers are also very creative in suggesting new features that can make it even more efficient or eye catching. Users of a product can be most efficient source of innovative ideas about a product. An innovation strategic survey can make a company capable of understanding all expectations of the customers. It can make them in position to assess what problems to be eliminated and what features to be added.

Continuously determining needs of customers to develop apt products and services can take a company to new heights. Most of the companies accept that constant product innovation process is the most efficient way to cope up with present day competition. But such a plan should be defined very wisely. A carelessly drawn plan can make all your money, efforts and time invested in it go in vain. Planners of such plans should consider some factors before implementing it.

Things to Be Kept In Mind While Product Innovation

First of all, all the long term and short term goals of the company should be kept in mind. Companies focusing on short term performance usually don't survive for long and on the other hand companies focusing only long term performance find it unable to face rising competition. Second thing to know is needs of customers of existing products. Customers can always suggest something innovative even if they are satisfied with products. The company must also consider resources available with it like funds, number and capacity of innovative employees, technologies being used etc.

If you are interested in product innovation process, check this web-site to learn more about product innovation process.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Donovan

Significance of Creativity in Innovation in Terms of Economic Development

When we talk about creativity in innovation then only one meaning comes in our mind i.e. bringing some changes with creativity. In general terms creativity and innovation are two different things but with same aim of creating a masterpiece. Creativity means to create something new and innovation on the other hand means to make some changes in an object. Businessmen can understand this term very well as nowadays in the world of competitions creativity in innovation has become the key of success in businesses. Nothing has been created on its own; artist puts his imaginations and creative skills to craft any beautiful object similarly in business also, success never comes on its own, proprietor have to adopt some innovative strategies to take his business to the stairs of success. This makes the creativity in innovation important in the development and success of business.

Meaning and need for idea innovation

If we talk about idea innovation in terms of business and management companies then it varies with the types of businesses. Every business is unique in its own terms, rules and regulations and other factors. Business entrepreneurs will have different innovative strategies to run a business and the administrator of Management Company will have different ideas of innovation. There are various innovative ideas depending upon the kind of business you are managing, or kind of Management Company you are administrating. Being entrepreneur first you need to observe changes occurred in your financial condition, profit and loss graph, working staff and sales figure. After observing all these aspects, look for the type of innovation you need to bring like foundational innovation in which you need to set up everything again, other is developmental innovation which can be done in already existing or any particular area. Another innovation is apparition innovation which will affect only marketability and not the product and technologies. Same tips of idea innovation can also be applied in management companies but depending upon the situations prevailing in company.

Innovation can be the consequence of globalization in economy, technologies etc and the need for innovation has increased constantly even in the time of economic recession also. Therefore globalization and innovation has also made creativity a need for business development as only creativity can bring innovations and solve business problems.

Collaborative innovation in business enterprises and management companies

Collaborative innovation can bring positive changes in any business or company. It simply means when more than two people think creatively to correct mistakes or cover losses. To make successful collaborative innovation all the skilled and creative employers have to work together as a unit. Technology like computer can help but only to some extent only, what human brain can think and imagine none of the computer can produce that kind of ideas. Thousands of employers work in an organization and they all think differently, human brain or talent is believed to be the best tool of innovation. The biggest asset of any organization or business firm is its employers and these employers can be used as collaborative innovation tool to build successful organization.

If you are interested in collaborative innovation, check this web-site to learn more about collaborative innovation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Donovan

Innovation Jobs of the Future

An innovation job requires fresh thinking and rethinking the role of an employee. With an innovation job must also come an innovation manager. An innovation manager will be able to rethink and assess traditional job roles and utilize that in a new age. An innovative job can include professional marketers who engage in online advertising. Marketing and advertising online is a full time gig within itself. Manager can create marketing or SEO jobs which will allow web pages to rank better on search engines and will boost a company's presence and establishment online. Rather than burdening with employers with multiple tasks, they can be divided into something specific. It is not only a way for an employee to focus on a certain aspect of a job, but it also creates more jobs in the process. There are money freelance writers and SEO reps that are itching to work. Companies can hire those who specialize in search engine optimization to fully help a person's presence online.

This is just an example of some of the many things that companies can do in order to improve business operation. It is also necessary to think of the workforce and to find out if employees are being overworked. Focusing on reassessing the job and dividing up job duties is a great way to relieve worker stress and to increase productivity. It is necessary for manager to know what kind of work an employee is doing and to see if they are being overworked. Dividing up tasks evenly and separating job duties is a great way to help people manage their work easier and to even out the workload amount the worker populace. If a worker has more work than the other, this can create discontent and can lead to employees quitting in the future.

Employees are consistently overworked will end up dissatisfied and may lead to mistakes. Reorganizing job roles and adding a fresh perspective to the workplace is a great way to increase worker productivity. There are a wide range of opportunities for companies to adapt to the 21st century and to reach more customers. The point of innovation in the work place is to establish change and help worker's become more efficient. This can range from upgrading technology to reorganizing tasks and addressing workplace problems.

Adapting to new technology and trying to find a new way to increase worker productivity is a great way to improve business operation. There also must be innovation within the management systems and HR departments. Changing the way people get hired and how to effectively manage workers is also a great way to improve internal business operation and maintain a steady and consistent management system. When it comes to management, workers must know where they are going and they need the proper direction when it comes to direction. Management must set goals and create new ways to inspire employees in whatever task it may be. Whether it is a sales or corporate environment, there always must be strong management taking the helm and setting goals for the company.

If you are interested in innovation jobs, check this web-site to learn more about innovation jobs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tomas_Donovan

Writing Articles On Innovation

Here in the United States we seem to have a call to action to increase the number of entrepreneurs in the high tech space through innovation. We are promoting the need to increase more students going into college to study math and science, and to come out of school with the degree in hand and solve the world's problems.
Perhaps this is why I've taken it upon myself to write as many articles about innovation as I possibly can to help keep the United States on the leading edge of technology. There's no reason we shouldn't continue to be the world's leaders in the space, and I'd like to talk to you about that for a moment if I might.

If you are an online article author and you know a little bit about project management, creativity, innovation, or the psychology of the entrepreneur and hard charger that brings all these things to fruition then you should be volunteering of your own accord and set aside some time to produce quality online article content on the subject of innovation. It's not really that difficult to do, and I'd like to explain to you some of the things that I have found.

Typically what I do is I will find an interesting new technology, discovery, or science which has applications near and far. Then I explain potential uses for these new technologies in the real world, putting forth a little imagination and delivering it into the minds of my reader. This is because I realize that there are entrepreneurs out there looking for something new, and merely placing that seed in their minds, as hopefully they are discovered somehow by searching around online. This helps fan-out the branches of the science tree and there is a multiplicity effect with all the cross-pollination.

In fact, an online article author could in fact plant the seed that changes the world. Therefore, if you have ideas and new concepts and you are an online article author you should be putting that information allowing it to flow out onto the Internet. You should use your writing skills to promote the future of human civilization. Even the craziest idea that you might put forth in an article having to do with some sort of technology or need that needs to be fulfilled could be the spark that lights the fire to a great new discovery.

Now then, one last piece of advice; keep your articles short because the attention span of the average Internet surfer is not all that great. Explain your point, and get it over with quick; hopefully between 400 and 500 words. This means you will have the reader's attention just long enough to plant that seed, and maybe, just maybe they might push it forward allowing it to go viral in the social media space. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Innovation in America. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow

Business: Innovation Article Category

Self-Healing, Sensor Laden, Scratch Resistance Coated Rope For Boat Hull Inspections

by Lance Winslow

In this unfortunate age of terrorism, we have to be on guard, so today, we have basically the equivalent of anit-IED inspections for cruise ships, underwater pipelines, key bridges, and for military purposes. This means we need robotic systems to do the work or keep our surveillance divers in good spirits because that surely adds one heck of a lot of work to their plate, as repair inspections for routine maintenance have always been needed. Okay so, let's talk about IED type devices being attached to underwater infrastructure or ship hulls for a moment. 

 

Top Reasons You Should Create a 5S Program

by Christopher Burnham

Whenever most business leaders hear about 5S, they think that it is actually just an intricate housekeeping campaign. An audit or methodical examination of the 5S process exposes that it is much more powerful than simple housekeeping. Listed here are a few of the main reasons you should be driving a 5S program at your workplace. 

 

Personal Thinking Inhibitors

by Tim Rusling

In relation to our ability to generate ideas, be creative and solve problems there are a number of suppressants that exist that can stifle this. Some of these are internal, in other words what goes on in our own mind and some are external, those factors that we are exposed to or applied to us that limit or suppress our ability. The purpose of this short article is to explore some of the more common internal suppressants. 

 

Are Creativity and Innovation the Same Thing?

by Tim Rusling

Are creativity and innovation the same thing? Actually, they are very different although successful innovation is almost entirely dependent upon creativity for it's quality. In this article we'll explore the difference and the relationship between the two. 

 

Eco-Friendly Printers Use Waterless Printing

by Jim Cunliffe

As consumers become ever more discerning, the eco credentials of businesses are becoming more important than ever. The printing industry has responded with a number of innovations, and waterless offset lithographic printing is the latest weapon in the armoury of eco friendly printers. 

 

Innovation in HR Ideas Can Be a Change for the Better

by Tomas Donovan

As times change, all things evolve and it is no different with business. That is why there is a need for human resource department innovation in many businesses worldwide. Finding relevant methods for hiring, retaining and training employees, is important if businesses want to thrive.

What Is Innovation and What Is the Impact on HR?

by Tomas Donovan

  Many people will think innovation is the introduction of new technology into departments, such as a new software system to help back up the accounts department or a lean team implementation employed to see how costs can be kept at a minimum. But innovation in the sense of HR goes beyond all the technology and anything that might appear a smart idea; it actually stems from people-motivated ideas. People can gather together and create new ideas and brainstorm fresh ideas that will be implemented in the departments within your industry. 

 

The Three Keys of a Mobile Website

by Tim Roache

We are in the new era, the era of mobile, and there is no denying it. Look around you, nearly anywhere you go you will see people on a smartphone. Optimize your business's visibility by having a mobile website. 

 

Six Innovative Ideas for Human Resource Management

by Tomas Donovan

Whether you work in the human resources department of a large company or you're the owner of a small business, chances are you've brainstormed with the home of developing ideas of how to get the best work possible out of your employees. While there's many tried and true methods in human resource management, the discipline, like human capitol, is ever-changing and evolving and the perfect place to put innovative ideas into practice. Here's a few to get you started:   

 

Human Resources Innovation and How to Innovate Employees

by Tomas Donovan

  Getting more production out of your company starts with your human resource department that cultivates the proper atmosphere of innovation and rewards. Human Resources innovation can help lead your business to a brighter future thanks to hiring a staff whose number one job is to foster innovation for the entire workplace. Innovative employees contribute far more to your business that those who simply tow the line. 

 

Innovation - An Indispensable Asset for Organizations

by Padmaja S Singh

What is the key to increase efficiency and profit, even as you continue to reduce cost? The answer is 'Innovation'! With the market competition getting increasingly cut-throat, it is important to stay on top to ensure the survival of your business. The consumer does not simply look for solutions, he looks for innovative ones. 

 

Powerful Questions Begin With Listening To Ourselves

by Leslie A Beard

For questions to become the catalyst that can lead us to explore new and exciting possibilities, create new levels of meaning and identify solutions, we need to start with the most basic, and one of the most important communication skills of all - listening. It's impossible to become good at asking powerful questions without first listening. What is being said and not said? What's the person's reason for taking this position? Without first listening, we cannot come up with the right question that contributes and helps move the conversation along. For communicators we're always expected to listen and to hear what's being said between the lines and through body language. Listening is a critical element in public consultation, strategic planning, and issues management. And before we can truly ask powerful questions of anyone else, we need to think of the questions we ask ourselves everyday. 

 

Creativity And Innovation Are Indispensable Ingredients In Human Development Strategies

by Tomas Donovan

The creativity and the innovation are indispensable vital ingredients required in the sustainable growth of both business development and management companies. As a direct consequence of the speedy globalization of every facet of the affairs relevant to the economic and business development, creativity and innovation have been identified as two most powerful tools in resolving negative issues that might affect business development and management companies in existence world wide. On flash back to the origin of human race since the era of hunter gatherers, creativity and innovation inherent in human... 

 

Motivating Teams in the Human Resource Environment

by Tomas Donovan

In this day and age of high unemployment following the economic downturn, the market is constantly seeing an ever increasing number of job applicants signing up into recruitment agencies. This has meant a workload has been heaped upon the human resource recruitment team. Business development and management sectors need to engage further with their recruiting team, as doing so will motivate a HR environment with positive results. 

 

Creating an Innovative Culture: Top 4 Ideas to Drive Innovation Through HR

by Tomas Donovan

There's a buzz around all sorts of organizations touting the benefits of an innovative culture of late. With organizations like Google, Apple, and Facebook, consistently in the headlines, and at business development seminars being promoted as creating an innovative culture, what are they doing that you're not? In this article I will show you the Top 4 innovative ideas for HR that are instrumental in creating an innovation culture

The Ultimate Social Media Innovation

At this advanced stage of Social Media development, most would agree that major companies have embraced the new opportunities with gusto and success. Few pundits would dispute the fact that companies like Ford and Starbucks are ahead of the Web 2.0 power curve. In fact, it could be argued that Social Media is reinventing those companies, spurring enormous innovation, new products, and renewed market strength.

But what about the small business - the lone entrepreneur without the capital and the staying power to experiment with Social Media? What are his options and prospects? And perhaps more importantly, is there a viable opportunity for the sole entrepreneur to break out of the pack with a creative and revolutionary approach using Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or their countless stepchildren?

Like thousands of other interested moviegoers, I found myself in a rapt audience watching The Social Network recently. I was fascinated; not by the intriguing story or masterful screenplay, and not by the surprisingly diverse demographic of the audience; but rather by a subtle message with huge implications for the small entrepreneur. Mark Zuckerberg, the Harvard genius and founder of Facebook, became the youngest billionaire in history, not through business acumen but nearly by accident. Some would say dumb luck. Who knows where the truth lies? It is, after all, a Hollywood production not a documentary. But the one unmistakable theme of the movie for me, was that after two hours of watching I was left with the same question that was bothering me when I entered the theater... "How can the typical small business use Social Media for significant sales growth and predictable profits?"

Of course under the perfect set of economic conditions, with a spark of genius, hubris and available venture capital, the next Zuckerberg can invent the next Facebook. But what about the average businessman or woman, who is simply trying to use Social Media tools to sell products or services?

The Ultimate Social Media Innovation - Barring a sudden flash of brilliance, the answer for the entrepreneur is a decidedly unglamorous combination of creativity, persistence and hard work. As I have said frequently on this blog, Social Media is simple, but it isn't easy.

Creativity - Over the last year, I have tweeted thousands of articles from the best thinkers in Social Media, but with few exceptions they have been a rehash of what we already knew. Formulas exist for the successful building of a large Twitter following, but few entrepreneurs can claim notable sales success from Twitter followers. Facebook has proven effective, but only when Facebook ads are used to generate new business, and while financially reasonable this is still a luxury for many entrepreneurs. StumbleUpon can generate windfall web traffic, but only with immense effort.

In short, more creative solutions must be found before the typical entrepreneur will realize the level of success experienced by the large companies.

Creativity cannot be taught and it is in short supply. Researching the existing ideas of others is not the solution either. All of us-the entrepreneurs, their stakeholders and advisors-must spend time creating solutions that as yet do not exist.

Persistence - Even as we develop new solutions, success will only come with much trial-and-error. There is a proverbial pot-of-gold at the end of the Social Media rainbow, but it is elusive. To find it as an entrepreneur demands a lengthy period of sustained effort, requiring persistence.

Hard work - Even Mark Zuckerberg spent countless hours pounding away on his computer. It is a long-lived cliché, but there is absolutely no substitute for hard work.

Our job as professionals - As professionals, we must view every new Social Media campaign with renewed creativity, looking for new and innovative solutions. We must persist until our customer's goals are achieved. And we must never shy away from the very hard work that will always be necessary. Above all, it should be our quest to find new and productive tools to assist the entrepreneur. Our combined expertise should be focused on helping those who are least able to help themselves.

Michael R. H. Stewart
President
Jericho Technology, Inc.
Phone: (602) 512-9991
URL: http://www.jerichotechnology.com
Email: michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com

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