There is a better way ...

What is an Innovate-A-thon?

An Innovate-A-thon(tm) is a series of complementary team activities for creating something new and better ... an innovation!

Innovate-A-thon participants collaborate to reach a goal in a predetermined period of time.  An independent, neutral facilitator/leader keeps the team focused, productive, and the process on-track and on-time.

Innovate-A-thon creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship principles have been refined through application in a variety of companies, business development support groups, nonprofit associations, universities, and other organizations.

An Innovate-A-thon program can be custom-structured to fit the needs of a particular organization or company, as well as at a variety of instructional and participation levels.

If your organization would like some independent mentoring to produce a custom Innovate-A-thon, please do contact us for a no-obligation chat ... Innovate-A-thon.org

SCAMPER!

To create a new product, service, or process, try applying "SCAMPER" to an old one. SCAMPER is an acronym for ...

1. Substitute ... What can you substitute? What can be used instead? Who else instead? What other ingredients? Other material? Other process? Other power? Other place? Other approach? Other sounds? Other forces? ... "Instead of ... I can ..."
2. Combine ... What can you combine or bring together somehow? How about a blend, an alloy, an assortment, an ensemble? Combine units? Combine purposes? Combine appeals? Combine ideas? ... "I can bring together ... and ... to ..."
3. Adapt ... What can you adapt for use as a solution? What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does past offer a parallel? What could I copy? Who could I emulate? ... "I can adapt ... in this way ... to ..."
4. Modify, minimize, magnify ... Can you change the item in some way? Change meaning, color, motion, sound, smell, form, shape? Other changes? ... Also: 'Minify': What can you remove? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Lighter? Omit? Streamline? Split up? Understate? ... Also: Magnify: What can you add? More time? Greater frequency? Stronger? Higher? Longer? Thicker? Extra value? Plus ingredient? Duplicate? Multiply? Exaggerate? ... "I can modify/minimize/magnify.. in this way ... to ..
5. Put to another use, re-use ... How can you put the thing to different or other uses? New ways to use as is? Other uses if it is modified? ... "I can re-use ... in this way ... by ..."
6. Eliminate, elaborate ... What can you eliminate? Remove something? Eliminate waste? Reduce time? Reduce effort? Cut costs? ... "I can eliminate ... by ..."
7. Rearrange, reverse ... What can be rearranged in some way? Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect? Change pace? Change schedule? ... "I can rearrange ... like this ... such that ..."

[Thank you, Robert Eberle and Alex Osborn]

Attractive Innovations

1. Well-defined customers
2. Easily measurable benefits
3. Short pay-back period
4. High Benefit/Price ratio
5. Sustainable competitive advantages
6. Venture has core competencies
7. Venture has resources

Leonardo da Vinci's Seven Principles

1. Curiositá ... an insatiably curious approach to life and an unrelenting quest for continuous learning.
2. Dimostrazione ... a commitment to test knowledge through experience, persistance, and a willingness to learn from mistakes.
3. Sensazione ... the continual refinement of the senses, especially sight, as the means to enliven experience.
4. Sfumato ... literally "going up in smoke" ... a willingness to embrace ambiguity, paradox, and uncertainty.
5. Arte/Scienza ... the development of the balance between science and art, logic and imagination ... "Whole-Brain" thinking.
6. Corporalita ... the cultivation of grace, ambidexterity, fitness, and poise.
7. Connessione ... a recognition of and appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things and phenomena ... systems thinking.

[Thank you, Michael J. Gelb]

Tips for Building a Good Corporate Culture

1. Give every member of your organization a chance to dream, and tap into the creativity those dreams embody.
2. Stand firm on your beliefs and principles.
3. Treat your customers like guests.
4. Support, empower, and reward employees.
5. Build long-term relationships with key suppliers and partners.
6. Dare to take calculated risks in order to bring innovative ideas to fruition.
7. Train extensively and constantly reinforce the company's culture.
8. Align long-term vision with short-term execution.
9. Use the storyboarding technique to solve planning and communication problems.
10. Pay close attention to detail.

[Thank you, Walt Disney]

Innovation Sweet Spot

Technology Readiness Levels

Thanks to NASA and the European Commission for this succinct guide to the readiness of technology ideas and concepts for commercial application.

 

Mission Statement ... The Critical Success Factor!

The world changes ... client needs, wants, desires; competitive offerings; economic environments; et alia.  

Every organization must proactively address change if it is to survive and thrive.  The four elements of the Critical Success Factor are excellent focal points for potential innovation in an organization.  

The Critical Success Factor statement is also an excellent Mission Statement template.

Use SCAMPER to Change Something

Potential Sources of Differentiation

Every successful business is differentiated from its competition ... it could be very unique and significant, or it may be seemingly small and minor. But customers choose one enterprise over another for a reason. Following are some potential sources of value and differentiation to use as a guide when creating a competitive advantage strategy ...

ambiance ... branding ... business model ... community service ... contrived deterrence ... convenience ... copyrights ... cost advantages ... cost advantages independent of scale ... customer relations ... customer responsiveness ... customer service ... delivery ... distinct unique competencies ... economies of scale ... effective sales methods ... efficiency ... experience of doing business ... features ... functionality ... government regulation ... high quality ... image ... innovation ... intellectual property ... limited resources ... location ... low-cost ... manufacturing innovation ... market positioning ... market segmentation ... operational methods ... patents ... performance ... price ... product design ... product differentiation ... product innovation ... product selection ... product-line breadth ... quality ... rarity ... relationships ... reliability ... reputation ... selection ... service ... shopping experience ... supply chain relations ... switching costs ... trademarks ... trade names ... unique capabilities ... value

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Innovation Impact Mindmap

For 20+ years, I taught in a University of Arizona entrepreneurship program.  This Innovation Impact Mindmap started on the whiteboard in my office, a graphic schematic of the course syllabus.  

A syllabus is sequential, but innovation and entrepreneurship usually is not.  They bounce around a bit, from here to there and round again. 

The whiteboard version was fairly simple, but useful.  Students and colleagues took pictures of it for reference.  So, I thought, why not elaborate it just a little bit?  

[OK, OK, so maybe a little bit more than just a little bit!]  

I've added elements that I thought would be most useful, but certainly not all apply to every new venture! The "main highway" is the mission statement, highlighted in yellow.

Think of this Mindmap as a checklist of the elements you might want to visit as you travel around on your new venture adventure! 

High resolution .pdf .jpg and .png versions are available HERE.

--Jim

The Innovation Ferris Wheel

Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Enterprise ...

 

Innovation Hot Spots

While innovation is often associated with new products, new gizmogadgets, a broader perspective shows innovation occurring in many areas of a business and often has little or nothing to do with products.

Here are some key areas of innovation opportunity for a business venture ...

1. Products (yes, still high on the list, of course!)
2. Services
3. Processes
4. Business methods
5. Business model
6. Revenue model
7. Positioning (relative to the competition)
8. Paradigm (a combination of several innovation areas)

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Google Design Principles

1. Focus on people - their lives, their work, their dreams.
2. Every millisecond counts.
3. Simplicity is powerful.
4. Engage beginners and attract experts.
5. Dare to innovate.
6. Design for the world.
7. Plan for today's and tomorrow's business.
8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind.
9. Be worthy of people's trust.
10. Add a human touch.

[Attribution: Sue Factor, User Experience Group, Google]

Catergories of Innovation

Innovation has a revolutionary reputation, but an evolutionary reality!  

An innovation is (simply) Something New and Better ...

• Something: a product, service, process, methodology, or market positioning. 
• New: didn't exist before in this market space.
• Better: desirable benefits, a lower price, or both ... compared to the available alternatives.

That's not to imply that the innovation process is simple, by no means!  It can be quite complex, even if the final result doesn't necessarily reflect such.

Some types of innovation are pretty simple, pretty straight-forward. A new hot dog stand on a corner can be an example of "positioning" innovation ... simple, yet it does provide something new and better.

Other innovations are indeed quite complex and required high levels of intellect, resources, skills, education, and expertise.

Here are some general categories of innovation:

1. Incremental … basic design concepts are reinforced, linkages between modules are unchanged
2. Component or modular … basic design concepts are overturned, linkages between modules are unchanged
3. Architectural … linkages between modules are changed, basic design concepts are reinforced
4. Radical … basic design concepts are overturned, linkages between modules are changed
5. Disruptive ... technological discontinuity
6. Application ... technology application creates new market ... killer application
7. Product ... improved performance, dominant design
8. Process ... more efficient and/or effective processes
9. Positioning ... establishing a venture in a new space
10. Experiential ... improved customer experience
11. Marketing ... improved marketing relationships
12. Business model ... reframe the value proposition or value chain
13. Structural ... responds to structural changes in the industry
14. Service … give the same products but with much better service
15. Paradigm ... good luck! If we want a paradigm shift, we'll need a solid combination of several simpler innovations!

Elements of Successful Innovations

1. Relative advantage ... the perceived superiority of an innovation over the current product or solution it would replace. This advantage can take the form of economic benefits to the adopter or better performance.
2. Compatibility ... the perceived fit of an innovation with a potential adopter’s exiting value, know-how, experiences, and practices.
3. Complexity ... the extent to which an innovation is perceived to be difficult to understand or use The higher the degree of perceived complexity, the slower the rate of adoption.
4. Trialability ... the extent to which a potential adopter can experience or experiment with the innovation before adopting it The greater the trialability, the higher the rate of adoption
5. Observability ... the extent to which the adoption and benefits of an innovation are visible to others within the population adopters. The greater the visibility, the higher the rate of adoption by those who follow.
6. Functional performance ... an evaluation of the performance of the basic function
7. Acquisition cost ... initial total cost
8. Ease of use ... use factors
9. Operating cost ... cost per unit of service provided
10. Reliability ... service needs and useful lifetime
11. Serviceability ... time and cost to restore a failed device to service
12. Compatibility ... fit with other devices within the system

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Phases of Innovation

1. Preparation ... focus on the problem or opportunity, and who it affects
2. Exploration ... identify current solutions, alternatives, and substitutes
3. Stimulation ... use creativity techniques to trigger new ideas, concepts, and solutions
4. Incubation ... give the new ideas some time and thought
5. Illumination ... identify new ideas, concepts, and solutions
6. Selection ... establish and use clear criteria for selecting the "best" concept
7. Planning ... decide how to implement the concept
8. Implementation ... put the plan and concept to work
9. Evaluation ... determine if the new concept is working
10. Iteration ... apply incremental improvement to the concept, or start over

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Sources of Innovation Opportunity

1. The unexpected success, failure, or outside event
2. The incongruity between reality as it actually is and how reality is perceived
3. Innovation based on process need
4. Changes in industry structure or market structure that catches everyone unaware
5. Demographic (population) changes
6. Changes in perception, mood, and meaning
7. New knowledge, both scientific and nonscientific

[Thank you, Peter F. Drucker]