2 posts tagged “innovation”
People have long known that checking out a wide variety of magazines is great way to stay on top of trends. Related to this is keeping up with all the different kinds of magazines that are launching. The best way I know of to do this is by bookmarking Mr. Magazine.com. This web site is the brain child of Samir Husni, a magazine consultant and professor of journalism. His monthly list of new titles (on average 75 per month) is a great snap shot of our culture.
3 years ago in preparation for a Product Z mtg I wrote a parable about Innovation. The context was that some people wanted to create a very logical, linear approach to innovation and others thought it needed to be more organic. Both approaches can lead to innovation but at the end of day innovation has a serendipitous, uncontrolled element.
You may find the parable useful as you and your team launch out into uncharted waters.
Conception is Messy
Independently of each other two couples decided it was time to have a child.
The first couple were professionals living in a new suburban home. She was a Six Sigma Black Belt from Motorola. He was a partner in E&Y's technology group. Everything in their lives had gone exactly as planned. Even their "spontaneous get-away weekends" had been entered in their Palm Pilots months in advance. They had both passed into their late 30s and believed that this would be a good time for them to bring a child into the world. They researched all the latest conception techniques. Began to chart her monthly rhythms. If they could have scheduled optimal ovulation time in their Palm Pilots they would have done so. But they knew that some things can't be scheduled so precisely in advance.
On Thursday, March 15 at 4:20 PM she emailed him at work, "Today is the day." He immediately left work. We will respect their privacy regarding the following events. Suffice it to say, 9 months later a lovely baby girl entered their world. She grew up to be a process engineer for a F 100 company.
The second couple lived in a loft apartment in a funky part of town. He worked as a bicycle mechanic and wrote plays at night. She was a Montessori teacher. They pretty much lived from day to day. Neither wore a watch or owned a PDA. They decided about vacations on the spur of the moment.
On Thursday, March 15 at 4:20 PM he called her with the idea of going on a bike ride along the shore. She grabbed a bottle of wine on the way home. He tossed a couple of veggie wraps in his back pack. They found a sheltered place on the beach to watch the sunset and share their meal. Just as the sky erupted into exotic oranges and purples he caught a wild glint in her eye...Suffice it to say, 9 months later a lovely baby girl entered their world. She grew up to be a director for an off-Broadway theater company.
There was not much in common between these two couples. But, as different as they both were, I feel fairly confident in asserting that at the actual moment of conception, at the moment when we discretely looked away to ensure their privacy, things were pretty messy. Messy emotionally and physically.
As we go about the process of conceiving and innovating Product Z it's important to keep in mind that many things can (and should) be controlled and managed.
BUT the act of conception itself is messy. If we try to make it too tidy, nothing living will result.
(source= masterplan)
