Top 5 Innovation Trends and Issues
What is happening in the innovation community right now? In this post, I give a quick overview of the top trends and issues that I see based on the interactions I have had over the last month or so.
1. Intrapreneurship
How can we establish – or improve – programs that makes us better at identifying and developing ideas and let our own people (intrapreneurs) – turn them into revenue and profits?
I have had two requests on this within a few weeks after a long time with almost no focus on this. A new trend? Perhaps. It also comes with a new twist as some companies finally try to combine this with their open innovation efforts. Very interesting…
Check this article to get an idea of intrapreneurship programs: Driving Innovation In Large Corporations
2. Crowdsourcing
There is a lot of focus on crowdsourcing at the moment. I know of several journalists at big media outlets who work on crowdsourcing stories and corporate examples keep popping up all the time.
There is also much discussion on how to define crowdsourcing as this article, Definitions: Crowdsourcing vs. Co-Creation, gets into.
3. Brazil
This might just be me as I currently focus a lot on Brazil in relation to the upcoming Open Innovation World Tour, but it seems as if Brazil is really taking off with innovation.
One sign is that conferences and events are popping up including Conecta, Innovation Challenge Brazil and Open Innovation seminar with Chesbrough. I also hear from my local contacts that the government tries to get closer to business in order to speed things up even further.
4. Metrics
I have just had several interactions on this timeless – and difficult – topic. The interest on metrics will go up and down as companies try to find their approaches and answers on this.
Personally, I believe metrics can be useful as well as misleading so a suggested approach depends a lot on the situation and the company (their focus, processes and values)
A few links that might give you new insights or inspiration on metrics:
http://www.roundtable.com/conferences-workshops/Metrics09
http://events.roundtable.com/PDmetrics/PDm_ART_Mackey_Current_State.html
http://www.15inno.com/2010/03/15/howtomeasure/
http://www.15inno.com/2010/03/26/howtomeasurepart2/
http://www.15inno.com/2010/01/22/innovationmetrics/
5. Peer-to-peer learning
I am involved in several conferences and one key topic for the organizers is to find the right combination of keynotes, talks, panels and facilitated sessions in which the participants create the content and discussions themselves.
This makes sense as corporate innovation directors and managers seem to be quite interested in peer-to-peer learning sessions.
This list is based on my current interactions in the innovation community. What do you think? What do you see happening?
Stephan, Thanks for your perspective and thinking. You can start on the GMAC MET Fund page: http://www.gmacmetfund.org, which has all the information. The page you reference is the registration page where you would land after clicking on the link from above.
Hey, I hope you'll be submitting an idea of your own. You seem to be the type able to spot a problem and see a solution!
I work in the e-learning field and I can vouch for #5 Peer-to-peer learning. It is revolutionising training in the workplace.
Stephan,
I would agree that these five are all topical.
What's also interesting for me – if not a little ironic, is the interest in BOTH intrapreneurship/entrepreneurship and metrics.
I suggest there is a potential conflict here.
A key reason entrepreneurs succeed is because of their passion. This sustains them even when all key indicators may be telling them that the project is looking risky/ if not doomed!
James Dyson, I believe spent five years making prototypes for his vacuum cleaner and his company made losses for 14 years I believe… but Dyson had the passion and intuition – he KNEW and just kept going,
Yes, many large companies aspire to a more entrepreneurial spirit. But to make progress in these areas they need help to understand the critical importance of passion and intuition.
As we know such qualities rarely feature in the average set of innovation metrics. If they do, they are not weighted as significant factors.
For some companies in the process of crafting their innovation audit and set of innovation metrics they squeeze out/marginalise the very entrpreneurial qualities they are trying to encourage!
Hi Stefan,
Interesting list. A recently-launched, and potentially very interesting, example of open-innovation (don't yet know enough about the project to determine whether it's crowd-sourcing or co-creation) is the new Open Ideo initiative: http://.openideo.com
This, and the countless articles, books and tweets I've been stubled across, recently, leads me to wonder whether Design and Design Thinking should not be on your list.
@Peter, I kind of view the interest in design and design thinking as declining. Perhaps there is too much business in business schools and too much design in the design the schools?