Yesterday I was preparing for an Innovation Management training session I will be doing later this week. The sponsor, after reviewing my credentials asked “How you make the leap from information and knowledge management to coaching/developing innovation
skills?  … Your background seems to be IT.”

I provided what I hope was not too lengthy a response. In essence it stated that I view Innovation Management as a fully ingrained component of KM, and IT as a strategic facilitator of both. It’s interesting, but to many friends, family and colleagues my background appears disjointed. To me it is completely synergistic and logically intertwined.

Well, this morning I saw an article that pulled it all together.  It seems that the State of Massachusetts’ Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) has initiated what it calls “The Developers Challenge.”   This program facilitates the creation of new applications for public transportation riders, utilizing newly released state-owned data.  Several challenges exist. One for example calls for the creation of a mobile phone/web-based app that makes it easier to navigate the Boston subway system – or “T”.

Eureka I thought, – this is the perfect blend of IT (apps) in the form of Enterprise 2.0 technologies (mashups), in a collaborative and knowledge sharing environment (More E2.0 and KM), being used to foster and drive innovation – in an emergent fashion (again E2.0).  The challenge even leverages one of the basic tenets of KM – Incentivization (the  winner of each challenge gets free T rides for a year.)

To today’s casual user of “apps” it may just seem like a tool – but for me it is my life, my  career, the perfect blend of IT, KM, E2.0, ECM, information management, collaboration, information architecture, findability, taxonomies, user interfaces, process management …

Several weeks ago, I spent 5 days in Portland, OR, most of that time spent working and learning along side a scrappy group of people from a ~150 person manufacturing company.

The topics we were wrestling with? Innovation and creative problem solving.

Now, these days, particularly in the United States, two dirty words/phrases are manufacturing (due to close tie to automotive manufacturing sector) and banking (’nuff said). So, color me surprised to meet some of the most innovative, and frankly, incredible people in a company who may be the most incredibly well poised for current and future success of any team I’ve ever encountered.

Theories Don’t Do Diddly… Action is Required

What I found most fascinating is that this company has taken the best of the best of “management theories” – whether it be Six Sigma for quality in their processes, Lean in streamlining manufacturing and in actively (and always) engaging their customers through “Voice of the Customer” or in systematically engaging ALL employees (absolutely EVERYONE from the receptionist to machinists to business managers and up to the CEO) in innovation and creative problem solving on a daily basis.

All the management theories that people seem to write off (Six Sigma is a fad, Lean is only for Japan, innovation can’t be taught let alone done by “normal” business people) – they are LIVING and DOING every day. Theory is “just a theory” if you don’t actually USE the theory, and being aware of theory is entirely different from using it every day.

Fascinating – and incredibly inspiring.

Double-down or Hunker-down?

While so many organizations are hunkering down and simply hoping for better days, or cutting to the bone, this team has more than doubled-down and has made an investment not only in the company as a profit-generating entity, and a commitment to excellence with their customers, but a literal investment in each and every employee that not only benefits the company and the employees TODAY, but is likely to have significant benefits for them for the rest of the careers, regardless of where that might be.

Even the Government Gets It

Through the local (to New England) cable news network NECN.com, I ran across a video clip of US Vice President Joe Biden discussing how the need for innovation exists across ALL industries, and that, as I’d mentioned above, American manufacturing has beaten down in recent years, that it’s not ALL bad news. Manufacturing innovation exists in many other areas, and many (certainly not ALL, of course) of the displaced workers from the auto industry have found work in manufacturing-related fields – alternative energy – wind turbine production, for example, solar panels, and many more.

Interesting presentation by the VP – I encourage you to take a look/listen and would appreciate hearing your thoughts, whether on the state of innovation at large, or as relates to manufacturing specifically. (Warning: beyond my control, but there is an insurance ad baked into this clip that front-ends the speech).

(jump below the video to continue this entry)

(if video isn’t loading – appears to be a NECN issue – go direct to the source clip)

Interested in taking Innovation to the next level in YOUR career and organization?

Carl and I have been involved in a course on innovation and creative problem solving for many years, beginning back when we (while at Delphi Group) had been acquired by Perot Systems (in 2004) and shortly thereafter, re-branded and focused as the Innovation Lab of Perot Systems.

Fast-forward through the work we’ve done extending Knowledge Management into Innovation Management (and back again), being judges for two years in a row in the Innovation Challenges run by Idea Crossing (sponsored by such companies as Hilton Hotels, American Express, Harley-Davidson, Whirlpool, General Electric, Shell, Lexmark, Red Hat – very interesting project), extending our ongoing research into innovation through over 50 podcasts with innovators around the world for the last 3 years, in speaking at one of the largest business focused innovation events in the US, the Front End of Innovation, or participating in the creation of a new book on Business Model Innovation…

Whew… it’s been an interesting few years – why not share in the benefits of what we’ve seen and done in the last five years? Innovation isn’t just for the well funded or the giant companies of the world – it’s far more accessible than you might think.

Can you afford to spend a day improving your innovation skills?

Let’s flip that around actually…

How can you NOT afford to spend a day improving your innovation skills?

In all seriousness, if you would like to experience a single-day, rapid-fire, immersive experience that I can guarantee will expand your innovation toolkit, change the way you attack problems, solve problems, put together teams, leverage your own problem solving and decision making strengths, and leverage the brains in your organization – then I highly recommend considering the 1-day innovation course we’ve just unveiled.

Take a look at the details of the 1-day course, and if you have any questions, I’d be happy to discuss the program. Whether your organization is large or small, based in Boston or Belarus… this training materials can be (and have been) used across a huge variety of organizations, regions, and industries.

Equip the brains in your organization to invent the future, one idea at a time…

The journey starts now – but only if you get off the sidelines and jump into the fray.

- Dan Keldsen, Co-founder

Have you heard of CPSI? (typically pronounced sip-see)

CPSI stands for The Creative Problem Solving Institute, the annual conference on Creative Problem Solving, created by the Creative Education Foundation which was founded in 1954 by Alex Osborn (the inventor of brainstorming and writer of the oft referenced, but hardly read [and hard to find] book Applied Imagination).

The CPSI conference is famous (perhaps infamous) as the annual retreat for all interested in being more effective innovators and creative problem solving.

This year’s event was held in Danvers, Massachusetts – not exactly on the beaten path of the greater Boston area, but nonetheless, far more convenient for a Boston local than the events that seem to only happen on the West Coast.

While I was only able to participate in 7 hours or so of the 7 DAYS of the event (which is apparently 1 day LESS than the typical CPSI conference), I experienced a rapid-fire introduction to the experience of CPSI.

For example:

I (re-)met a woman who had chaired the track that I’d presented on at the Front End of Innovation event the month before, and who I’d learned has been to 17 consecutive years of this event. If that’s not dedication, I don’t know what is. Her title is Creative Innovation Pioneer at Kimberly-Clark (makers of a wide variety of consumer products, such as Huggies, Kleenex, Scotts and more) – and uses creative problem solving skills on a daily basis. Very interesting, and always gratifying to hear of companies that take innovation and creative problem solving seriously.

Participants at the event came from over 30 different countries, including a contingent from Nigeria that I happened to stumble while being introduced to Dean Kamen (more on Dean in a second) as the on-premise Starbucks was closing down for the evening (little did Starbucks know that this event stretches on to midnight nearly every night – they might want to stay open a tad longer next year). The Nigerian contingent has attended for several years, specifically to look into innovation within the government, and how to spur growth in the economy, attract investments, and more. A surprising conversation, in many ways.

The organization FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a non-profit organization started in 1992 by Dean Kamen, was also well represented, with a hall full of kids of all ages who have been involved in the robotics challenges of FIRST, ranging from ages 6 through high school. Contestants are required to build robots of all shapes and sizes, from materials ranging from LEGOs to the annual “box of junk” that Dean Kamen and the FIRST organization send out to participants to ultimately compete in the annual competition held in Atlanta, GA which now attracts over 20,000 people each year.

Met other people from every walk of life, those involved in my “typical” work around technology, software and hardware, as well as those involved in marketing, in corporate sales, insurance, pharmaceutical R&D, consumer packaged goods, government, focus group/research, and more. Roughly 30% of attendees had never previously attended CPSI, and in these times of tightened wallets, I found it a bit surprising to hear of so many attendees who arrived at the event to do the two pre-conference days, and 3 “normal” conference days, let alone the contingent who came for the entire Saturday through Friday experience.

All told, fascinating to see the inventiveness and variety of the attendees at this event. While it is all too easy to become mired in “technology as savior” in the client work I’m typically involved in (and I constantly strive to remind people that business problems existed well before they bought SharePoint or any other solution), it was an interesting experience to validate that while magnifying problem solving capabilities with technology is certainly possible, that the need for creative thinking and critical thinking skills is both highly valued, and a life-long, and certainly career-long goal and need.

Which brings me to the highlight of my time at CPSI – a lengthy (two and half hour) keynote by none other than Dean Kamen, Founder of DEKA Research & Development Corporation.

Dean is  likely most famous due to his invention of the Segway (at right), which of course was on hand for a test-drive – and made for amusing hallway excursions in the hotel. What many people probably do not know is that Dean holds over 400 patents, and while he is an engineering geek (in the best sense), he has an incredible sense of humor, and ability to cut straight through unclear thinking.

He is an unabashed entrepreneur (can’t run a business without a profit), yet he created the non-profit FIRST back in 1989 to ensure that the future of America, and it’s youth specifically, would have the skills they needed to create the future, and overcome the overfocus of media on the glories of sports and entertainment. Highly recommend that anyone who is concerned about the future capabilities of America (or any country) and the inability of children to compete with the WORLD’s “best of the best and brightest” in science and technology-oriented careers, should take a look at the organization FIRST and see how you can help.

I have a video clip of Dean’s presentation on FIRST – but need to edit a bit for length. Keep an eye out for this shortly.

The vast majority of his commercial work has also been on completely rethinking and transforming some of the basic needs and problems of life, such as the portable dialysis machine – the HomeChoice® dialysis machine, developed for Baxter, the Ambulatory Infusion Pump (for those who need to have constant infusions of insulin, in many cases prior to this invention required patients to be bed-ridden), recent work with DARPA to provide fully modern prosthetics to those American soldiers who have returned missing one or even two arms to function at incredibly high levels (if I can find a public clip of the videos demonstrating the use of these, I’ll re-post – quite incredible), and in general, as you might expect for a man with over 400 patents, an incredible array of work in healthcare, defense, and in creating (not yet in production) equipment to produce clean drinking water from previously undrinkable sources and portable power generation equipment to bring power to portions of the world that, as Dean said “are as unlikely to see traditional power plants in their countries as they are to ever see land lines [i.e. traditional phone service].”

Simply put, if you have been wondering whether YOU or the people within your organization are “creative” or “innovative” – I can only say that the answer is yes, absolutely.

And, as with the questions of the last few years as to whether the “millennials” are better, smarter, faster than the “boomers” (or any age in between) – these are questions not even worth asking folks… questions that are preventing you from solving problems rather than being the problem.

Whether you’ve been given or have studied the appropriate tools to tap that creativity, individually, as a team, or as an organization, that’s another matter entirely – and I’d be happy to discuss my perspectives, as well as training courses that we offer on innovation management and creative problem solving.

Innovation isn’t magic – you, your team and your organization can do it – but it will take some work.

What are YOU doing to create an atmosphere and train the skills of innovation in your organization? Inquiring minds want to know – discuss in the comments or contact me privately (dk[at]informationarchitected.com or 617-933-9655)