Future of New

Digressions on Leading, Following and The Practice of Change

The Weaving of Common Threads: Connecting Innovation Types for Sustainable Solutions

The Weaving of Common Threads: Connecting Innovation Types for Sustainable Solutions At its core, innovation is problem solving. And there are about as many different ways to solve a problem as there are types of a problem a business can face. In my view, there are four main categories of innovation: leaping, leading, improving, enabling. These four types of innovation – and how you connect them – can be the key to making the right short- and long-term moves that protect and grow your business. Pretty handy when your business has problems that need sustainable, successful solutions. I recently took

“And You May Ask Yourself, ‘Well, How Did I Get Here?:'” Using Portfolio Views to Build Your Innovation Roadmap

And You May Ask Yourself, ‘Well, How Did I Get Here?:’ Using Portfolio Views to Build Your Innovation Roadmap “And you may ask yourself, ‘Well, how did I get here?’” And you may ask yourself, ‘How do I work this?’ It is no secret that organizations must innovate in order to survive and thrive in our hyper-competitive marketplace. When a known problem, challenge, or opportunity presents itself, the very first decision to be made is frequently whether to launch a new innovation program as a solution. But making that decision doesn’t always come easily. With so many factors to consider

Intentional Innovation: Create Big Ideas and Make Them Work

Intentional Innovation: Create Big Ideas and Make Them Work Create big ideas and make them work. It’s as simple as that, right? Many organizations struggle to find the formula for success in business innovation. Should we commercialize internal inventions? Are we going to be a venture partner powerhouse? All too often, we get tangled around process, pipelines, personalities, and technologies – losing sight of the vision. We are asked to help develop repeatable programs with effective leadership, sound financial strategies, agile teams and solutions that pivot and adapt. It can be overwhelming, can’t it? But, it doesn’t have to be

Top 3 Reasons Why Large Organization Innovation Programs Underperform … And What To Do About It

Top 3 Reasons Why Large Organization Innovation Programs Underperform … And What To Do About It Last week, I had the distinct pleasure of presenting a webinar as part of the Global Innovation Management Institute’s Think Tank, a weekly webinar where thought leaders discuss innovation and promote collaboration around the world. During the presentation, I tackled the three main reasons why large organizations are underperforming their innovation efforts, and shared several key methods for getting back on course. Let’s first take a look at the why – why innovation programs underperform: These three factors show up in different ways: Lack

Charting the Course: The Use of Experience Mapping to Understand Client Journeys

Charting the Course: The Use of Experience Mapping to Understand Client Journeys What is Service Design? Imagine two hotels side-by-side, each with a pool, a nice lobby, beachfront views, and competitive prices. Service design is what makes you choose one over the other. In the battle for our attention, loyalty and wallets, it is often the experience that differentiates one solution from another. And this extends to all the retail endpoints like rental cars and airplanes — and is also equally applicable to healthcare, government services, industrial supplies, architecture, and a wide range of other categories. Service Design is a

Event Summary: “Project Management in the Age of Artificial Intelligence”

Event Summary: “Project Management in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” The International Project Management Association (IPMA)’s 12th Annual Global Research Conference took place April 19-21, 2024. Along with serving as the President of the IPMA’s Member Association for the United States, an industry group that provides professional development opportunities for its membership of project management professionals, I was fortunate to chair the conference. The annual event, themed this year as “Project Management in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” featured an amazing Global Awards Gala, 2.5 days of thought-provoking presentations of 45 research papers, and 130+ attendees from 20 countries. And