tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71278052024-03-08T18:55:14.910+05:30Innovation<b>Innovation.</b> Creativity. New Product Development. Organisational Dynamics. Change. Entrepreneurship. <br>Except the first, the others are not in order of preference!Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.comBlogger335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-35023840895533663252011-09-07T21:36:00.002+05:302011-09-07T21:39:44.336+05:30What I am up toSince I am no longer actively pursuing Innovation Consulting, this is what I am doing now : <a href="http://www.asidebrands.com/">visual identity design for brands & brand naming</a> alongwith <a href="http://www.naina.co/">professional photography</a> and I am also an <a href="http://www.knottytales.com/">Indian wedding photographer</a>. Broadly, these are my focus areas and specialties. Apart from these, I am of course constantly dabbling in various interests and activities.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-12296509145064177662011-09-07T20:54:00.002+05:302011-09-07T20:56:14.884+05:30Been too longThis was my first ever blog and reading some of the past entries is like traveling back in time. Fascinating. I am still very interested in the subject of innovation but more related to innovation in the areas of brand design, branding, social media and client interactions. I am still not sure what I might like to do with this blog - but considering this is the only web property I have that has a Google PageRank of 4, I'm going to keep it.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1152263979544257742006-07-07T14:14:00.000+05:302006-07-07T14:49:40.960+05:30Accidental InnovationNew post about a Harvard Business School Working Knowledge article on the <a href="http://www.aside.in/blog/innovation">new aside Innovation blog</a>.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1151758648794384802006-07-01T18:24:00.000+05:302006-07-01T18:27:29.076+05:30Thinking of InnovationFull article on the <a href="http://www.aside.in/blog/innovation">new aside Innovation Blog</a>.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1143465748988299942006-03-27T18:47:00.000+05:302006-03-27T18:55:07.566+05:30Creative Head for BangaloreI've been blogging on my <a href="http://www.aside.in/blog" target='_blank'>design studio blog</a> and we have a need for a Creative Head at our Bangalore office. For the uninitiated, I am now working as the Creative Head at the Mumbai office of <a href="http://www.comart.in" target='_blank'>Comart</a>.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.aside.in/blog/images/comartLogo.jpg"><br /><br />Now we're looking to hire someone to work as the head of the Design Studio in Bangalore. Much like me, the person will have a large and blank canvas to work with - there is nothing setup in the Bangalore in terms of a design studio, so it will be the Creative Head's responsibility to create something out of nothing.<br /><br />Hire people, meet with some of India's top clientele and inform them that Comart now has a design studio, have an eye for good aesthetics and should have their hand on the pulse of the international design world. [ Much like what I'm doing now ] Its fun!<br /><br />There is a lot of work involved because it's like setting up a new business - a new design studio. The advantage is that you will have the full support of the management in terms of infrastructure and contact with clients. The company is more like a family-owned, traditionally run organization - so it's not easy trying to get "full" co-operation from other "employees" - but every organization has its challenges.<br /><br />Personally, I know that once I'm outta here, I can start my own company without the usual teething troubles - to a large extent.<br /><br />Some other facts to know:<br /><br />There is a two-year agreement that you will be required to sign [ I've signed it too ]. <br />Money - in terms of your fixed salary is peanuts - but there are other incentives [ call me up to know more ]. <br />Its a VERY professionally satisfying job - while you don't need to have an MBA - you do need to be a good designer as well as a good manager. <br />I hate to say this but you do need to know how to speak in English - more languages would be an added bonus <br />This time around, I am going to leave the comments open - but please send me an e-mail if you or someone you know might be interested.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1132665382246336162005-11-22T18:35:00.000+05:302007-01-11T16:05:12.396+05:30Move to Wordpress successful!Finally was able to make the move to WordPress, will share the new Innovation blog URL once I am done with the tweaking with the WordPress theme.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1132649774920017722005-11-22T13:40:00.000+05:302006-01-02T10:41:23.926+05:30Moving/Importing/Exporting the aside Innovation blogI recently started blogging on the <a href="http://www.wordpress.org" target='_blank'>Wordpress blogging platform</a> for the <a href="http://www.aside.in/blog" target='_blank'>aside design studio blog</a> and have found it to be more functional and with more features to enable me to write a truly professional blog.<br /><br />Personally, I feel that a good blog is one with good content and the platform does not make much of a difference, but when one can write good content and the platform can contribute to easy manageability as well as aesthetics, why not move to the better platform.<br /><br />Blogger had indeed made it easy for *anyone* to start blogging but that has also led to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splog" target='_blank'>splogs</a> and my <a href="http://biznetworking.blogspot.com" target='_blank'>business networking blog</a> being duplicated and used by someone else - even after repeated complaints to the hosting people [ something called txthub ] and also after alerting Google [ because the duplicate blog is being used for Google AdSense too ] - nothing has been done about it.<br /><br />WordPress is more secure as far as I have seen - the number of plugins to tweak a WordPress blog are innumerable and also allow for more security and functionality.<br /><br />The content of this blog will be transferred instantly onto a new WordPress blog but I will not be removing the content from the asideconsulting.blogspot.com domain name [ there is no way I can transfer the Google PageRank! ] - hopefully with better content in the future, I will be able to build a better PageRank on the new WordPress blog and will then probably remove content from this domain.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1132054720584020722005-11-15T16:53:00.000+05:302005-11-15T17:08:40.620+05:30Managing Innovation: Emerging Trends, Spring 2005MIT's online course summary for "<a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Sloan-School-of-Management/15-352Spring-2005/CourseHome" target='_blank'>Managing Innovation</a>"<br /><br />Here you will find links to PDF class material as well as reading lists and links to PowerPoint presentations made in class by the course Professor.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1131036105986338822005-11-03T22:07:00.000+05:302005-11-03T22:11:46.030+05:30Fortune's Innovation BlogFortune [ the magazine ], launched an <a href="http://www.businessinnovation2005.com " target='_blank'>Innovation blog</a> recently and have already put up some very readable content - interviews in collaboration with various other innovation blog authors like Chuck Frey and Renes Hopkins. The new blog has been inspired by a collective force of leaders in business innovation.<br /><br />Worth a look.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1129149257226233772005-10-13T02:04:00.000+05:302006-11-02T08:46:52.743+05:30Armchair converts to a dinette"<i>This armchair swings around and converts to a miniature kitchen. The designers explain: 'because you never cook and sit at the same time.</i>"<br><br><center><img src="http://craphound.com/images/dinettesofashut.jpg"> <img src="http://craphound.com/images/dinettesofaopen.jpg"></center><br><br>Designed by <a href="http://www.vestaldesign.com/projects/armchair/" target='_blank'>Vestal Designs</a> [<a href="http://www.boingboing.net/2005/10/11/armchair_converts_to.html" target='_blank'>via</a>]Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1129052688818467382005-10-11T23:14:00.000+05:302005-10-11T23:14:48.873+05:30Global Financial Markets: Strategies for Growth Through Innovation<a href="http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?scid=1796&docid=151597&part=rss&tag=rss&subj=&promo=100112" target='_blank'>From BNET</a><br><br>This paper presents an exploration of the changing nature of the financial markets environment and recommendations for industry leadership. It also investigates how the execution of these recommendations is unfolding in the areas of trade process transformation, risk and compliance, and financial market data management. To achieve growth in an environment of increasing competition and persistent uncertainty, the paper offers specific recommendations for fostering innovation through focused execution.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1128748421632928682005-10-08T10:33:00.000+05:302005-10-08T10:43:41.636+05:30ThoughtPath calls it quitsThis post has been lifted from <a href="http://www.innovationtools.com/Weblog/innovationblog-detail.asp?ArticleID=781" target='_blank'>Chuck Frey's InnovationTools Weblog</a>. Since I had no idea bout the software, I am in no position to comment. I think it's sad that the software is being retired. Least I could do was spread the news and maybe some way would emerge to help Jeff. The following is what Chuck has to say:<br /><br />"<i>Jeff Mauzy, a principal at Synectics Inc. who has been marketing the ThoughtPath<br />brainstorming program for some time now, has just posted a message on the program's website that says that ThoughtPath is shutting down for good.<br /><br />I have been a fan of this idea-generation program for over ten years, back when it was called MindLink Problem Solver (<a href="http://www.innovationtools.com/Tools/SoftwareDetails.asp?a=13" target='_blank'>click here</a> to read my 2001 review of it). <br /><br />ThoughtPath featured a unique approach to brainstorming, based on methods developed by Synectics, that took you on creative excursions away from your problem or challenge - into something totally unrelated - and then encouraged you to find ways to link or adapt the ideas you generated to your current challenge. This "sleight of head" technique was a reliable way to generate original ideas, and made ThoughtPath much fun to use.<br /><br />I spoke with Jeff several times during the past 4-5 years, and I know he<br />wanted to update and extend this elegant brainstorming application, but<br />couldn't find a way to economically do it. Kudos to Jeff for keeping ThoughtPath<br />available as long as he did.</i>"Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1119948704472948682005-10-05T20:34:00.000+05:302005-10-05T20:34:50.456+05:30Steaming ahead with Manufacturing Innovation<p>History has shown that pivotal moments of innovation have dramatically transformed manufacturing. To survive in such an environment, companies need to stoke their innovation engine.</p><p>On the Web: <a href="http://www.accenture.com/xd/xd.asp?it=enweb&xd=services/scm/steaming_manu.xml&c=myoutlook_05_06&n=RI-Steaming" target='_blank'><strong>HTML</strong></a><br />Downloadable: <a href="http://www.accenture.com/xdoc/en/services/scm/steaming_manu.pdf" target='_blank'><strong>PDF [224 k]</strong></a><br />From <a href="http://www.accenture.com/" target='_blank'>Accenture</a></p>Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1127972146446344132005-09-29T10:23:00.000+05:302005-09-29T15:16:46.583+05:30InnovationChallenge 2005<a href="http://www.innovationchallenge.com/" target='_blank'><img src="http://www.innovationchallenge.com/images/logo.gif" border=0></a><br><br>I have signed up for the ThunderBird InnovationChallenge 2005 as a Judge. Like last year, I expect it to be an experience to remember! Do view my profile <a href="http://www.innovationchallenge.com/ViewJudgeProfile.jsp?judge=2084" target='_blank'>here</a>. You can view the profiles of all other judges by starting at <a href="http://www.innovationchallenge.com/judges.jsp" target='_blank'>this</a> page.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1127893775239381702005-09-28T13:06:00.000+05:302007-03-11T08:13:13.070+05:30The 10 Faces of Innovation : IDEO"<i>In an exclusive book excerpt from the general manager of Ideo, we meet the personality types it takes to keep creativity thriving--and the devil's advocate at bay.</i>"<br /><br />Find the complete excerpt from Tom Kelley's "The 10 Faces of Innovation" <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/99/faces-of-innovation.html" target='_blank'>here</a> on FastCompany.<br /><br />Tom Kelley talks about the following [ among other things ]:<br /><br /><b>The Learning Personas</b><br><br />Individuals and organizations need to constantly gather new sources of information in order to expand their knowledge and grow, so the first three personas are learning roles. These personas are driven by the idea that no matter how successful a company currently is, no one can afford to be complacent. The world is changing at an accelerated pace, and today's great idea may be tomorrow's anachronism. The learning roles help keep your team from becoming too internally focused and remind the organization not to be so smug about what you know. People who adopt the learning roles are humble enough to question their own worldview, and in doing so, they remain open to new insights every day. <br /><br /><strong>1. The Anthropologist</strong> brings new learning and insights into the organization by observing human behavior and developing a deep understanding of how people interact physically and emotionally with products, services, and spaces. When an Ideo human-factors person camps out in a hospital room for 48 hours with an elderly patient undergoing surgery, she is living the life of the anthropologist and helping to develop new health-care services. <br /><br /><strong>2. The Experimenter</strong> prototypes new ideas continuously, learning by a process of enlightened trial and error. The Experimenter takes calculated risks to achieve success through a state of "experimentation as implementation." When BMW bypassed all its traditional advertising channels and created theater-quality short films for bmwfilms.com, no one knew whether the experiment would succeed. Its runaway success underscores the rewards that flow to Experimenters. <br /><br /><strong>3. The Cross-Pollinator</strong> explores other industries and cultures, then translates those findings and revelations to fit the unique needs of your enterprise. An open-minded Japanese businesswoman was taken with the generic beer she found in a U.S. supermarket. She brought the idea home, and it eventually became the "no brand" Mujirushi Ryohin chain, a 300-store, billion-dollar retail empire. That's the leverage of a Cross-Pollinator.<br /><br /><strong>The Organizing Personas</strong> <br><br />The next three personas are organizing roles, played by individuals who are savvy about the often counterintuitive process of how organizations move ideas forward. At Ideo, we used to believe that the ideas should speak for themselves. Now we understand what the Hurdler, the Collaborator, and the Director have known all along: that even the best ideas must continuously compete for time, attention, and resources. Those who adopt these organizing roles don't dismiss the process of budget and resource allocation as "politics" or "red tape." They recognize it as a complex game of chess, and they play to win. <br /><br /><strong>4. The Hurdler</strong> knows that the path to innovation is strewn with obstacles and develops a knack for overcoming or outsmarting those roadblocks. When the 3M worker who invented masking tape decades ago had his idea initially rejected, he refused to give up. Staying within his $100 authorization limit, he signed a series of $99 purchase orders to pay for critical equipment needed to produce the first batch. His perseverance paid off, and 3M has reaped billions of dollars in cumulative profits because an energetic Hurdler was willing to bend the rules. <br /><br /><strong>5. The Collaborator</strong> helps bring eclectic groups together, and often leads from the middle of the pack to create new combinations and multidisciplinary solutions. Not long ago, Kraft Foods and Safeway sat down to figure out how to knock down the traditional walls between supplier and retailer. One strategy--a way to streamline the transfer of goods from one to the other--didn't just save labor and carrying costs. The increased efficiency sent sales of Capri Sun juice drinks, for example, soaring by 167% during one promotion. <br /><br /><strong>6. The Director</strong> not only gathers together a talented cast and crew but also helps to spark their creative talents. When a creative Mattel executive assembles an ad hoc team of designers and project leaders, sequesters them for 12 weeks, and ends up with a new $100 million girls'-toy platform in three months, she is a role model for Directors everywhere. <br /><br /><strong>The Building Personas</strong> <br><br />The four remaining personas are building roles that apply insights from the learning roles and channel the empowerment from the organizing roles to make innovation happen. When people adopt the building personas, they stamp their mark on your organization. People in these roles are highly visible, so you'll often find them right at the heart of the action. <br /><br /><strong>7. The Experience Architect</strong> designs compelling experiences that go beyond mere functionality to connect at a deeper level with customers' latent or expressed needs. When Cold Stone Creamery turns the preparation of a frozen dessert into a fun, dramatic performance, it is designing a successful new customer experience. The premium prices and marketing buzz that follow are rewards associated with playing the role of the Experience Architect. <br /><br /><strong>8. The Set Designer</strong> creates a stage on which innovation team members can do their best work, transforming physical environments into powerful tools to influence behavior and attitude. Companies such as Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic recognize that the right office environments can help nourish and sustain a creative culture. When the Cleveland Indians discovered a renewed winning ability in a brand-new stadium, they demonstrated the value of the Set Designer. Organizations that tap into the power of the Set Designer sometimes discover remarkable performance improvements that make all the space changes worthwhile. <br /><br /><strong>9. The Caregiver</strong> builds on the metaphor of a health-care professional to deliver customer care in a manner that goes beyond mere service. Good Caregivers anticipate customer needs and are ready to look after them. When you see a service that's really in demand, there's usually a Caregiver at the heart of it. Best Cellars, a retailer that takes the mystery and snobbery out of wine and makes it simple and fun, is demonstrating the Caregiver role--while earning a solid profit at the same time. <br /><br /><strong>10. The Storyteller</strong> builds both internal morale and external awareness through compelling narra-tives that communicate a fundamental human value or reinforce a specific cultural trait. Companies from Dell to Starbucks have lots of corporate legends that support their brands and build camaraderie within their teams. Medtronic, celebrated for its product innovation and consistently high growth, reinforces its culture with straight-from-the-heart storytelling--patients' firsthand narratives of how the products changed or even saved their lives.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/99/faces-of-innovation.html" target='_blank'>Full article</a>Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1127485995792976092005-09-23T19:53:00.000+05:302005-09-23T20:03:15.796+05:30Innovation Convergence: 2005Chuck Frey at <a href="http://www.innovationtools.com/weblog/">Innovation Weblog</a> has got some fantastic coverage of the Innovation Convergence 2005 Conference. Snippets:<br /><ul><li>Innovation must be customer-centric</li><li>Look beyond product and service innovation [ like business-model innovation ]</li><li>More connections = more innovation [ networking might be a good idea of better and innovative ideas; has anyone of you tried <a href="http://www.idea-a-day.com">idea-a-day</a>?</li><li>Innovation is a process that can be learned</li><li>Emerging markets = innovation labs: <i>When you're selling products to emerging markets (such as 3rd world countries), your products must be low-priced, of course. But the process of getting to that low price point forces organizations to rethink the core value of their products, an exercise that can be quite revealing for its primary markets, too.</i></li><li>Creative recombination trumps the "new"</li></ul><br /><br /><a href="http://www.innovationtools.com/weblog/innovationblog-detail.asp?ArticleID=770">Full post</a><br /><br />Another post talks about <a href="http://www.innovationtools.com/weblog/innovationblog-detail.asp?ArticleID=771">Innovation aspirations, insight pilgrimages and more</a>, which talks about strategies for building support for your innovation initiatives.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1127469622984625002005-09-23T15:27:00.000+05:302005-09-23T15:30:22.990+05:30The Innovator's Advantage: A Customer Relationship Management PerspectiveInnovation has always played an important role in the success of all types of organizations. However today - with intense competition and demanding customers - innovation has become absolutely critical to a company's ability to generate consistently superior levels of operational and financial performance. This paper illustrates how innovation in customer relationship management can result in superior business performance. Through the client work, this paper identifies three broad innovations in the customer relationship management arena that a number of leading companies are using to improve their financial performance, generate competitive advantage, and dramatically increase demand for their products and services.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.accenture.com/xdoc/en/ideas/pca/innovators/crm.pdf" target='_blank'>Download PDF [113 KB]</a>Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1127287716885910642005-09-21T12:58:00.000+05:302005-09-21T12:59:05.886+05:30Gautam Ghosh on Building Creativity<a href="http://gauteg.blogspot.com/2005/09/building-your-creativity_20.html" target='_blank'>Full Article</a><br><br>A short excerpt with the main points:<br /><br /><i><b>Some of the misconceptions which hinder creativity</b><ul><li>For every problem, there can be only one solution</li><li>One must be logical and rational when solving any problem</li><li>An idea can be useful, only it if falls within the norms and standards of the organization/society</li><li>One should always be clear in one"s thinking</li><li>In solving problems, one should always avoid mistakes and failures</li><li>Problem-solving is a "serious" activity</li><li>Expertise and specialization is a must for effective problem-solving</li><li>One should obviously not take weird ideas seriously</li><li>Some people are creative, others are not</li></ul></i>Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1127237946371095202005-09-20T23:05:00.000+05:302005-09-20T23:09:06.373+05:30Pizza Fork and Cutter<img src="http://mileskimball.com/images/us/local/products/detail/p120867b.jpg"><br><br>Slice and eat with the same utensil! This time-saver cuts through pizza crust, forking up bites and delivering them right to your mouth! Great for pancakes and waffles too. Stainless steel; dishwasher safe. 8 1/2"L x 2"W. <br><br><i><a href="http://mileskimball.com/shopping/product/detailmain.jsp?itemID=10024&itemType=PRODUCT&AS=1&keyword=pizza" target='_blank'>More...</a></i>Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1127237409886183972005-09-20T22:45:00.000+05:302005-09-20T23:00:09.893+05:30Using Communities of Practice to Drive Organizational Performance and Innovation: Best-practice Report ExcerptToday, as more organizations attempt to draw knowledge assets and people together in communities of practices (CoPs), managers and executives want to use them to run their global businesses in new and innovative ways. This article explores the rapidly evolving methodology of CoPs, from planning and creating to maintaining and measuring effectiveness. It reveals that CoPs are becoming a key success factor for impacting time to market, reuse of knowledge, response time, employee development, knowledge sharing, organizational learning, and change implementation.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.apqc.org/portal/apqc/ksn/01_Using%20CoPs%20to%20Drive_ExecSum.pdf?paf_gear_id=contentgearhome&paf_dm=full&pageselect=contentitem&docid=122147" target='_blank'>Download [PDF] [363KB]</a>Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1117797557727577252005-09-20T12:55:00.000+05:302005-09-20T12:55:41.000+05:30Anonymous QuoteNothing is more dangerous than an idea when it is the only one you have.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1119948768791117552005-09-15T10:40:00.000+05:302005-09-15T10:40:44.803+05:30Continuous Renewal: Managing for the UpsideAn organization's ability to learn, grow and refresh itself is critical to high performance. Fostering and managing continuous renewal are most effective at the project and initiative levels. Here are five contrarian principles for making it happen.<br /><br /><ol><li><strong>Reach Beyond Your Grasp </strong>Leaders of highly successful initiatives do not base their goals only on what they know they can achieve. Instead, they fuel their achievements with aspirations that others often call impossible.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Blaze Your Own Trail </strong>When reaching for aims that appear impossible, pathbreaking leaders put aside their proven methodologies and disciplined plans and strike off with a brash kind of confidence, knowing there is no turning back. Frequently, these kinds of leaders will inspire a great number of followers.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Create a Strong Emotional Field </strong>Leaders of highly successful initiatives realize that it is vital to recognize the power of emotion, especially on a team that is breaking new ground, and that with the right attention, this emotion can magnify the strength of the team and be transformed into the energy necessary to succeed.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Spiral Up </strong>Highly successful initiatives sometimes progress along unexpected arcs, and part of the genius of it all is knowing how to influence an initiative along the arc most likely to reach the goal.<br /><br /></li><li><strong>Use Luck as an Accelerator </strong>Organizations capable of continuous renewal know they are riding a beast only partly tamed. They do not control all the factors that produce success, but they know how to turn events to their advantage. They know how to spot opportunities and how to propel themselves forward when luck turns to their advantage.</li></ol><br />On the Web: <a href="http://www.accenture.com/xd/xd.asp?it=enweb&xd=ideas/outlook/6_2005/upside.xml&c=myoutlook_05_06&n=RI-Upside" target='_blank'><strong>HTML</strong></a><br />Downloadable: <a href="http://www.accenture.com/xdoc/en/ideas/outlook/6_2005/pdf/upside.pdf" target='_blank'><strong>PDF [293 k]</strong></a><br />From <a href="http://www.accenture.com/" target='_blank'>Accenture</a>Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1126175980635749382005-09-08T16:09:00.000+05:302005-09-08T16:09:40.643+05:30Smart pegs keep rain off<table><tr><td><img src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40768000/jpg/_40768464_weatherbody.jpg"></td><td style="padding-left:10px">Hanging out the washing only to witness a downpour five minutes later has long been accepted as one of life's little bugbears. <br />But a final year student at Brunel University has come up with a weather-predicting clothes peg he hopes could solve the issue. <br /><br />The peg holder can sense changes in air pressure and send electrical signals to metal strips on household pegs. <br /><br />If rain is forecast within the next half hour, the peg will lock itself. <br /><br />The lock-down prevents the washing being hung on the line.</td></tr></table><br><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4218586.stm" target='_blank'>Full article</a>.Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1125903345652171792005-09-05T12:18:00.000+05:302005-09-05T12:25:45.656+05:30Idea Generation Methods<a href="http://www.ideagenerationmethods.com/" target='_blank'>The definitive collection of Idea Generation Methods</a> by Martin Leith.<br /><br />This is what Martin has to say about his website: "<i>This website lists and explains every idea generation method I've encountered during the past 15 years. It is the result of extensive research; my many sources include books, management journals, websites, academics, consultants and colleagues.<br /><br />The methods have been drawn not just from the worlds of creative problem solving and innovation, but also from other worlds such as organisational change, strategic planning, psychotherapy, the new sciences and the creative arts.<br /><br />The methods are listed below. Each is linked to a description, and in some cases you will find full instructions for using the method to generate ideas.</i>"Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7127805.post-1125732382134955752005-09-03T10:21:00.000+05:302005-09-03T12:56:22.163+05:30Seeking the source of innovationFrom <a href="http://www.mediaweek.co.uk/articles/folder2005/08/16/featureseekingsourceinnovation" target='_blank'>MediaWeek</a><br><br><br />"<i>Unconventional methods are being used to get the creative juices flowing among media managers. Steve Hemsley accompanied a group of aspiring lateral thinkers on a “mind-altering” trip to Norfolk, hosted by OMD Ignition.</i>"Nainahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16773019545164302940noreply@blogger.com0