INNOVATION IS
IN BLOOM.
Innovation isn’t magic, it’s process
Innovation has this reputation as being elusive. In fact, innovative thinking and doing happens all around us, every day. In big and small ways humans find ways to do old things new and new things better. We like to notice and share innovation that excites and inspires us.
Innovation Blog
Here’s a harsh truth: embedded in innovation success is the reality of repeated failure. Baseball players are famous for saying that a rock star .300 average means failing 7 out of 10 times. Just imagine that: failing seven times to succeed three times is considered a fantastic result.
Innovation Approaches We Use
Popularized at the Stanford d.school and professionalized by IDEO founder David Kelley, human-centered design is a process that puts people in the center of product and service development. Uncommon and actionable insights are then ideated at high volume to identify a maximum number of possible solutions. Solutions are prototyped and then iterated to help test and adapt towards final solutions. Perhaps intended for product development, the process can be used to expand thinking in almost any area.
A common feature of tech and start-up cultures, agile mindset developed out of the agile software development methodology which prizes small, viable outputs that are quickly and repeatedly tried and changed. You don’t have to be a software developer to leverage agile mindset in your work. Simply learn to employ quick-turn ideas, be willing to iterate them over time and maintain a flexible attitude focused on adjusting as you receive audience feedback.
A concept found in indigenous scholarship and research methodologies like the writings of Bagele Chilisa, community authority puts people at the center of decision-making and inquiry, anchored in practices to elevate and prioritize non-Western community knowledge, perspectives and outcomes. Organizations looking to innovate their offerings, business model and engagement can find immense value in suppressing the instinct to control narratives and outcomes and instead putting audience needs at the core of ideation and activities to find new routes to mutual success.
A framework founded in teaching and education practice, backward design was developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe and encourages starting at the end you wish to achieve and laddering in what’s needed to achieve your desired outcome. You don’t need to be a teacher to make use of backward design. For your next strategy, presentation, program or partnership, simply imagine the endpoint – how would you like it to go? Then work backwards to develop the right elements and steps to get you there.