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Developing a Culture of Innovation

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:28:00 -0400

Plenty of articles have been written about the best place to work, coolest startup office, best perks etc. but when it comes down to an effective contemporary business, it’s about the culture of innovation within the company. How are ideas created? What can staff of all levels do to facilitate inspiration, ideation, and eventual execution? I’ve been putting together my thoughts on this for projects I’m working on and thought I’d share.

Curation - I get thru my days because of Media Redefined, Bob Lefsetz and Uncommon Updates. I find people that I trust as curators to be invaluable in providing day to day inspiration. Your company head or department head should be invaluable to those below them in the same way. A CEO that sends a weekly email of all the relevant things he’s read this week, or an open call for submissions for a weekly newsletter that everyone gets before the weekend will show you what others are reading and discussing, and form discussion points and inspiration from the people who know the company best. Successful people get all the best info forwarded to them naturally from the other smart and successful people they know, use it as an easy source for common knowledge and discussion.

Ideation - Idea wall. Brainstorming sessions. No judgement discussions between people of the same station and multiple levels within a company. Do them all. Document the results.

Inspiration - Equally important as ideation is inspiration. Pictures spark ideas even subconsciously, passing by that McLaren poster in the hallway everyday will begin to hit home. Have a board or a wall similar to ideation that gets covered in magazine clippings, photos, internet printouts and anything an employee can just stand in front of and stare at to be take to a different place. With a few art oriented workers taking some minor involvement, it can start to turn beautiful as well, and something company members take seriously. Inspiration from other industries always hits home, making a beautiful product should take from those who make the most beautiful product across a variety of industries, you never know what will come out of it.

3d Printing- They’re 2k. More plastic is $50. If you make anything physical, if anyone uses CAD or there are any industrial designers, any of the above, put one or two in the office. See what comes out of it. Mini product replicas, new designs, toys for desks, strange logo iterations, company christmas gifts, or prototypes for your future. Worth the money, and nice impressive piece for visitors, no matter what your company size.

Imagery - If you make something beautiful and have the photography to match, if your company has events or large milestones, use them as sources of visual pride to spice up the office. We released a poster as a SXSW giveaway at one of my current projects, it popped up in almost every cubicle of sales and marketing afterwards. Large piles of photos, posters and advertisements that make people proud of the brand they work for should be easily available at a front desk or other locale for workers and visitors to show off. Visual affirmation every day that the work you do is exciting can come easily from an exciting image.

Documentation. Remember the girl/guy that took copious notes far above and beyond what was necessary in every class in middle school? Get one of them. Every ideation session, everything written on idea boards, every object made, every article sent around should be documented and filed somewhere like dropbox or google docs where everyone can access it at any time. And that archive for new hires of all the relevant reading material and recent ideas? Invaluable.

RZR.

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:25:51 -0400

RZR.

Rio.

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:30:17 -0400

Rio.

Aston Martin. Inspiration.

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:53:20 -0400

Aston Martin. Inspiration.

Photo

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:49:32 -0400

So, I Bought a 3D Printer

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:50:38 -0400

I bought a 3d printer. Not because I’m some CAD expert or budding architect in my free time, but because there’s a revolution coming. Not the revolution of the governments oppression coming to take our guns etc etc (but I won’t rule that out), but a revolution of commerce that will change the function of big business. How many industries will be disrupted by local, cheap, lightweight versions of items that can be printed by a small local 3d printing business, a niche by mail, low overhead company, or an individual downloading files? What customization and niche product options will come out of the ability to manufacture items that only appeal to five people to fill an exact need rather than mass blanket productions that somewhat fulfill the needs of many. And most importantly, the technology gap between children of wealth and education and children that aren’t will grow more insurmountable for those with the short end of the stick. Already the kids growing up with iPads and Rasberry Pis will form a different breed than their counterparts without, and those who grow up in households with 3d printing will let a childhood of imagination come alive into form. The effects of this, while obviously unknown, shouldn’t be underestimated at all. As a child my imagination was nothing less than fantastically vivid, and the only outlet for it was the ability to turn it into writing, something my family, as teachers, did a fantastic job of facilitating. But the ability to have turned that into an object, a rendering, an inspiration, a toy that was exactly what my mind envisioned rather than something from mass production, an interest in science that could form the basis for a future in science… That will allow for a generation I believe can change the world more than any before. But it starts with fathers who will bridge that gap. I’m going to be one of them.