We all know we’re living in the Information Age – and how vital a role the Internet plays in the free dissemination of all that information.

What many may not realize, however, is that the availability of information isn’t simply a byproduct of advancing technology – it’s what people want.

A recent article at emarketer.com, “Americans Want Brands that Inform,” focused on findings in the “Global Web Index” from Lightspeed Research.

The third most important action a brand can take to make itself relevant to consumers is “Provide me with new ideas and thinking.” Only “news” (which scored only slightly higher) and “product discounts” (no surprise in today’s economic climate) ranked higher. Way down the list were things like “Sponsor my favorite sports team” and “Associate with celebrities that I like.” (Sorry Morgan Freeman.)

And where do they want their ideas and information to come from? According to the article “…US consumers found social network contacts and bloggers that they read regularly more trustworthy than major journalists, television news readers and radio presenters. Celebrities and TV show presenters were tied with politicians for the dishonor of being considered least trustworthy.”

So what does it all mean for business? That if you want to survive, you had better be able to supply your customers with a constant supply of fresh, new thinking.

It means you need ideas. Lots and lots of good ideas.

In the not so distant past, the demand for fresh thinking wasn’t so fierce. Sure, great ideas were always needed, but not overwhelming quantity we need to produce today.

Companies everywhere are buckling under the pressure to deliver innovative thinking at ever increasing speed. Many use decades-old processes for generating, sharing and developing ideas. Many still consider “creativity” something magical, rather than a systematic process that can be implemented every day. And many simply have no idea…how to generate ideas. They just know nobody in their organization is coming up with them.

It’s time for business to understand that nothing happens without an idea – not a product design, not a marketing plan, not a sales strategy – and invest appropriately in the thing their consumers want most.

How’s that for an idea?

Recently Fast Company published its 2009 list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies. Team Obama topped the list (which could, and probably will be the subject of another post). But as amazing as that news was, what struck me was that 33 of the previous year’s 50 did not make the list.

Wait… 33 of 2008’s 50 most innovative companies fell from innovation grace just one  year later? How is this possible? How can 33 of the world’s most innovative organizations fail to continue being innovative, or at least exceptionally innovative? Wasn’t there innovative prowess enough to keep them innovative?

Better yet – what about the 33 million companies that weren’t even in the running? In this era of “innovate or perish,” a topic we discuss often, how is it that so few companies are really doing much that’s innovative – even when they’ve managed to do some of it in the past?

One of our most popular, recent Tweets stated that thinking about innovation isn’t the same as innovative thinking. And that gets to the crux of the matter. There is a lot of talk about innovation these days. But when it comes right down to it, most organizations don’t really do much about it, or at least not much that leads to real, ongoing innovation.

Bringing in management consultants doesn’t do it. Announcing a new era of corporate innovation doesn’t do it. Adding the word to the mission statement doesn’t do it, and neither does charging managers with the task of fostering more innovation in their teams.

In fact, simply “creating a culture of innovation” alone doesn’t do it.

Of course, innovation does require a fertile culture, in the sense that an environment must exist in which it can actually happen. Innovation requires creative thinking that is allowed to be freely expressed and acted upon. A culture that reacts to “think different” – even “think different” that ultimately fails – with disapproval, will not inspire the courage it takes to put one’s ideas on the line.

But it’s the people, not the culture, who innovate.

In the end, what is really needed for innovation to happen is a combination of motivation, freedom, systems, knowledge and responsibility.

Motivation to make the effort in the first place.

Freedom to explore and express, without fear of reprisal.

Systems for sharing, developing and promoting ideas throughout an organization.

Knowledge, talent and skills required to actually transform an idea into a viable plan and, ultimately, a reality.

And responsibility for ensuring that it all happens.

Who is responsible for ensuring that these various, essential elements are in place? Leadership, of course. If history and the news tell us nothing else, it proves that real, ongoing, effective innovation is a top-down process. It must be mandated, inspired, nurtured and championed by the company leader. Apple, Google, Amazon, Zappos – oh, and of course, Team Obama – all have innovative leaders driving the process. Why? Because others in an organization will rarely have the courage or freedom to take on the challenge. Only a leader will.

Innovation is a complex process that involves emotional, psychological, technical and operational factors. If you’re missing just one, you will never (or no longer) find yourself on the “most innovative” list.

Better luck next year!

We will be speaking at the upcoming New York Entrepreneurs Business Network Speaker Series 1: Skills You Need to Succeed in Your Business, on Wednesday, November 4th.

The event will be held at the Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Triangle (Lincoln Center), 1972 Broadway, New York, NY 10023 and begin promptly at 9:15am. Price: $10.00 in advance/$20.00 @ the event.

For more information, or to register, please visit
http://www.ny-entrepreneur-network.com/calendar/11593673/

We hope to see everyone there!

It’s a well-known fact that Google employees are encouraged to spend 80% of their time on core projects, and 20% of their time on “innovation” activities that peak their own personal interests. This 80/20 formula can also work for any organization that desires to ramp up its innovation spirits. Here are some helpful tips we found on the Mama Bee blog. Mama Bee is an information site for working mothers in the corporate world.

Google’s 80/20 Innovation Model

The ITO (Innovation Time out) policy encourages Google employees to spend 80% of their time on core projects, and roughly 20% (or one day per week) on “innovation” activities that speak to their personal interests and passions. These activities may benefit the company’s bottom line – as in the case of Gmail, Google News, AdSense and Orkut. But more importantly they keep employees challenged and engaged in ways that aid retention and keep staff learning and growing.

Imagine a scenario where you could spend 20% of your time on projects that you think could benefit your company or world, and that you “own.” That could stimulate you to think differently and passionately about the other 80% of your work, leading to a more fulfilling professional experience

Of course, this model works well for developers, engineers and other creative types. What about for the rest of us? Is there an 80/20 innovation model that could help your administrative assistant do his or her job better? Help middle managers make the leap more effectively to senior staff? Energize senior staff by offering mentoring and stewardship opportunities around such projects?

Innovation is the key for companies surviving this economic downturn. Here are some thoughts on implementing an innovation policy in your workplace:

1. Create a formal process for project selection, monitoring, and evaluation. At Google they track innovation time and know exactly which projects are being pursued. Employees who want to take advantage of innovation time off should submit a brief proposal and timeline, and be able to articulate how they will measure success.

2. Don’t worry about failure. In some ways innovation, like so many other things, is a numbers game. You throw up 50 projects, and maybe one or two stick. Most will fail, but you can’t know which will work unless you try. Failure is a critical p[art of true innovation.

3. Start small. Successful pilot projects help to leverage support and build awareness. Encourage your employees to create scalable projects that can be launched with relatively little investment.

4. Let your staff shine. Champion good ideas by facilitating and advocating, but let your employee present directly to senior management. Managers benefit when CEOs see that they have recruited intelligent and insightful staff.

5. Manage expectations. Not every project can be seen to fruition – in fact 95% of projects generated by your innovation policy won’t go anywhere. You don’t want disappointed, disillusioned employees, so manage their expectations.

About The Mama Bee:

The Mama Bee offers tips, news and commentary for mothers working in the corporate world. For more information visit:

http://themamabee.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/management-friday-googles-8020-innovation-model/

One recognized approach for developing innovative ideas is to bring together two seemingly unrelated elements, and see what you can create from them that is new, different and value-added.

If this isn’t just such an example, I don’t know what is.

The Roomba autonomous robotic vacuum cleaner used to create powerful artistic images, both photographically, of vibrant light and motion, as well as in print.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/roomba/pool/show/

Great fun to look at. And the floor got cleaned at the same time. How’s that for innovative efficiency?