A recent article on CNN.com, “Learn the five secrets of innovation,” by Mark Tutton, focuses on the results of a six-year study conducted by professors from Harvard Business School, Insead and Brigham Young University. 3,000 executives and 500 innovative entrepreneurs were involved in the study, which also included interviews with the likes of Jeff Bezos (Amazon) and Michael Dell (Dell Computers).

The results of the study are hardly earth shattering. But they are important for anyone interested in developing their innovation chops and enjoying the resulting rewards.

The verdict? “Coming up with brilliant, game-changing ideas is what makes the likes of Apple’s Steve Jobs so successful…”

Stating the obvious? Well maybe not to everyone.

Business leaders around the world are struggling to crack the code of innovation. They focus on re-structuring, re-invention, short-sighted innovation initiatives, revolving door consultants, creativity boot camps, etc.

But apparently what it all comes down to is the ability to generate great ideas. Do that well, and all the other stuff more easily falls into place – if for no other reason than the fact that you are generating great ideas about those things, too.

From "Learn the five secrets of innovation," by Mark Tutton, CNN.com

According to the study, there are 5 key skills necessary to be a prolific innovator (a.k.a. idea-generator) – associating, questioning, observing, experimenting and discovering.

It seems these skills have more to do with how one acts as how one thinks. Prolific innovators are always proactively searching for new ideas, new connections, new perspectives. Theirs is not a passive activity; they don’t sit around waiting for the Muse to visit or the lightning bolt to strike. They pursue ideas daily and relentlessly.

It is this skill set, this business activity, that will forever more be the definer of success.

So how can you ensure you have a whole army of Steve Jobses generating innovative thinking in your organization?

Remove the impediments and allow it to happen. Create an environment that facilitates idea-generation. Nourish it with acknowledgment, training, tools – and rewards for achievement. In a recent post here, “Google’s 80/20 Formula – It can work for you!” we briefly described Google’s take on the issue… encourage employees to spend 80% of their time on core projects, and 20% of their time on “innovation” activities that peak their own personal interests.

How much does your organization to do foster innovative thinking? Do you invest 20% in it, like Google does? If you did, what returns might you realize?

The ability to generate innovative thinking is not an inherent trait; it is based on a set of skills that anyone can learn and develop. Exposing yourself to new ideas and observing the world around you can drive innovation.

All it takes is doing it. As one of the men behind the study, Insead’s Hal Gregersen, put it, “Studies have shown that creativity is close to 80 percent learned and acquired,” he told CNN. “We found that it’s like exercising your muscles — if you engage in the actions you build the skills.”

Start building your innovation muscles now. And watch the ideas start to flow.

After all, when you cut through all the hype and Ivy-tower debate, innovation at its core is really just a child’s game of connecting the dots in new and imaginative ways.

Is it really possible to turn a really bad idea into a really great one? Absolutely.

The Worst Idea technique is not only one of the most popular with brainstorm groups, it’s extremely effective. As you might suspect from the name, the facilitator asks participants to come up with the worst possible idea they can think of. Nothing is “too bad” – distasteful, rude, crass, embarrassing, off-color. The worse, the better.

How about a car that automatically runs over pedestrians who cross against the signal? A new diet pasta that is mixed with worms and human hair, to get dieters to eat less? A new recycled product that’s good for the environment – like previously used toilet tissue? How much worse could you get? Keep trying.

What’s the point of such an exercise?

First, it “loosens up” the group. We have been taught to reject bad ideas, and therefore won’t allow ourselves to go there. By encouraging people to think outlandish thoughts, the creative process is jump-started.

Second, many bad ideas contain some provocative element, something powerful and compelling. By making a simple change, you can often turn a bad idea into a great one. A car that runs over slow pedestrians might not be practical – but one that senses pedestrians ahead and automatically brakes might be. A diet pasta mixed with worms and hair might not be such a palatable notion – but one fortified with extra protein and fiber might be.

The Worst Idea can be a lot of fun. Give it a try next time your brainstorming. Be gross, outrageous, cynical. You just might come up with your BEST worst idea ever.

Virtually every business depends on the ability to generate ideas—ideas for new products, ideas about how to communicate more effectively with customers, ideas about how to operate more efficiently, ideas about how to engage employees and strengthen internal communications. Without ideas organizations stagnate, and eventually, wither and die.

The most widely used tool for generating and developing new ideas in organizations is group brainstorming. Literally hundreds of thousands of brainstorm sessions take place in offices and conference rooms across the globe, every single day.

The problem is, most people need help in how to brainstorm better.

In our work, we have the opportunity to question business people about the effectiveness of their brainstorming efforts. And it is rare that we don’t hear a negative response. “Boring.” “Intimidating.” “A big waste of time.” “The same old ideas over and over again.” “Nothing ever happens with the concepts we do come up with.” These are all comments we hear repeatedly, from individuals at every level of an organization, and from every business category.

In fact, brainstorming as traditionally practiced is a sloppy, haphazard process. Remarkably, this single activity, which is so vitally important to business success, is allowed to take place in a manner that is completely lacking in structure, facilitated by individuals with little or no training and who have no idea what tools or techniques might make their efforts more productive. One can only imagine the cost of ineffective brainstorming to business, in wasted manpower, lost opportunity and damaged employee morale.

The topic of how to brainstorm better is a big and important one. But here are seven things you can start doing today to make your sessions dramatically more effective.

1. Make a Plan, Stan

It is sometimes said that professionals plan, amateurs wing it. Before your brainstorm ever begins, take the time to plan your session. What is the challenge you will present to the group? What is your objective for the session? Ten new ideas? One hundred? What idea generation techniques will you use to inspire your group’s imagination and make new connections? When you create a vision and a plan for the session, you increase the odds you will actually realize it.

2. Invite Diversity

Tired of getting the same old ideas in every brainstorm session? Maybe you should consider not inviting the same usual suspects. By including individuals with refreshingly different backgrounds, perspectives, ages, genders, ethnicities, etc., you will be creating a group mind with a wealth of divers experience to draw on. Consider who in your organization might make an unexpected contribution to your idea pool, and make sure they’re there.

3. Kick Out The Boss

I once knew the president of a company who would insist on attending every brainstorm session, and then start it off by saying, “You know how they say there are no bad ideas? That’s wrong. There are very bad ideas that should never be expressed. So, anybody got anything?” Nothing will more effectively shut down a brainstorm session than the fear of saying something stupid in front of the boss. It’s sometimes easier said than done, but unless your company leadership is extremely supportive and accepting, they shouldn’t be in a brainstorming session. Idea generation requires a safe environment, where people aren’t afraid to share their thoughts. Ensure the boss you’ll review everything with her after the session is over.

4. Play By The Rules

Of course it’s not just the boss who can derail and brainstorm. Anyone with a big ego, loud voice or attention-seeking personality can do the same. Negativity and judgment bring instant death to spontaneous idea sharing faster than negativity and judgment. Establish a list of “rules” for your session right at the start. Ask for everyone’s agreement. No negative comments. One person talks at a time. Crazy, even audacious ideas are encouraged. If anyone breaks the rules, ask others in the group to good-naturedly remind him—perhaps by pelting him with crumpled paper balls!

5. Hold The Phone

“Phone” here, of course, means any device that will distract one’s attention from the task at hand. The remarkable convenience and productivity provided by PDAs is nothing short of miraculous. They also suck the life out of a brainstorming session. One of your most important rules is, “All phones, smartphones, iPhones, Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, whatever OFF during the session—and put out of sight, out of temptation’s reach!” Reassure attendees that you will provide breaks during which they can check messages or email.

6. Ask Lots of Questions

Not getting what you want from your brainstorming group? Maybe you’re not asking the right questions. You can immediately change the consciousness and output of any group by simply posing a provocative question? “What if we combined the last two ideas?” “That was a wild idea. How can we rein it in to make it more on strategy?” “What are three more ideas like that one?” Learn and apply the art of powerful questioning and you will get an exponentially greater return on your ideation investment.

7. Maintain Momentum

Most brainstorming sessions tend to start out slow and low energy. People are feeling their way into the process. After awhile, the energy sometimes picks up for a few minutes. Ideas come from everywhere. Then it stops. They’ve run out of steam. They start talking about last night’s episode of Mad Men. You’re lost. A great facilitator is like an accomplished surfer—they can “sense” the crest of the wave, where it is now and where it’s going, and ride it all the way to the end. Be tuned into the energy of the room, when it’s high, let it rip. As soon as you feel it start to wane, ask a powerful question to make the leap to a new direction and get it going again. Brainstorming facilitation is work—fun work, but work nonetheless. Stay focused, ride the wave and you’ll walk out with a stack full of great ideas.

Great brainstorming and creative idea-generation is multi-faceted process that requires structure, trained facilitation and a full toolkit of proven techniques. There’s a lot to learn. But you can start your ongoing education with these seven key improvements, and start seeing better results right away.

How’s that for a great idea?

In business and the media, the words creativity and innovation are used almost interchangeably. Some people believe you have to be creative in order to create innovative things. Others would say, without innovative thinking there is no creativity. Both points of view are perfectly logical, but neither explains the relationship (or interrelationship) between the concepts we call creativity and innovation.

To begin with, creativity and innovation are not synonymous; there is a clear and important distinction between them. It is especially critical for businesses to understand this distinction before instituting a new organization-wide innovation imitative.

Before discussing this distinction, however, it is important to note that creativity is a mental ability anyone is capable of, not just the artists among us. When most of us think of creative individuals, we often point out a special talent such as the ability to draw, paint, sculpt, write, play music, sing, dance, etc. Creativity is much more than winning Mother Nature’s genetic lottery for artistic ability. Creative potential exists in all of us.

Creativity is most often defined as the mental ability to conceptualize (imagine) new, unusual or unique ideas, to see the new connection between seemingly random or unrelated things.

Innovation on the other hand, is defined as the process that transforms those forward-looking new ideas into real world (commercial) products, services, or processes of enhanced value. The result of such a transformation can be incremental, evolutionary or radical in its impact on the status quo. In other words, it can represent a natural step forward in a concept’s development, a leap to the next generation of that concept, or a completely new and different way of doing something altogether.

If we use Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple and his company as an example, we could say that Steve Jobs is creative because he has the forward-thinking ability to imagine new ideas for products, and also to see new connections between different things (such as combining an iPod, the iTunes store, an Internet browser, a camera, a GPS, and a cell phone to create the iPhone).

Apple the company is innovative in the manner in which they interpret and execute those forward-thinking ideas to create inspired, highly desirable products of value. The company’s innovation-driven culture continuously strives to elevate the aesthetics, functionality and simplicity of their product design to museum quality levels.

Why is this distinction between creativity and innovation important?

Because it is impossible to develop a truly innovative organization if creativity is ignored or stifled. And likewise, without effective processes in place to transform creative ideas into practical, real world, value added application, creativity is of no commercial value whatsoever.

Once you understand the distinction between creativity and innovation, the road to success begins by liberating, nurturing and inspiring all the creative capital in your organization.

Liberate creativity, and watch innovation flow.

Innovation has become the benchmark of success, particularly in the current business environment. Companies in every industry are stepping up their efforts to become more innovative in the way they work, communicate and produce the goods and services they sell. But with such an objective, the obvious challenge becomes, how to identify the individuals within an organization who possess the greatest potential to innovate.

While everyone has the innate ability to engage in creative thinking, there are seven common traits that innovative leaders like da Vinci, Edison, Henry Ford and Steve Jobs share; seven traits that propel them to think outside the confines of conventional wisdom and imagine breakthrough concepts that change the way you and I live and experience the world.

The seven traits of highly innovate thinkers are:

1. Curiosity
Curiosity is the first step toward discovery. It is the “beginner’s mind,” a deep, child-like sense of wonder about the world, the relationship between different things and how things work.

2. Imagination
Before you can develop a new idea, you must first be able to conceive it, to envision the very possibility that it could exist. Innovation is fueled by leaps of the imagination, making novel new connections between seemingly disparate ideas, concepts or objects.

3. Intuition
Making decisions based on facts and figures is fine in many instances. But true innovation is more often born from that internal “knowing,” the guiding force, sixth sense or gut feeling to follow one’s instincts, no matter how unconventional or illogical the direction.

4. Inventiveness
The ability to change the status quo requires an inquisitive passion for “tinkering.” Innovators possess the desire to arrange and re-arrange ideas or things in new and different combinations.

5. Playfulness
It is when you get “lost in your work” that amazing things begin to happen. Time, self-consciousness, seriousness and any sense of limitation falls away, and challenges are handled with ease. The attitude of playfulness is, “Everything is possible.”

6. Flexibility
The capacity to suspend judgment and embrace two (or more) seemingly contradictory or unrelated viewpoints at the same time helps create a dynamic tension that ultimately stimulates creative resolutions (solutions).

7. Persistence
All the creative talent in the world is of no value if you give up before the work is done. Persistence, the passion, willpower and enthusiasm to overcome setbacks and discouragement, allows innovative thinkers to keep trying new possibilities until success is achieved.

Of course, there is no secret recipe for innovation. It requires an ongoing commitment on the part of an organization and the individuals within to relentlessly pursue new, better ways of doing business, and to never accept anything less than the best possible outcome. But these seven key traits are an excellent starting point for building your innovation foundation.

Start to recognize the individuals around you who naturally possess these traits, and encourage them to make frequent use of them. And nurture these traits in others who aren’t as naturally inclined. Acknowledge and reward creative thinking, responsible risk-taking and questioning the status quo. And in no time you will have fostered a thriving culture of innovation which can lead to only one thing: greater success.

photo by zetson

Many people believe that highly creative individuals possess some sort of rare, special, almost magical talent. Somehow, mysteriously, they are able to conjure up new and remarkable ideas, produce extraordinarily inventive work and make a profound impact on the world. Such individuals are viewed by many as favored by Mother Nature and blessed with a special gene, the one most of us missed out on.

Businesses that must deliver increasingly innovative goods and services in order to stay competitive (which is just about every company today), rely heavily on such creative thinkers, and may take the appreciation of their enigmatic ability to even greater extremes. In many such organizations the “creative types” are allowed to play by a different set of rules. The sometimes unbusinesslike way they dress, the strange hours they keep, their offbeat language and behavior, and even the unusual ways they decorate their offices are all tolerated, for fear of somehow disrupting the wizardry that takes place inside their heads whenever the all-important big idea is needed.

In fact there is nothing mystical about what creative geniuses do. Their abilities are remarkable, to be sure. But they’re not magic. In fact we all possess many of the same talents and skills in varying degrees and areas of concentration. Each of us was born with the innate ability to imagine, conceive, pretend and exercise curiosity. These are creative traits. The problem is, most of us have simply forgotten how to make use of them.

Creativity is simply the ability to generate new, unusual or unique ideas. “What if my toothbrush had an mp3 player in the handle…then I could listen to music while I brush my teeth!” Of course, most meaningful and worthwhile creativity is a bit more involved than that. But there is actually a process one follows when coming up with such creative notions, a process many of those awe-inspiring geniuses are quite capable of verbalizing. Even those who aren’t are nonetheless following similar systems. There is abundant evidence that many of history’s greatest creators – da Vinci, Mozart, Picasso – all followed careful, meticulous processes in the development and production their work.

So just what does this “creative process” consists of? Five sequential steps that will not only result in a more inventive solution to any challenge, but also make the task of generating that solution more interesting and perhaps even more fun.

1. Preparation – Nothing begins in the middle; and creativity is no exception. Naturally creative people always prepare thoroughly for the arrival of their seemingly spontaneous sparks of genius. There are two aspects to preparation; one is ongoing, and the other is immediate, for the specific task at hand.

Ongoing preparation simply means “stocking the pond” with thoughts, ideas and inspiration. Creativity depends heavily on making connections between two or more ideas, where no apparent connection existed before – like the toothbrush and the mp3 player. The more interesting and provocative reference points you have in your head, the more easily you will make new connections. Continually expose yourself to new, original, thought-provoking things of all kinds: art, music, literature, contemporary culture. Maintain an ongoing sense of curiosity about the world, and when the time comes to get creative, your mind will be filled with all sorts of valuable and relevant experiences to draw on.

Immediate preparation is specific to the challenge you face. Once you know what you have to do, engage in some research. See what’s been done before, what worked and what failed. Ask others for their opinions. Gather as much information as you can, or have time for, and undertaking your own project will be that much easier, and more inspired.

2. Focusing – Sometimes known as “Incubation” or “Reflection,” this is the step where you let everything you’ve gathered in your Preparation phase marinate. It sometimes takes the mind a while to sort through and process all the information you have in your head, to separate the wheat from the chaff, make new connections and build upon ideas you already have. Some people say this process is completely unconscious; after they do their preparation, they simple “walk away” and put the task out of their mind. Others say it’s more intentional and thoughtful. Still others, a combination of the two. Whatever works for you, but give yourself a bit of space between Preparation and Exploration (the next step in the process), and just watch what kinds of ideas that start to percolate and raise up to the surface.

3. Exploration – Often called “Illumination,” this is when the stuff you used to believe was magic takes place. The creative spark, the “a-ha” moment, when all the dots get connected and you come up with the big idea. It’s said that Einstein figured out his famous equation “E-mc2” while riding on a bus, that Newton observed a falling apple and was struck (some believe, on the head) with the notion of gravity, and that Archimedes discovered the principle of displacement when he stepped into a bath, and then shouted, “Eureka!” – which is why this phenomenon is also referred to as the “Eureka Moment.” The reason we call it Exploration, though, is that the Eureka moment is often a long, Eureka slog. It’s true, sometimes a great idea comes to you like a bolt of lightning, seemingly out of nowhere. But just as often the masterpiece emerges after extended, sometimes tedious work. It’s a well-known fact that Thomas Edison conducted literally thousands of experiments in his search for the right material to serve as the filament in the first light bulb. Hardly a Eureka moment. Whatever way your exploration phase happens, your mind will be giving you what you want in the end: a great idea.

4. Verification – On rare occasions, creative geniuses nail it on the first try. I repeat, on rare occasions. Most of the time our brilliant idea needs quite a bit of testing (against our standard of quality and acceptability), and refinement. Often we have several contenders, and through this process we are ultimately able to pick the best or most appropriate one. The point is, once you come up with a great idea, you’re not finished. There’s still work to be done.

5. Completion – The best idea in the world is worth nothing if it isn’t carried through to completion. Yes, more work. But genius doesn’t come cheap. This is simply follow-through, getting the job done, and is quite often more craft than art. And the better you are at it, the more outstanding your work will be. Think through the steps you will take in transforming your idea into a new reality. What tools do you need? What skills will be required? Whatever you don’t have yourself, find. In a recent survey CEOs said that fewer than 25% of their organizations’ best ideas are ever implemented. Which means more than three-quarters never see the light of day. There are countless half-finished brilliant ideas out there. Don’t let yours be one of them.

You may not be destined to become a da Vinci, Mozart, Picasso or Edison (but then again, you may!). But you can most certainly unleash your own innate creativity and significantly improve the quality of your work, whatever it is. You may not be composing symphonies, painting masterpieces, writing Pulitzer Prize-winning novels or bending time and space. Your “art” may be a new business proposal, a script for an upcoming presentation, a corporate brochure, your backyard garden or new window treatments for your bedroom. It doesn’t matter; by following the creative process, you will almost certainly enhance the value, originality and effectiveness of your final product.

It’s no secret that companies in every industry in every part of the world are scrambling to find new and better ways of doing business. Innovation has emerged as the 21^st century Darwinian competitive edge for survival. It’s no longer enough for companies to work smarter or more efficiently; fierce global competition, rapidly changing technology and more demanding customers are forcing organizations to re-adapt and re-invent virtually everything they do, what they offer and how they operate.

The global economic slump only makes this need for innovation more critical, as companies are forced to do more with fewer resources, attempting to survive the string of unforeseen challenges they are facing, while preparing to take advantage of new opportunities when they eventually surface.

One of the most significant revelations companies will experience on their road to organizational transformation is that realization that while innovation is indeed the driving force in business today— behind the scenes, it’s creativity that drives it.

Once this epiphany has occurred it inevitably leads organizations to ask the simple yet paradoxical question, “Can creativity be taught?”

These two terms, “creativity” and “innovation” are often used interchangeably. However it is important to make a distinction if we are to answer these critical questions. While the various definitions of these two words could fill a volume in themselves, for our purposes we will say that creativity means simply “generating new ideas and concepts, or making connections between ideas where none previously existed.” Innovation is a more involved process, meaning “when a creative idea is transformed into a new way of doing something.” Innovation represents an incremental, evolutionary, or revolutionary change in thinking, products, services or process that generally delivers increased value.

So is it possible for ordinary individuals and teams throughout their organization to be taught how to think creatively? Can they learn how to think outside the proverbial box to solve challenges in new and unexpected ways never before imagined? Is there a “secret formula” for creative genius that can be copied, disseminated throughout the organization, and successfully applied by novices with untested creative prowess?

This question about whether or not creativity can be taught often leads to polarizing discussions. According to a recent on-line survey we conducted, 47% of respondents believed creativity can indeed be taught, 29% thought it is “somewhat” possible for people to improve their creative abilities, and 24% felt you’ve either got it, or you don’t.

Strong and diverse points of view were expressed with comments such as… “Everyone has inherent creativity, but it is often destroyed or suppressed by the education process;” “Not everyone is going to be a Picasso, Shakespeare, Vidal Sassoon or Andrew Lloyd Webber;” and “No it cannot be taught. It must be unleashed.”

When we distill the four most commonly expressed viewpoints on the subject, they are:

• All People are innately creative; so it’s not about teaching creativity, but rather finding ways to help unleash, unlock or inspire it.
• All people are creative, but in different ways. You can only help them improve in the areas in which they’re naturally creative.
• Some people are naturally creative; others are not. But you can teach people how to be more creative.
• Only some people are creative, and you can’t teach it. You either have it, or you don’t.

The lack of consensus on the subject is most likely attributed to the fact that even in the modern business world, creativity (and the creative process itself) is still shrouded in the myth, mystique, misunderstanding and media hype. It also doesn’t help that creativity is considered a notoriously subjective process— a process not easily qualified or quantified by standardized metrics. For all of its allure, creativity is still perceived by most as something magical or mysterious, a special innate talent possessed by a lucky few, blessed with the right DNA. Creativity must be a “gift from the gods.”

A better question to ask

Fortunately for those companies with a strong desire and commitment to develop an innovation-driven culture, there is a more productive (and less polarizing) question they can ask to gain clarity on the subject: “Can our people be taught to think more creatively?”

Consider the difference between “Can creativity be taught?” and “Can our people be taught to think more creatively?”

The beauty of reframing the original question in this new way is that it allows greater discernment in the distinction between the words creativity ( generally thought of as the innate talent or ability to create or perform original works) and creative thinking (the ability to make new connections between ideas or concepts). Perhaps not everyone possesses the natural ability to create or perform a work of art; but surely everyone possesses the ability to make new mental connections if taught effective processes and techniques for doing so.

So no matter how conventional a person’s imagination or creative sensibilities might appear, it stands to reason that in a non-judgmental, supportive environment, with the right structure, training, and proven tools and techniques to engage the mind in new and different ways, a person can be taught to solve challenges by making creative connections they haven’t imagined previously.

Every milestone in innovation begins as a new insight or creative connection in the mind. But businesses don’t need Picassos; they need more creative thinkers. And millions of them are just waiting to be shown the way.

We are thrilled that this question has elicited so much response.

First, to date, of those who answered the poll, almost 1/2 (47%) believe creativity can be taught, 29% think this is “somewhat” the case (that people can improve their creative ability), 24% feel you’ve either got it or you don’t.

Perhaps more interesting, however, is the number and variety of responses we received when we posted the question on LinkedIn. In just one day the question received 23 answers from business professionals of all kinds, from different industries. Many were extremely thoughtful and provocative. We hope to use highlights from several in our article.

In the meantime, I’ll share an original poem offered up by Michael Lyubomirskiy, project manager, consultant and inventor at Lyubomirskiy Consulting.

Can creativity be taught?
Debate is endless. All for nought.
“Self improvement” so much fun
Run around, but nothing done.
Geniuses meanwhile left to rot…

More soon on this topic!

In advance of a new article on this topic, we wanted to see what you think? We have our own very definite point of view. What’s yours?

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Some time ago, Steve Jobs was quoted as saying, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower;” and that statement has never been more meaningful than it is today. At a time when the even the most fundamental elements of business success are being reevaluated and redefined, one thing becomes increasingly clear: innovation is no longer a “nice to have;” it’s a “must have.” It’s what we call The Innovation Imperative; if innovation distinguished between leaders and followers in the recent past, today it increasingly distinguishes between survivors and the barely breathing. Innovation is the new Darwinism in business; it’s no longer “survival of the fittest,” but “survival of the most innovative.”

The choice facing companies today is simple: innovate, or perish. Those that will survive today’s economic environment and succeed in tomorrow’s are those willing to continually reinvent themselves, their products, their brands, their processes-in short, the way they do business. Many organizations are even looking for innovative ways to innovate, replacing traditional brainstorming techniques with new, more inventive processes like SmartStorming and 3-D Ideation. Introduce the world to the new new thing, the bleeding edge technology, the better mousetrap, the reinvented paradigm and there’s a good bet you’ll remain ahead of the curve and be around to reap the rewards in the future.

The Innovators

The topic of innovation certainly isn’t new; it’s been the business buzz word for several years now. We’ve all read about it in business magazines and heard the reports on financial news stations. Harvard Business School professors lecture on it at conferences and scores of books address it. And the same companies are consistently held up as the elite innovators-Apple, Google, Nintendo, JetBlue, Toyota, Target (and today again, WalMart). And there are hundreds and even thousands more you’ve never heard of, visionary companies that are  seizing the opportunities (yes, opportunities) presented by the current economic phase, breaking the rules, establishing new standards, delivering incredible value, and  then starting that process all over again…and again, and again. These companies come in all shapes and sizes, and exist in every industry-technology, biotech, pharma, automotive, consumer packaged goods, retail, you name it, they’re out there, outthinking and outdoing everyone else in their fields. Whatever they’re playing field, they all have one thing in common: they innovate.

Three Not-So-Easy choices

Today, businesses face three choices. In many cases, none may be easy to make.

1. Actively innovate. Stay at the forefront of their industry and their competitive set, doing whatever it takes to meet constantly evolving market conditions and consumer demand.

2. React. Wait for others to set the standard and play catch-up, forever scrambling to match the latest development introduced by market leaders.

3. Do nothing. Stay right where they are, do their best to survive, and almost certainly stagnate, eventually drifting into irrelevance, and finally, extinction.

Innovate or perish.

Innovation of the Individual

By the way, the innovation imperative doesn’t only apply to businesses; it’s a challenge facing individuals, as well, again, even more so today. Each and every one of us who collects (or hopes to collect) a paycheck has at least one consumer, the person responsible for our professional future. Individual employees must also continually reassess their approach and establish their value, or face the same dismal fate as their corporate counterparts. In fact, while we are currently facing increasing jobless numbers, still more than 90% of the workforce remains employed. While in many cases circumstances beyond the control of the individual are responsible, what might that 10% do, innovatively, that could help them make it back into the 90%?

Work Your Innovation Chops

The time to develop an innovation orientation is not tomorrow or next week or in the third quarter. It’s now.

Begin actively searching for new, better, more productive ways of doing things. Utilize proven innovation tools-advanced ideation techniques, new technologies, breakthrough processes. Adopt an “innovation mindset,” asking yourself every day, “How could I do this better?” Turn yourself and your organization into an Innovation Machine. You will not only survive this evolutionary upheaval, you will thrive.