Blog
In these posts I try and challenge, stretch and inspire new ideas & conversations.
Why leader’s should ignore disruptive innovation
5 reasons why disruptive innovation could be a bad choice for leaders Disruptive innovation is all the go in the latest management advice. Industries and companies are all in danger of being disrupted. And what's more if leaders don't disrupt then they can risk the...
The small wins innovation process
The problems with the stage gate innovation process: Many leaders and managers have a kind of blind faith in the stage gate innovation process. Whist it has some plusses (e.g. provides a structure for innovation) and it is useful for large scale projects it has many...
What is small wins innovation?
Karl Weick and the power of small wins In January 1984, Organisational Theorist, Karl Weick wrote a paper entitled: Small Wins: Redefining the Scale of Social Problems,” American Psychologist. In this seminal paper he suggested that often large-scale problems appear...
Why every leader needs small wins innovation
Has the innovation promise been fully delivered? I have been working with leaders and managers for the past 10 years trying to help them and their teams become more innovative and grow their businesses. There have been many successes. But there is always a sneaking...
How to become a small wins innovator
Innovation is a skill. And like any skill it requires practice, the right tools and encouragement. This means that any manager or leader or team can learn how to become a small wins innovator. Perhaps the best way to truly understand this approach is to remember what...
Small wins innovation and the brain
Shawn Achor is a consultant and a former Harvard graduate and author. He writes extensively on items such as positive psychology. In a recent article he gave 5 tips that promote optimism and a positive attitude. The last tip caught my eye (courtesy of a blog by Robert...
Moving beyond continuous improvement
Continuous Improvement is a powerful concept often attributed to quality expert Edward Deming. It has been around for many years and is commonly linked to programs such as Total Quality Management and Six Sigma. But is it time to move beyond this concept to something...
The power of small wins on changing culture
I work with a lot of leaders and one of their most pressing questions is: How do you build a more creative and innovative culture? For many leaders in medium to large organisations this challenge is just too big. They feel that transforming a culture is much like...
What do leaders really feel about innovation?
I ran an innovation workshop yesterday with a group of HR leaders. I started the session by asking them: How do you feel about innovation? The emphasis on feel is important. If you ask any manager and leader what they think of innovation they typically say that it is...