Innovation in Practice

Innovation Sighting: The Division Template on a Cell Phone

2010-03-08T02:00:00-05:00

LG Electronics is about to announce their third annual Design the Future Competition. Last year, more than 800 entries were submitted by consumers with their take on the future of mobile communications. The winning entry is the focus of this month's Innovation Sighting. From LG:

"LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A. Inc. (LG Mobile Phones) recently named Emily Albinski from Wading River, NY the winner of its 2nd Annual Design the Future Competition. The idea competition challenged participants to create a concept to define the future of personal mobile communication. First place winner Albinski, a professional full-time freelance designer, created the CC on the theme of connectivity. The winning concept of a modular phone, which could be used by LG in the future, includes a “core” phone that can be inserted into a touch screen or netbook shell depending on the user’s needs. By design, the winning concept would allow users to connect in many different contexts and environments. Albinski, a science and technology enthusiast, refined and laid out her concept in just four days."

Her concept demonstrates the Division Template of the corporate innovation method, S.I.T.. Division works by listing the components of the product or service, then dividing out a component either physically, functionally, or by preserving the characteristics of the whole. Emily "divided" out functionality of the traditional cell phone, then embedded it into different environments and platforms to create new innovations.

To make it even more interesting, it is useful sometimes to place the divided out function into less obvious environments. For example, imagine the cell phone functionality is embedded into an alarm clock. A musical instrument. An umbrella. Using SOLUTION-TO-PROBLEM thinking, imagine how this would work. What problems would it solve? What benefits could it deliver? Who would want such a device? For example, perhaps your umbrella is notified when it should be carried with you that day.

Congratulations to Emily and all the winners. I am looking forward to the next round!

Innovating to Compete

2010-03-01T02:00:00-05:00

Innovating is a form of competitive behavior. When we innovate, we compete with someone or something. We innovate to survive. We innovate for glory. We innovate to win. Leaders of organizations need to understand and leverage this competitive aspect of innovation to embed it into the organization.

Innovating to compete occurs at many levels:

At the national level, governments compete with other nations for trade, economic power, and global political influence.
At the municipal level, cities compete aggressively to attract investment, firms, and employees to stimulate jobs and economic growth.
At the industry level, competition among sectors is fierce. Industries want to attract customers, investment, talent, and favorable government treatment.
At the company level, firms want to be more competitive by differentiating themselves in the marketplace.
At the business unit level, franchises compete with one another for budget resources and manpower.
At the individual level, peer rivals compete with each other for promotion and bonuses.
At the personal level, we compete with ourselves to achieve a new "personal best" when overcoming challenges.

Here are suggestions of what leaders can do to embrace competition and drive innovation:

National: Governments need to create a National Innovation Policy. The policy should outline a vision, identify opportunities, create guidelines for investment, coordinate partnerships, and nurture the development of human talent. Here is an excellent example of an innovation policy from the Czech Republic. Countries that pursue these policies will thrive.
Municipal: Cities compete just as nations do. At the city level, government leaders can further the state of innovation by coordinating activities between firms, entrepreneurs, venture funds, and universities. Many cities spark innovation by sponsoring innovation contests.
Industry: To be more innovative, firms within the same industry need to band together and form trade groups to facilitate and coordinate programs that sustain the vitality of the industry. Trade groups can no longer focus just on government lobbying. They need a coordinated approach to technology transfer and scientific investment. They need to address the systemic flaws in their industry that stifle growth.
Firm: Companies need to train their employees how to innovate using systematic tools and processes. Firms need to "innovate on demand" and maintain a healthy flow of new projects into the pipeline. Most importantly, innovation strategy must be pursued within the context of competitive strategy.
Business Unit: The business unit is where innovation happens. Innovation is a team sport, and franchise leaders need to deploy teams using facilitated workshops to create new products and services. Leaders should allocate resources disproportionately to those who systematically produce new pipeline concepts...organically.
Individual: People succeed through innovation. An employee's value and vitality is sustained by the ability to generate novel ideas day in and day out. People need to see innovation as a skill, not a gift, that can be learned through university or corporate training programs.
Self: At this level, it starts with a simple question: "Am I an innovator?" Says Steve Banhegyi, "Your self image controls your level of personal innovation. Your ability to innovate rests largely on who you think you are. You are as innovative as your narrative allows you to be."

The LAB: Innovating an Aquarium Using S.I.T. (February 2010)

2010-02-20T15:31:09-05:00

There are a 183 million pet fish in the United States, more than double the number of dogs. Fourteen million U.S. households have fish. During the past decade, the pet fish category grew by more than 20% making it one of the fastest growing in the industry. For this month's LAB, we will apply the corporate innovation method, S.I.T., to the mainstay of fish keeping - the aquarium.

Here are five unique aquarium concepts invented by one of my graduate students, Janette Douglas, at the University of Cincinnati as part of her final exam in "Applied Marketing Innovation." For the this exam, each student was given a product randomly. They had three hours to create new-to-the-world concepts and demonstrate proficiency using each of the templates.

To use the S.I.T. method, Janette starts with a component list:

glass panels
lid
bottom of tank
fish
gravel
plants
filter
water

Here are her ideas:

1. SUBTRACTION (remove an essential component): Remove the fish. Make the tank a "plant only" tank. The benefits are: lower maintenance, lower cost, more flexibility, and more room in the tank. The target audience is people who enjoy the peaceful nature of an aquarium but don't want the responsibility of taking care of an animal. (DREW'S NOTE: this idea actually exists today, especially for a niche of aquarium owners who "aquascape".

2. TASK UNIFICATION (assign an additional job to an existing resource): Assign the gravel the additional job of regulating water temperature. The benefits are: no need to monitor water temperature as it is self-regulated, easy to add fresh water without having to worry about temperature, and less expensive as you do not need a separate water heater. Target audience is people who tend to make frequent changes to their home's temperature or people who live in climates with extreme temperature changes. Feasibility is a question mark - not sure if this technology exists or could be developed.

3. MULTIPLICATION (make copies of a component but with a qualitative change): Multiply the filter but change direction of flow - instead of filtering waste out, the second filter adds components to the water. The benefits are: easy to add vitamins and other useful chemicals making it easier to control water quality. Target audience is people who have exotic fish that require specific water conditions.

4. DIVISION (physically or functionally cut the product or component): Cut the glass in half. This creates two separate spaces in the aquarium to support two separate marine environments side-by-side. Target audience is people who want to enjoy fresh and saltwater tanks. It could also be used by marine biologists who want to use two separate tanks to do research (manipulate one side and compare results to the other). (DREW'S NOTE: this product exists).

5. ATTRIBUTE DEPENDENCY: (create or break a dependency between internal and external attributes): The glass panels change (clarity) depending on the oxygen levels in the external air and internal water environment so that adjustments can be made accordingly. Potential benefits: greater accuracy of water composition in relation to the external air. Target audience is fish hobbyists or scientists needing to carefully regulate oxygen for specific types of fish or plants.

Janette did a nice job on this final exam even though she is not an aquarium owner. What I like about this example is that is shows how well people can innovate even when they are not experts in the product or service. I doubt that a person who had never seen an aquarium could have generated these ideas. But with just a general knowledge about the domain, people can innovate routinely using structured innovation methods.

Innovation Sighting: Subtraction on CPG Products

2010-02-15T02:00:00-05:00

Here are two CPG products from this week's Best New Product Awards. I tried them at home and noticed a pattern. That pattern suggests a different way to use the Subtraction Template of the innovation method, S.I.T.. The question is whether that pattern can be replicated on other products to create line extensions and new categories.

The first product is the Bounce® Dryer Bar from Procter & Gamble. The second is the Scrubbing Bubbles® Toilet Cleaning Gel from SC Johnson. See if you can spot the pattern in each:

Did you see it? Each product has had an important step subtracted in how the product is used. The conventional way to use the Subtraction Template is to list the components of the product or service, then remove a component, usually an essential one. Using SOLUTION-TO-PROBLEM innovation, we take the hypothetical solution (The Virtual Product), and imagine problems that it solves. These two products were created by listing the steps of how the product is used instead of the components. The step: "consumer places product onto usage area" was subtracted. In essence, the product has to "get" itself to the usage area or be installed in the usage area permanently so it can be used on demand.

Let's see if we can replicate this idea with other CPG products. Here are nine products and how a new product could evolve using this same pattern.

Deodorant: Instead of applying deodorant with an applicator, the product now has to reside under the arms on its own. How? Perhaps it could be embedded into clothing or undergarments. Perhaps it is woven into the armpits of undershirts. After a number of uses and wash cycles, it is replaced with a new dosage.
Shaving Cream: Instead of slathering on shaving cream out of a can, we remove that step and embed shaving cream into the handle of the shaver. It dispenses as the shaver is used.
Lip Balm: We remove the tube applicator of the lip balm and place the balm somewhere else so it can be called into service when needed. The question is: where? This is a tough one because there is no intervening element such as a shaver, toothbrush, or washing machine as with the other examples. Perhaps it could be stuck to your lips like the tiny, thin teeth whitening strips. When you press your lips together, you get a dose of lip balm.
Detergent: Instead of pouring detergent from a bottle, the product is pre-loaded into a container within the washing machine. The washer knows how much product to dispense based on how much laundry is placed inside.
Mouthwash: Here is another tricky one because there is no intervening element. Here is how it might work. Instead of pouring mouthwash out of a bottle into your mouth, we have the product dispensed to the back of the tongue (where bad breath starts). From where? Sinus cavity, a tooth area, lips, etc. Applications onto the body are tougher because there are "less forgiving" areas to pre-install product as with the two cleaning product examples.
Toothpaste: Instead of squeezing toothpaste out of a tube, we pre-load it into the toothbrush. It dispenses automatically. This is the same idea as the shaving cream.
Eye Drops: Instead of using an eyedropper to pour liquid into the eye, we place a thin coating on the eyelid. When you squeeze your eye shut, the eyeball is moisturized. This one is a stretch, but the concept could hold true with the right technology. It would make it much more convenient than leaning your head back and taking aim with that little bottle.
Hair Spray: Similar to the shaving cream and toothpaste examples, we pre-load hairspray into a specially-designed hairbrush that meters it out as needed.
Floor Cleaner: The cleaning solution is pre-loaded into the handle of the mop or somehow stuck to the floor where it can be accessed when needed.

Perhaps we will see some of these at the Best New Product Awards of 2011!

Innovation and Reputation

2010-02-08T02:00:00-05:00

Sustainable innovation requires structured methods. But it also requires collaboration and information sharing among colleagues. Innovation is a team sport - groups produce better results than the lone genius. So how do you create a more favorable context for collaboration and sharing in your business unit?

Reputation is what matters. The degree to which a technical worker will share information with a colleague depends on that colleague's reputation for returning the favor. The rule of reciprocity states that people give back to those in the form they have received from others. It is a social rule taught by every human society to its members - you give back to those who have given to you. But the key is: to make the first move. You have to be seen as someone who gives and shares information with others, and has a reputation for returning the favor when others give to you.

Dr. Prescott Ensign and Dr. Louis Hebert investigated this phenomena by surveying more than 200 pharmaceutical scientists working in the R&D operations of 63 different companies in Canada and the U.S.. They found that technical workers often hold critical information privately without fear of sanction or consequence. What motivates them to share with others is when they see the other person as likely to give back - the other person has a well-deserved reputation for giving information back to the other person that is meaningful. The complete results and analysis of the study are described in the book Knowledge Sharing Among Scientists.

Here are the key findings (from Sloan Management Review, Winter 2010, Vol. 51 No. 2, pp 79-81):

Past behavior by individual scientists, and the groups they belong to, influences whether knowledge is shared.
Longer duration of interaction positively influences the flow of information.
Quality matters more than quantity of information shared.
Pre-existing personal and professional relationships increased the likelihood of knowledge sharing.
Individuals who were already obliged to another person were less likely to be helped by that person that someone who was less obligated, not obligated or owed a favor.

Organizations who want to be more innovative need to do two things. First is co-location of knowledge workers and team building. Putting people in close proximity to one another and getting them to socialize will make them more likely to have the day-to-day, random encounters where they can share critical tidbits of knowledge and information. The second is training. Companies are recognizing a key gap in the skills of influence. People can be trained how to systematically and ethically influence and align their co-workers. Six universal principles of persuasion such as Reciprocity are well described by Dr. Robert Cialdini in his book, Influence: Science and Practice. Companies are conducting formal training courses in the practice of influence to make their knowledge workers more effective.

For individual innovators:

Make the first move. Share critical information with others even if they have not given anything to you. Make sure the information is meaningful and customized to that specific individual so that they feel especially obligated to return the favor.
When you receive information from others, reciprocate in kind. Build a reputation as a person who is willing to give back to others who give to you.
Develop informal social relationships and networks within - and outside - your work group.
Learn the principles of influence and how to deploy them in the workplace and increase the level of knowledge and sharing.

The LAB: Innovating the iPad with Attribute Dependency (January 2010)

2010-01-31T16:07:39-05:00

Apple's iPad creates a new category of consumer electronic somewhere between smart phones and notebook computers. Success depends on how well it embeds into our everyday routines at work, home, and elsewhere. Success also depends on how well it creates new routines. A great innovation tool for this is the Attribute Dependency template of the corporate innovation method called S.I.T.. This template creates (or breaks) dependencies between attributes of the product and the external environment. The iPad already has many of these. My favorite, for example, is the ability to show the correct display no matter how you hold the device. There is no up or down. It is an example of breaking a dependency between screen orientation and device orientation.

To use Attribute Dependency, make two lists. The first is a list of internal attributes of the iPad. The second is a list of external attributes - those factors that are not under the control of the manufacturer, but that vary in the context of how the product or service is used. Then create a matrix with the internal and external attributes on one axis, and the internal attributes only on the other axis. The matrix creates combinations of internal-to-internal and internal-to-external attributes that we will use to innovate. We take these virtual combinations and envision them in two ways. If no dependency exists between the attributes, we create one. If a dependency exists, we break it. Using Function Follows Form, we envision what the benefit or potential value might be from the new (or broken) dependency between the two attributes.

I created a matrix when demonstrating the use of Attribute Dependency on the iPhone. To save time, I am going to use the same matrix for the iPad.

Here are five new innovations for the iPad along with the attribute dependencies that led to the idea:

1. LOCATION-JOB TYPE: The iPad has GPS, so it knows what room it's in at home or the office. Once it senses its location, it automatically loads the application or screen display that is most suited for that location. Alternatively, the iPad could default back to the last application that was in use at that particular location. So if you walk into the kitchen with your iPad, it would automatically pull up the menu application. If you walk into your boss's office, it pulls up apps and information related to work.

2. USER-MUSIC SOURCE: The iPad will become a family appliance like many others in the home now (TV, microwave, etc). Unlike other appliances, the iPad will sense which family member is using it (by touchpad sensors), and adjust settings such as source of music, font styles, multi-touch behavior, apps, etc.

3. BATTERY LIFE-TIME: Same as the iPhone idea, the user can switch to a "battery conservation mode" that will power down features not needed (color screen goes to black and white, wi-fi off, vibration off). Or, the iPad does it automatically depending on time of day such as at nighttime. For travelers who like to keep the device on all night in their hotel room, this would save time and battery life.

4. FUNCTION-TIME: The iPad knows what day of week it is, so it would adjust its settings and functions to that day of week. The "Sunday" iPad acts and works differently than the "Friday" iPad. It knows our routines day-by-day, and it adjusts to an optimal configuration accordingly.

5. LINKAGES-VIDEO QUALITY: As the linkages to things like email, SMS, YouTube, etc. change, so does the video quality. This is an odd one because you would think the user would want the same video quality for everything. Perhaps the advantage here is that the screen optimizes size, resolution, brightness, and other qualities to adjust to the application being used.

Innovation Sighting: Task Unification with the iPhone

2010-01-25T02:00:00-05:00

The iPhone is an incredible platform for innovation. As it becomes more popular, it invites even more innovation. Many of the iPhone's functions demonstrate the Task Unification template of the corporate innovation method called S.I.T.. Task Unification is a pattern that assigns an additional job to an existing resource or component within a product or service. To use Task Unification in practice, we start by listing the components of the product or service. Then we assign non-intuitive tasks to some of the components randomly. The idea is to create weird, ambiguous "virtual products" that don't seem to make any sense. Then we work backwards from this hypothetical "solution" to a possible problem that it addresses. Linking the solution to a problem creates an idea.

Here are two recent examples of Task Unification in the iPhone. What is unique is the use of a resource that is often overlooked: the charger receptacle. The device shown at left plugs into the charger receptacle and turns an iPhone or iPod Touch into a universal remote. It’s made by L5 Technology, and was launched at CES 2010. It controls any compatible device within 30 feet using a free app from the App Store.

Another clever example of Task Unification shown at CES was the Mophie credit card reader device. It lets you take payments with your iPhone using a third-party app and a device that attaches directly to your phone. I have seen a similar device used exclusively at Apple stores, but this is the first available for the consumer market.

Check out more iPhone innovations yet-to-be-seen.

Language and Innovation

2010-01-18T02:00:00-05:00

Language and innovation are inseparable. Language puts meaning to our ideas, be it spoken, written, or symbolic. We convey ideas to others which is essential in corporate innovation. Innovation would be nearly impossible if we did not have language.

If you want to improve your innovation effectiveness, improve your use of language. Structured innovation methods help regulate our thinking and channel the ideation process. At the moment immediately before we innovate, we hold in our minds a pre-inventive form or structure that has yet to be understood. It is at that exact moment we conjure up words and associations to attach to the pre-inventive form. It is this process of linking objective facts and judgments to the pre-inventive form that transforms it to an inventive form - an idea.

Here is a step-by-step approach how language is used in innovation:

Generate Pre-Inventive Forms: Use a structured process such as S.I.T. or Geneplore to create novel, divergent, and ambiguous forms.
Match Forms to Facts: Take the ambiguous forms inside your head and connect them to objective facts outside your head. This yields an idea. Better ideas are created when we strive for facts that are both clear and true. A bad idea stems from weak or assumed facts swimming around inside our head and not validated or developed. As D.Q. McInery notes, "No idea, even the most bizarre, can completely sever its ties with the objective world, but ideas can become so remote from that world that their relation to it is difficult, if not impossible, to see." It is not "thinking outside the box," but rather thinking outside your head that matters here.
Match Ideas to Words: Take the ideas created in Step 2 and associate them with words or symbols. "As we have seen, first comes the thing, then the idea, then the word. If our ideas are sound to the extent that they faithfully represent the thing, they will be clearly communicable only if we clothe them in words that accurately signify them." "Putting the right word to an idea is not an automatic process, and sometimes it can be quite challenging. We have all had the experience of knowing what we want to say but not being able to come up with any words for it."
Match Words to Value: Take the words and symbols that describe the idea and search for the value it creates. Identify the benefit it generates and for whom. If you have trouble at this step, go back and check the objective facts that sourced the idea to begin with. Or try different word and symbol descriptors to see if it triggers different insights about the value. Use a software program like Goldfire to search semantically for knowledge and information within the domain.
Articulate Value With Demonstration: Take the insight around value creation and try it out. Build a prototype, drawing, model or other representation that you can test with the target audience. Demonstration enables evaluation. Testing discloses areas for improvement. Here again, the use of the right language in the form of words and symbols is essential. Using the wrong language may lead to the wrong conclusion.

Here is an example:

This pre-inventive form is generated using the Task Unification template of the S.I.T. method: "A surgical instrument has the additional task of seeing through a small hole in the operating field."
This form is matched with facts: the only way to see through an object is to make it transparent or to bend light around it. An idea!
The idea is matched to words: "Use mirrors like a toy periscope to see around the surgical device and into the small opening."
The value derived is in being able to do accurate surgery in small spaces. It saves time because the surgeon does not have to peak around or withdraw the instrument to see inside the opening.
A prototype is built and tested, ultimately leading to a patentable product.