News and views

  • Innovation is betting: you’ve got to be in it to win it!

    Innovation fails Innovation is not guaranteed to work, if it were then it would not be novel enough to be termed “innovation”. So there is a risk involved. However, presumably, we would like our innovative efforts to work (that is, to pay out) some of the time, otherwise they would not be worth the price.…

  • We like differently

    It is a very simple idea: we like differently. And a wide range of consequences flow from it. You and I like different things. Also you and I like or dislike the same things for different reasons and to a different extent. A significant hurdle to understanding this is the difficulty we frequently have in…

  • Innovation is an opportunity

    Innovation happens as new perspectives, thoughts and ideas lead to changes in behaviour. Doing the same things and expecting a different outcome is unrealistic. Only when we do new things, do we make a substantial difference. Mankind has evolved through the application of small thoughts which continually make a difference to someone and big ideas…

  • To innovate or not to innovate? That is not the question!

    Sooner or later continuous improvement, by any individual or organisation, runs out of steam. Marching up the slope ahead of us makes sense as an effective way to move onwards and upwards, until we reach the summit. But the summit of what? Most likely it is not the summit, it is just a summit. There…

  • Opportunities: how can we look for them?

    We are all looking for opportunities, aren’t we? Or do we focus mainly on problems? How often have you heard that every problem is an opportunity? Is this true? So what is the difference between a problem and an opportunity? Opportunities and problems are opposites. Usually, we do things because we can see the benefit of…

  • Come on, Apple; you can multi-task!

    My iPad is great. Although completely unjustifiable on any financial basis, I bought a “top of the range” first generation iPad soon after it came out and have never seriously regretted it. The addition of apparent multi-tasking, in upgraded versions of the operating system, seemed to be a good idea at the time. But for…

  • Experience – the Apple iPad video

    In a deceptively simple video, Apple have captured in 30 seconds what most of their competitors will never figure out in a generation.

  • Organising for innovation

    Aspects and characteristics It is unlikely that anyone doubts that the ability of an organisation to innovate is strongly dependent on the nature of that organisation. Its nature can be described by various characteristics (including cultural, behavioural and structural characteristics) and by several aspects (including the static and dynamic aspects) of those characteristics. 

  • Standards: who’d have them?

    Whether to standardise? “If only there were a standard!” How often have we heard this lament about the need for consistency and the benefits of uniformity? Standards free us from decisions and incompatibilities, and are extremely useful in many situations. On the other hand, there is the sceptical approach: “The great thing about standards is…

  • It’s not about the technology! Or is it?

    New experiences, behaviours and techniques come along from time to time. As children, at school, there was always the latest “craze” whether it was for conkers or marbles or assegais (remember those?). As adults, at work and at play, we call them innovations, whether they are new materials, techniques, goods, services, fashions or whole new…