Articles

Expertise and innovation
In progress
Many experts are very innovative in their field. Some devote their entire career to developing innovations that build on previous ones. This article describes what creative experts do differently.
Mental tricks, innovation and wicked problems
In progress
How can groups, steeped in the knowledge of their field develop innovation?
Read more articles...

Participate in a research project
  • Check back for future research projects on this topic. Learn about other research projects below
Learn more
-----------------------------------------------
Consulting services
  • Knowledge-enhanced decision support.
Products & services
Contact
Richard McDermott
USA 303-545-6030
Richard@McDermottConsulting.com

Innovation comes from seeing deeply into the heart of the matter.

The "New" Innovators
Common folk wisdom suggests that innovation comes from "creatives" who don’t take the "inherited wisdom" of the field too seriously. Our research on expertise and innovation suggests something very different. Some, not all, seasoned experts are very creative because their expertise allows them to see beyond the ordinary or obvious. Their ability to see deeply into their field is the basis of their creativity.

We teach individual contributors the tricks of creative thinking that builds on their knowledge and expertise. 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Developing Innovation
Applying ideas – both successes and failures – from one field or industry to another was one of the characteristics of Edison’s lab. How should your organization create a "mashup" of ideas? Do you encourage all staff to innovate? Create a separate innovation lab? Form a network of people who are able to mix perspectives and translate ideas from one field to another? “Crowdsouce” innovation through open meetings, like IBM’s Jams. What will work best for your organization? Hire scouts to go search for innovative ideas?

With a strong background in organizational design, we help you develop the mechanisms to encourage innovation that fit your organization.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Mainstreaming Innovation
How do you spread innovation throughout the organization? Hand-off innovation to knowledge management groups? Feed innovation into functional groups or practice networks? Create separate groups to develop innovation into a new business?

Innovation is useless unless adopted, but the best approach to mainstream innovation depends on the organization. We help your organization understand the what is needed to mainstream innovation without watering the innovation down and fits with the organizations culture, structure and processes.

 

We help you design organization structures, processes or mechanisms for encouraging innovation. We also help you develop the mechanisms for mainstreaming innovation in a way that fits the organization and makes sense to staff.

 

 
RocketTheme Joomla Templates