Leadership
Six Strategies to Lead Innovation from the Top
What is Oscar Munoz doing walking airline fields in a safety vest? As the new CEO of United Airlines, you may expect him to hole up in a cozy office somewhere, directing the company from behind closed doors. How he’ll perform as a CEO for one of the more troubled airlines in operation today is […]
If You Want To Innovate Then Avoid The Herd: Groupthink Leads to Bad Decisions
Research on small groups has found that people in groups tend to “like” people who are most like them. They establish norms or limits to behavior to make sure similarity and harmony are nurtured or even enforced. This normal group behavior (the effects of groupthink) can turn into a problem because
Neurodiversity and Innovation: The Benefits of Hiring Employees Who Break the Mold
Today, a diverse workplace is not only common, it’s a requirement. While racial and gender diversity are givens, there’s also an important new frontier: neurodiversity. A neurodiverse workplace provides new talent opportunities for those previously deemed unemployable, and it provides workplaces wit
The German Innovation System and Its Challenges
When one thinks of innovative nations, one of the first that comes to mind is Germany. The list of scientific discoveries, inventions, and technologies adapted and improved in Germany is breathtakingly long. The innovations include aspirin, morphine, the modern assault rifle, the smart card, the pri
The Innovative CEO: How to Lead Innovation from the Top
What is Oscar Munoz doing walking airline fields in a safety vest? As the new CEO of United Airlines, you may expect him to hole up in a cozy office somewhere, directing the company from behind closed doors. How he’ll perform as a CEO for one of the more troubled airlines in operation today is […]
Innovation in America: How Our Education System Hampers Creativity
I outlined it in a previous post: America has an innovation problem. Once regarded as a nation of innovators and entrepreneurial spirits, the United States are on track to fall behind nations like China and Japan on metrics like R&D spending and technology innovation. But the problems with innovatio
Stop Being Negative: Become an Anti-Critic
It’s an unfortunate fact that the world is full of critics who feel that it’s their place to put others down left and right, based on their ideas, actions, and even personal beliefs. It seems that being negative is the order of the day, based on its prevalence among TV pundits, editorials, and anony
United States Innovation Problem and How We Can Solve It
The United States used to be the undisputed global leader in innovation. In the past, we put a large portion of our considerable economic power behind research and development, with the goal of becoming and remaining the most innovative country in the world. However, in the past few decades, America
The Recipe for Innovation Success
Success in innovation isn’t going to happen overnight, nor does it happen as a matter of chance. There’s nothing preordained about successful innovation. There are a number of factors that can contribute to the ultimate success or failure of your latest idea, but the basic formula that I’ve learned
Why is Slack Time So Important to Innovation?
In the modern workplace, it seems time is one of the most precious commodities – and getting scarcer by the day. Employees are encouraged to work from the moment they sit down at their desks until the moment they clock out, with minimal breaks in between. Sometimes, even bathroom breaks and opportun
