Innovation Networks
(Adam) I have recently being asked by a client about innovation networks, particularly for knowledge sharing within organisations. I have put some of my response below but would be interested in your thoughts on this:
1. There are no formal innovation networks, currently sharing takes place through informal networks such as this one, or through the conference circuit - e.g. PSFK, centaur etc.
2. The conference circuit has many drawbacks in terms of you can rarely influence what you are hearing and it is not neccesarily the people who are working on innovation projects every day who are given the talks.
3. In order to create an innovation network you have to be able to offer something in return. Especially if you are looking to involve your peers in other companies, this cannot just be a one way sharing of information for the gain of your organisation. If you want to learn you have to be willing to share.
4. If you want to build a network you need to look closely at different methods of staying in touch e.g. meetings, workshops, conference are extremely time consuming, where as innovation blogs are easier to maintain. However the willingness of people to share information via a blog is often limited particularly as it is open to the world or even in a closed blog a network of people over whom you have no real control.
5. In terms of keeping up with what is going on in the world of innovation this requires dedication and looking at sites such as http://endlessinnovation.typepad.com/ but again the information can be variable.
I would be interested in your thoughts on:
- do you know of any innovation networks?
- how do your companies network with outside organisations?
- what would you want from a network for it to be worth taking part?
- any ideas on how to create a network?
- how do you keep up to date with what is going on in the world of innovation?
- any market innovation surveillance or monitoring services that you are aware of?
1. There are no formal innovation networks, currently sharing takes place through informal networks such as this one, or through the conference circuit - e.g. PSFK, centaur etc.
2. The conference circuit has many drawbacks in terms of you can rarely influence what you are hearing and it is not neccesarily the people who are working on innovation projects every day who are given the talks.
3. In order to create an innovation network you have to be able to offer something in return. Especially if you are looking to involve your peers in other companies, this cannot just be a one way sharing of information for the gain of your organisation. If you want to learn you have to be willing to share.
4. If you want to build a network you need to look closely at different methods of staying in touch e.g. meetings, workshops, conference are extremely time consuming, where as innovation blogs are easier to maintain. However the willingness of people to share information via a blog is often limited particularly as it is open to the world or even in a closed blog a network of people over whom you have no real control.
5. In terms of keeping up with what is going on in the world of innovation this requires dedication and looking at sites such as http://endlessinnovation.typepad.com/ but again the information can be variable.
I would be interested in your thoughts on:
- do you know of any innovation networks?
- how do your companies network with outside organisations?
- what would you want from a network for it to be worth taking part?
- any ideas on how to create a network?
- how do you keep up to date with what is going on in the world of innovation?
- any market innovation surveillance or monitoring services that you are aware of?
posted by Adam French at 7:25 AM
6 Comments:
You've asked a bunch of interesting questions... I'll do my best to tackle a few.
First of all, I'm not sure how you are defining innovation network. I think of it as any group of people who gather physically or virtually to openly share ideas. Sort of like open source ideation.
I think two interesting, "formal" examples are P&G's "connect and develop" program... learn more at: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/5258.html and Infonomia, a unique and growing network that originated in Spain... learn more at: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/112/next-world-class.html.
I've mentioned the three equivalents I'm a part of: (1) http://likemind.us an organized monthly gathering over coffee where people share marketing ideas; (2) Idea Ninjas, an internal group I started at Microsoft which brings together 1 highly creative person from each of our business decisions for a monthly lunch; (3) ModSquad, inspired by the movie "Thank you for not smoking", a creative lead from Microsoft, WAMU, Amazon and Starbucks (the big local firms).
In a nutshell, I've tried to cover internal and external groups (both separately and together).
Each group takes an incredible amount of energy to maintain... they are not self-sustaining at this point (an indicator of a truly robust network). And each is reliant on "emotional" incentive, rather than pure payment (as in P&G's model).
Here are a few key success factors (in my opinion):
A. The audience MUST understand "what's in it for them". Whether it's money, recognition (check out http://www.topcoder.com), ideas...
B. Create a dedicated channel. A blog/bulletin board for your community. A regular gathering time and place. It's ironic, but I find the audience needs a regular meeting in order to be innovative (otherwise, they have a hard time staying engaged).
C. Make your attendees feel special. With the Ninjas, I invited every member in person... informing them they were the most creative person in their division. You can amplify the commitment of your core by recognizing their talents and letting them know they are important, innovative, and have a lot to offer / gain.
And P.S. other interesting marketing surveillance comes from http://www.springwise.com and http://www.trendwatching.com.
Post more questions / comments and let's keep the discussion going.
Hi Scott
Thanks for you answers. In terms of an innovation network, I am thinking more in terms of a network that shares best practise and experience of innovation practises. Rather than an ideas or open innovation network such as P&G have, which is more about the end product of innovation.
I agree with your experiences i thinking that networks are difficult to get going and maintain. What i draw from your thoughts is that locality is an important factor, it is much easier to get people together if they work in the same city.
The problem that I face with blogs is that it is dificult to make them closed so that others cannot access what you are sharing, and in particular when you are sharing best practise people become reluctant to post documents that may contain confidential or semi-confidential information.
The conclusion that i reached is that i am not sure that this client has either the time or enough to offer other companies to set up a true innovation network. They want to learn best practise from others but have little to offer in return, particularly in terms of knowledge. This would make it a very one sided affair.
As a part of thinking about this, i came accross www.fdin.co.uk but this seems much more about general information sharing and more of a seminar approach.
It is rare that I have seen client side businesses that can sustain and support internal focus on innovation. Sooner or later, attention turns to short-term revenue, cost-cutting, administrivia and other pursuits.
The supplier side businesses that have the expertise in innovation processes, best practices, etc seem reluctant to share their experiences for fear that they might give up their "secret sauce". This is exactly why we are still using the same Creative Problem Solving process that was first described more than 50 years... ironically, despite a different business environment, society, etc, our innovation process has not changed.
Sorry for the rant... my constructive comment is to explore using an internal wiki to track best practices. It makes them permanent, can be easily edited, and access can be restricted. More thoughts to come...
Hi Scott
You make an interesting point about suppliers/ agencies. My personal view and where i am trying to move the company's offer to is to share (for a fee) our knowledge of innovation processes and practises.
The end result of this is firstly an interesting new offer for our business but also importantly a challenge to ourselves to keep our thinking fresh and to add new approaches or improve on the existing ones. Only by doing this can we escape the cycle that you describe that really only serves to hamper thinking.
Off to investigate wiki's.
I like the idea of an innovation consultancy sharing its knowledge for free. I think if anything it will attract new business.
How will it differ from the "Articles" section of the site? More frequent posting / commentary? More NDA material?
As an aside, watch those "Articles"... there are a few typos in the couple that I read, and I wouldn't want them to impact company credibility.
I'll be in London on the morning of May 25th - if you want to grab coffee and talk innovation, contact me at sbuch@microsoft.com.
Also, you may want to check out the local Likemind monthly creative event for inspiration. Visit http://likemind.us for more details. Cheers.
Thanks Scott, will send you an email, be good to meet up for coffee.
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