Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Wow! That's a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory
    Wow! That's a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory
    Wow! That's a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory
    Ebook111 pages1 hour

    Wow! That's a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory

    By Ed Bernacki

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Wow! That’s a great idea! We like to use this expression. These are the ideas we want to have.
    You know it is a great idea. Others look at the idea and they see that it is a great idea. It may solve the problem. It may create an opportunity. It captures the essence of good design thinking. Great ideas have something that we are drawn toward. It is hard to explain what makes a great idea ‘great’. Yet this is a skill you need to be an idea factory.
    You will discover something about Ed’s style of writing; it is jargon and cliché free. These articles will give you insights and ideas. His goal is to help you understand and use new concepts. He believes one reason we fail to innovate is poor communication. We use the word innovation but fail to give it any meaning.
    Ed says there is one golden rule for innovation: Talking about innovation and expecting that this makes you innovative is as effective as talking about physical fitness and expecting this makes you fit. This collection gives you 30 ways to start.
    Section 1: Creativity: clichés and straight talk
    1. Thinking outside the box – to think outside the box means you must know how to think inside the box.
    2. Finding opportunity in every cliché – is seeing the glass as half full really more positive than seeing it has half empty?
    3. Making time to think – many executives say their workplace is a lousy place to think. Where do you think?
    4. Reconsidering ‘risk taking’ – do innovators really see themselves as risk takers?
    Section 2: Do People Think Alike?
    5. Stop killing ideas of people who do not think like you!
    6. Will emotional intelligence kill your innovators?
    7. Harnessing different thinking styles – how could we see the differences in the way people think?
    Section 3: Idea Management: sharpen your skills
    8. Just say “PO”... For provocative thinking – use this Edward de Bono tool to prompt your thinking
    9. Managing idea flows as if they were cash flows
    10. Great idea, or just good? What’s the difference?
    11. Serving customers through insight – some tips on design thinking
    Section 4: Opportunity for Innovation
    12. Every business needs an innovationalist
    13. Light and shade
    14. Creating opportunities to innovate
    15. Is doing nothing an option in your business?
    16. Understanding failure and success
    17. Managing knowledge fostering innovation
    Section 5: Leading Innovation
    18. Are you a manager or a ‘damager?
    19. The true bottom line
    20. The courage to act
    21. Where's your Plan B?
    22. Flashes of blue sky
    23. Corporate storytelling: not just for the boardroom
    24. When to avoid “being practical"
    25. Leaders as drivers of innovation
    26. The risk of not trying something new
    27. Allowing your stars to shine
    28. Will the new year bring ideas for your business?
    29. Go easy knocking Kiwi ingenuity
    30. You’re better than you think

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEd Bernacki
    Release dateDec 1, 2012
    ISBN9781301342679
    Wow! That's a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory
    Author

    Ed Bernacki

    Ed Bernacki helps people and organizations develop a greater capacity to innovate. He provides a number of Idea Factory training programs. He has also created a range of idea journals / guides on innovative thinking. These are designed to help people shift from 'making notes' to 'managing their ideas'. Examples range from publishing a wide range of ideas journals to working with clients to create specialized innovation guides. This includes clients like Public Works and Government Services Canada and the Singapore Prime Ministers Office. Ed is also an expert communicator of innovation. He bring a cliche and jargon free approach to this work. His article website hosts about 80 published articles. Http://www.EdBernacki.com He also pioneered the concept of the Conference Navigator Guides, a tool kit for people who attend conferences. Over 50,000 have been used at conferences in numerous countries. The Navigator Guide combines a high quality idea journal with a guide on innovative thinking. Inc. Magazine was the first organization to invest in this idea for a series of its entrepreneur conferences. George Gendron, former editor in chief of Inc. Magazine said: “In the past 10 years we’ve moved from a period where there were simply too few new original ideas about managing and leading our organizations, to where there are too many. As we’ve said in Inc. magazine many times before, this is the age of execution. From this perspective, the Conference Navigator is an idea whose time has come, helping people bridge the crucial gap between inspiration and execution.” The latest book is "Seven Rules for Designing More Innovative Conferences" written to help people design more engaging conferences. See Hppt://www.innovativeconferences.com

    Read more from Ed Bernacki

    Related to Wow! That's a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory

    Related ebooks

    Business For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Can Good Design ‘Spark Joy?’

      Jun 3, 2019

      Last summer we were in the collective grip of Marie Kondo fever – asking ourselves if our sock drawer “sparked joy” and earnestly applying the “KonMari Method” to tidying up our homes, and by extension, our lives. Perhaps this is just another example

      2 min read

    • Article

      Group Think

      Sep 12, 2016

      Group Think
      2 min read

    • Article

      Inside The Creative Process

      Jun 3, 2019

      There is something profoundly mysterious about the creative process. The source of inspiration continues to capture the attention of artists, corporations and scientists alike; what is it that allows people to create, and what defines the individual

      2 min read

    • Article

      Turning Big Ideas into Business

      Jan 1, 2018

      ASK ANY LEADER TODAY, and they will tell you that innovation is a top priority for their enterprise. In the words of Cisco’s John Chambers: “Disrupt yourself, or be disrupted.” To quote from PwC’s 2017 CEO Survey report, innovation is the most direct

      8 min read

    • Article

      Better By Design

      Feb 25, 2018

      Better By Design
      9 min read

    • Article

      Who Needs Design?

      Jun 1, 2017

      Design is an investment, not an expense. But it’s not uncommon to hear startups claim that they value design, but are going to wait to engage a design team later: “We need design, but we just can’t afford it right now.” “Maybe after we launch our M

      2 min read

    • Article

      From The Editor.

      Aug 4, 2020

      From The Editor.
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Skill To Develop Right Now

      Apr 9, 2021

      The Skill To Develop Right Now
      6 min read

    • Article

      Flipping the Value Creation Model

      May 1, 2018

      HISTORICALLY, MARKETING has been based on an ‘Industrial Age’ approach. Marketers saw what they believed to be a customer need, developed a product bearing what they considered to be ‘value’, and then tried to find buyers seeking that value. This ‘su

      5 min read

    • Article

      Strategy + Design Thinking = Stakeholder-Centric Design

      Sep 1, 2018

      OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS, design thinking has had an explosive impact on innovation and commercialization, especially within established firms. The Rotman School’s former Dean, Roger Martin, has contributed mightily to these advances, notably through h

      6 min read

    • Article

      Your Structured Approach To Brand Management Is Killing You

      Feb 11, 2018

      For many years now, academics and agencies have been developing scientific models to measure the strength of the brands we build. This is based on the prevailing wisdom that a good brand is one that grows in equity over time. The result is a (very re

      4 min read

    • Article

      Democratize Innovation

      Aug 12, 2020

      Innovation means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. A startup flickers to life on it, a well-toned unicorn has often had a steady diet of it, and legacy brands will, at some point, inevitably hear that the lack of it is the reaso

      5 min read

    • Article

      Switching on Creativity

      Jan 1, 2019

      Switching on Creativity
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Pursuit Of Creativity

      Feb 24, 2020

      The Pursuit Of Creativity
      15 min read

    • Article

      How To Be Happy At Work

      Sep 1, 2018

      It boils down to three things. First, people need a sense of purpose. They need to feel that they are contributing in an impactful way and that their work is meaningful. Second, people need to feel hopeful about the future. They need to feel that wor

      5 min read

    • Article

      New Breed of Buyers

      Oct 29, 2020

      Luxury — just like the internet — is a truly global phenomenon. Its sellers are global. Its buyers are global. Even the aspirants are truly global. Luxury goods are often bought by buyers outside their home countries because shopping is such an inali

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Untold Story Of Netflix

      Feb 24, 2020

      The Untold Story Of Netflix
      1 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Wow! That's a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Wow! That's a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory - Ed Bernacki

      Wow! That’s a Great Idea!

      30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory

      by

      Ed Bernacki, Innovationalist

      The Idea Factory

      Volume One

      Wow! That’s a great idea!

      We like to use this expression. These are the ideas we want to have.

      You know it is a great idea. Others look at the idea and they see that it is a great idea. It may solve the problem. It may create an opportunity. It captures the essence of good design thinking. Great ideas have something that we are drawn toward. It is hard to explain what makes a great idea ‘great’. Yet this is a skill you need to be an idea factory.

      This collection of articles comes from Ed Bernacki who started the Idea Factory in 1996. He is a thinker and thought leader on ideas about innovation and creativity. He has been an innovation writer for a wide variety of publications in various countries for fifteen years. This compilation of 30 articles is designed for leaders and managers to prompt them to be more innovative in their thinking. Many of these articles were originally published in New Zealand. He is grateful to publication editors at New Zealand Trade and Entreprise who allowed him to explore a wide diversity of innovation themes.

      You will discover something about Ed’s style of writing; it is jargon and cliché free. These articles will give you insights and ideas. His goal is to help you understand and use new concepts. He believes one reason we fail to innovate is poor communication. We use the word innovation but fail to give it any meaning.

      Ed’s recommendations for communicating innovation:

      1. Think twice before use the word innovation. If you can use a more exact or precise word, always do so. You cannot lead innovation if people do not understand what you mean.

      2. Can innovation fail? No. You can fail to innovate. Technology can fail. Project management can fail. Marketing can fail. This does not mean innovation failed.

      3. Never use the expression, ‘We are a creative and innovative organization,’ unless you can explain the difference between these terms.

      4. To test the effectiveness of innovation initiatives in an organization ask staff, What does it mean to be innovative in your job? Listen to what they say. Everyone should be able to answer this question.

      5. Do not talk about innovation projects. It is arrogant to think that every project will become innovation. Talk about projects. Some will succeed. Some will fail. Perhaps a few will lead to innovations.

      6. Innovation starts with problem solving. If you cannot solve problems effectively, you will not innovate.

      7. Avoid the concept of ‘incremental’ innovation – as it is ridiculous – unless you can clearly explain the difference between incremental innovation and continuous improvement.

      8. Recognize that we solve problems in different ways. As such, what one person thinks is highly innovative could be routine for someone else. Do not let these differences in thinking style get in the way of collaboration.

      9. Learn to manage your ideas. Ideas need to be managed as we manage our money.

      10. There is one golden rule for innovation: Talking about innovation and expecting that this makes you innovative is as effective as talking about physical fitness and expecting this makes you fit.

      Wow! That’s a Great Idea! 30 Great Ideas on Innovation from the Idea Factory

      Published by Ed Bernacki of the Idea Factory. Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2012 Ed Bernacki

      This book is one of a series written by Ed Bernacki. For more information see http://www.EdBernacki.com

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      ~~~~

      Table of Contents

      Section 1: Creativity: clichés, tips and some straight talk

      1. Thinking outside the box – to think outside the box means you must know how to think inside the box.

      2. Finding opportunity in every cliché – is seeing the glass as half full really more positive than seeing it has half empty?

      3. Making time to think – many executives say their workplace is a lousy place to think. Where do you think?

      4. Reconsidering ‘risk taking’ – do innovators really see themselves as risk takers?

      Section 2: Do People Think Alike?

      Do you manage people as if they do? Can you work with people who do not think like you?

      5. Stop killing ideas of people who do not think like you!

      6. Will emotional intelligence kill your innovators?

      7. Harnessing different thinking styles – how could we see the differences in the way people think?

      Section 3: Idea Management: sharpen your skills

      8. Just say PO... For provocative thinking – use this Edward de Bono tool to prompt your thinking

      9. Managing idea flows as if they were cash flows

      10. Great idea, or just good? What’s the difference?

      11. Serving customers through insight – some tips on design thinking

      Section 4: Opportunity for Innovation

      12. Every business needs an innovationalist

      13. Light and shade

      14. Creating opportunities to innovate

      15. Is doing nothing an option in your business?

      16. Understanding failure and success

      17. Managing knowledge fostering innovation

      Section 5: Leading Innovation: are you a manager or a damager?

      18. Are you a manager or a ‘damager?

      19. The true bottom line

      20. The courage to act

      21. Where's your Plan B?

      22. Flashes of blue sky

      23. Corporate storytelling: not just for the boardroom

      24. When to avoid being practical

      25. Leaders as drivers of innovation

      26. The risk of not trying something new

      27. Allowing your stars to shine

      28. Will the new year bring ideas for your business?

      29. Go easy knocking kiwi ingenuity

      30. You’re better than you think

      (Many of the graphics in the eBook are from the

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1