Practice of Innovation

"The way we work is our most important innovation." Observations by Curtis R. Carlson

Innovation for Jobs

I4J Conference From around the world sixty invited experts on areas of innovation gathered at Google yesterday at the “Innovation for Jobs Ecosystem Conference.”  The conference co-chairs were David Nordfors (founder and director of the center for Innovation Journalism) and Vint Cerf (“father” of the Internet and National Medal of Technology winner). Innovation is the basis for prosperity and the creation of new jobs but it is also responsible for job destruction and.. Read More

DNA, Luck, or Skill?

The Discipline and Practice of Innovation   Innovation is not the result of a lone genius or luck.  There are innovative superstars, but most professionals can be successful innovators once they learn how.  And, since we all have customers, we should all be creating more value for them.  Innovation is a disciplined process based on fundamental concepts from the learning sciences combined with best practices from the world’s most successful innovators. 

Innovation’s Importance

“Our most important innovation is the way we work” Since innovation is the primary driver of human progress, activities that speed up or improve innovative success have special importance.  There are many inputs that can improve innovative performance, including education, government policy, and investments.  But ultimately they impact how we work — how we create value for our customers — how we innovate.   Today’s innovative performance is generally poor.  It.. Read More

Innovation is Learning, Searching, and Creating

“Learn fast to succeed early.”  Yes.  “Fail fast to succeed early.”  No! The right concepts move us forward.  The wrong concepts hold us back. In Silicon Valley it is often said, “You must fail fast to succeed early.”  That is tragically wrong.  The goal is never to fail fast.  It is also demoralizing.  

“Mother of All Demos”

Douglas Engelbart Douglas Engelbart (1925 to 2013) was one of the world’s greatest innovators and scientific pioneers, having created at SRI International (at the time Stanford Research Institute) the computer mouse, hypertext, networked computers, and the graphical user interface.  That is, he created the fundamental ideas behind the modern PC interface, including multiple windows, real-time text editing, and video teleconferencing. Engelbart’s overriding mission was to augment human intelligence so that society could more.. Read More

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