April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Empowering Innovation Michael M. Cirovic Professor and Chair Electrical Engineering Cal Poly, SLO
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Why Innovate Technological innovation has improved and enhanced the human existence Innovation is part of the human spirit It is entirely normal for us to want to improve things, to make them better than they were Innovation drives the economy PC’s are a good example Hardware (higher speed) Software (more power, new features)
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Innovation - What it is not It is not the way movies portray it Not always planned the transistor Not always an improvement lumpy cable Not a discontinuous event that drastically changes the status quo Innovation is Not Revolutionary but Evolutionary Not the result of a flash of inspiration More Perspiration than Inspiration
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Three Avenues to Innovation Personal - What each person: Can do Needs to do Should avoid doing Group – Group members need: To be Supportive, nurturing To be team players To refrain from being overly competitive Institutional – what the corporate infrastructure: Needs to cultivate Needs to prevent
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Institutional Empowerment of Innovation The company should create a fertile environment Employees need to know that their ideas are welcome Happy employees innovate Every evaluation should explicitly address the employee's contributions in innovation Rewarding acts of innovation will bring more It must be safe to fail Innovation can be stymied where the fear of failure rules Punishment for failing must be in proportion Negativism must be minimized It is so easy to react to a new idea by finding fault or a reason why it will not work
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Group Dynamics to Empower Innovation The notion of team effort is critical Each individual must be ready to help all others Cooperation and Competition must be two sides of the same coin Sacrifices are part of it Praise and encouragement among team members
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Individual A Different Point of View is Needed Less judgmental More positive, persevering Edison’s “100 ways not to do it” Creativity needs to be Unblocked! We all wear blinders, suffer from conventional thinking Takes discipline and work to overcome Need to practice unblocking on a regular basis I do a puzzle daily
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright ©
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Anathema to Innovation Creative thinking blockers Arithmetic Balancing our checkbook Putting on our pants Our Memory It is associative Causes us to remember and repeat
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Paths to Innovation Innovation is nothing more than Directed Problem Solving Abstraction Generalization of trends and patterns Extrapolation Getting the solution by extending the current pattern in a given/new direction Avoiding Conventional Thought Ask the question “what would happen if …”
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Examples Homeless Tracking System Problem statement Conventional Solution Innovative Solution HODOC Problem statement Books -> Database -> CD ROM
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © 10 Innovation Proverbs (Thinksmart.com) 1. PEOPLE do innovation. 2. Innovation means doing something that hasn't been done before. By definition there is risk involved. No risk; no innovation. 3. Innovation is a win-win process. It creates new value for the customer and the organization. 4. Innovation is a team sport. Teams are built around a common objective and trust. 5. Innovation requires risk. Risk-taking requires trust. Trust requires honesty and openness.
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © 10 Innovation Proverbs (continued) 6. Innovation requires energy. Energy comes from challenges that excite the imagination. 7. Innovation is about creating the future. Cost-cutting and downsizing are about fixing the past. 8. Innovation is not just a rah-rah word or fad. It is an investment in the future that requires new processes, time, energy, commitment and resources. 9. Innovation requires new information -- from co-workers, customers, suppliers, competitors and from the world. 10. Innovation requires time -- time to think, time to tinker, time to talk about possibilities and ideas. Down-to-the-second controls can kill innovation.
April Technology Symposium 2003 copyright © Parting Thoughts Some people view the world as being made up of problems, I view the situation as presenting opportunities for clever solutions