A GLIMPSE OF RAW IDEAS FROM 'INNOVATION LIFESCAPE'

One of Dilip's newest books in his thought pipeline is, tentatively titled, 'Innovation Ecosystem Lifescape'. In many respects, it's a work-in-progress.

Below, I have taken the liberty of giving readers a glimpse of one of his many raw ideas:

There are four 'Interconnected Pathways to Innovation', as follows:

(1) Seeding: Ideas arrive ready to refine … after initial market sensing (*).

This is where sensations of fun, frolic, and free-spirited, freewheeling, freethinking, ideation are encouraged. Creative conversations are sparked through toys, puzzles, random images and objects, merging and morphing through a sense of purposeful play. This is a birthing stage, where idea seeds emerge as raw materials for prototyping, to be followed in subsequent stages by options for development into products, services, processes, systems, or relationships.

(2) Growing: Ideas arrive ready to develop.

This is a what-if? stage, where the prototype (physical or virtual) is created. Serious play involves experimenting with options and ideas, converging on, for example, experimental design concepts, service layouts, risks and uncertainty analysis, resource planning, technological acquisitions and development, and deeper project scaling.

(3) Harvesting: Ideas arrive ready to use.

This is the how? stage, where focus is directed at a successful realization of innovation objectives. For example, some items on the agenda might include development and testing of system functionality, beta-prototype trials in the market, pre-production/service trials and feedback, specifications and documentation, and qualification and certification.

(4) Reaping: The invention becomes an innovation through commercialization of the original idea.

This is where focus is placed on market penetration and revenue generation. Procedures might include identifying specific markets, distributors, and retailers, defining and determining point(s) of sale, sourcing and selecting commercial partners, defining financial accounting systems, and deciding on a commercial marketing strategy (profit, place, position, and promotion).

The process is highly dynamic, fuzzy, ambiguous. Chaos eventually gives birth to order to chaos to order, inspired by nature, where multiple systems run in parallel.

Thus, we have all four stages interacting with one another, and not always sequentially as described above. The trick is to remain focused on real-world results in real-time. Only then will the emergent innovations be timely, relevant, and profitable.

[According to Dilip, 'The Stages of Innovation' runs as follows:

(1) Market Sensing (*)
(2) Idea Generation
(3) Idea Sorting & Focusing
(4) Idea Development
(5) Piloting & Prototyping
(6) Rolling Out & Distribution
(7) Receiving Feedback, Measuring, & Analysing
(8) Scaling Up, or performing Creative Destruction;]

Say Keng's personal comments:

Dilip is absolutely right on the ball with regard to putting 'market sensing' as a prelude to innovation.

I always hold the view that enhancing perceptual sensitivity to the environment - marketspace, to be precise - is not only the vital key to creativity & problem solving, but also to innovation & entrepreneurship.

Perceptual sensitivity (or sensory acuity) - to express in more specific terms, acute perception, fluidity of perception & multiple perceptions - empowers one's ability to recognise opportunities.

Some food for thought:

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes."

~ Marcel Proust, (1871-1922), French novelist;

"You are surrounded by simple, obvious solutions that can dramatically increase your income, power, influence & success. The problem is, you just don't see them."

~ Jay Abraham, marketing strategist & author of 'Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got';

"Everyone is surrounded by opportunities. But they only exist once they have been seen. And they will only be seen if they are looked for."

~ Edward de bono, creativity guru & author of 'Opportunities: A Handbook for Business Opportunity Search';

To share one great example from the real world:

When Walt Disney took his young daughter to play in a park, he noticed the details around him: the adults were bored, the rides were run-down, & the ride operators were unfriendly.

He thought: "Wouldn't it be fun if there was a place where kids & adults could play together?

From those initial observations, he hatched the idea of his famous theme parks.