Innovation is not a linear, analytic process where a business case is built, investments made and products launched. Rather, it is a recursive, iterate framework for spending small increments of time and money to learn more and design a solution for a real problem.
Read More »Author Archives: Michael Graber
The Biggest Impediment to Developing and Deploying Innovation
Command-and-control, top-down organizations have the most trouble innovating. In particular, the fearful mindsets that review, align, and sign off on “decks” to be presented to Vice President-level colleagues often edit out the insights and recommendations that have the power to grow the business in new ways.
Read More »Telling Compelling Stories
This is another excerpt from 2016’s FEI conference in Boston, MA. This one comes from William Greenwald, Founder and Chief Neuroleaderologist at Windsor Leadership Group. He began with a story. This one was about air travel. Something happens. The plane makes an odd noise, then nose dives. “What am I’m going to do?” echoed in his head. The captain chimed ...
Read More »Revisiting Jill Lepore’s Debate with Clayton Christensen
Jill Lepore's New Yorker article about how Disruptive Innovations have failed and how the theory is bogus completely underestimates the forward-thinking and world-changing power of disruptive innovation in business.
Read More »What’s Your Innovation Definition?
So many organizations set out to innovate, but lose their way close to the finish line. All of the time, money, and energy invested loom over them like an ominous shadow of failure ready to overtake the whole scene. What happened? There was so much momentum, good will, collaboration, and then—the painful, public crash into the wall.
Read More »The Rock’n’Roll of Business (Part One)
Brand Essence (Part one of three) Like famous musicians, effective brands maintain a certain sway over those who come into contact with them, a sense of awe and authority that translates talent, focus, and hard work into an essence that communicates instantly. Let’s begin by defining the word “brand.” To start we will play the game “no.” I’ll ask several ...
Read More »Anxiety Hits Middle Managers the Hardest
“What are the metrics?” We get this question all the time from nervous managers, directors, and VPs who are struggling with the philosophical underpinnings of front-end innovation. They are eager to launch an innovation program, but want to be able to foresee the outcome before embarking on a journey of discovery.
Read More »Radical Team Dynamics for the Highly Productive
Michael Graber looks at three elements of high-functioning team dynamics for the highly productive and invites you to look at how radically productive you want your culture to be?
Read More »Embedding Innovation into Your Organization
It takes two factors to make innovation real at an organization: concepts and culture. Work on both at the same time and the rest will emerge as a by-product of the process. If you outsource your innovation efforts, you will end up with concepts that will not be accepted by your existing culture. Some concepts might be potent enough to ...
Read More »Private Label Becomes the Branded Product
Almost everyday the Studio faces challenges that private label competitors impose upon our branded products clients. More and more private label brands are taking lessons out of the innovation and brand strategy playbooks and getting ahead of the once category-leading brand product.
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