How good is the new Droid phone? I can't tell you that - but I CAN tell you that the premise of an ad I found displaying on CNN.com tonight has me intrigued.
The ad (shown in the static screen grab here) states plainly "Compromise Deactivated." Being on the search for a new cell phone (no decision yet), I've had trouble making a decision based on the compromise factor.
I've dropped my current phone a few times. So much so that I've to using masking tape to keep the battery attached to the phone. Clearly, battery use is important! But it seems like if a battery is reliable, I'm giving up something else - perhaps the smaller size I prefer. Or the price skyrockets. Or it has more functionality than I need/want.
But if I look for a phone that has the functionality I want (easier texting than my Razr provides), good network coverage, bells & whistles not needed (email, videos, etc. are more than I desire to carry with me at all times), then the low battery time is a major complaint within reader reviews.
I don't know if the Droid will be the phone for me, but the idea of no compromises (a fundamental principle of TRIZ - eliminate the contradictions/compromises - in order to develop the innovative solution) has me intrigued enough to continue my research. Maybe even if some of those unneeded features are there, the lack of compromises on the rest of what's important to me will be right up my alley.
The next time you're confronted with a compromise, think about what you can do to eliminate the contradiction entirely - you might be surprised by the ideas that present themselves.
"A Problem-Solver's Guide to Copycatting" is an article by Dan Heath and Chip Heath for Fast Company. The article looks at how P&G explored biomimicry with the aid of the San Diego Zoo for innovation inspiration.
They state, "But while the hunt may not be easy, it's not random either. It's about pattern matching. Ask yourself who might have solved a problem similar to yours."
It's not random; they're correct. The TRIZ (the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) methodology shows you how to find the solution you need with the underlying understanding that someone else, somewhere else, has already solved it for you!
After the examination of hundreds of thousands of patents, three primary findings were noted by the founder of TRIZ, Genrich Altshuller, and his colleagues:
Problems and solutions are repeated across industries and sciences. The classification of the contradictions in each problem predicts the creative solutions to that problem.
Patterns of technical evolution are repeated across industries and sciences.
Creative innovations use scientific effects outside the field where they were developed.
Copycatting is good - but it's better if it's used within the proven, scientific methodology of TRIZ.
Does your company have an innovation strategy? If so, how was it first presented to you? Is it like a mission statement – detailed in an employee handbook and highlighted on a company website? Do you have to search high and low, thinking you might have seen one somewhere? Are you sure one doesn’t exist?
If you have one, how detailed is it? Does it say “we are innovative” but then offer no details for how that innovation is achieved? Does it say something about “creative employees” but not acknowledge any way for an employee to innovate?
One lesson stands out: “Lead with strategy. Support with design. As businesses adapt to meet new market needs and opportunities, strategy must lead, design must contribute.”
Although I do have some questions about those surveyed (How many? Who are they?), the results do share the answers to the survey's open-ended questions that I always find contain hidden jewels. For example:
Question: "What specific tip would you give your fellow innovators to improve
their innovation efforts during tough economic times?"
Answers include:
Ask a lot of questions
Open your mind
Listen and be open to ideas
Listen to your customers
Ask and listen - such key words that anyone involved with innovation should keep in mind at all times. Not only discovering the "new," but being able to apply and make it profitable all require a routinely open mindset. Saying "no" to something may be the right answer, but it usually should not be the first answer.
Also interesting is that 31% and 34% of respondents said that they were the current economic situation as "primarily an opportunity" and "somewhat of an opportunity" respectively. And 33% say that over the last 12 months the surveyed individual said their company's innovation efforts have either "increased significantly" or "increased somewhat." Although I wholeheartedly agree that tough economic times are a good time for a company to find more of a competitive advantage, I'm surprised to see how many companies are apparently pursuing that strategy. The news is so often focused on the negative - companies closing, layoffs, bailouts - it's nice to hear that some companies have found the key to riding out these challenging times.
I hope a future survey will look at how successful these companies are as time goes on!
Phil McKinney, the chief technology officer of Hewlett-Packard's personal systems group, may not be familiar with the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) - an innovation methodology - but he is talking about a key TRIZ tool in a new interview: the ideal final result.
The article quotes McKinney as saying: "Devices today are always some kind of a compromised device--never...perfect. I want a big screen, but it weighs too much. I want 50 hours of battery life, but I can't pick up the battery. Ultimately, it's how do you build a device that requires the user not to have to make any compromise."
Begin the innovation process by determining the ideal outcome - the best possible of all scenarios. Starting from a position of compromise and concession immediately restricts the creativity and overall potential for new product, process or service development.
Instead, work backward from the ideal. Consider what it will take. And when you run into contradictions along the way - solve them using the inventive principles of TRIZ (which will be the topic of my next blog).
As noted in the report's Executive Summary, "many nations no longer compete principally on low
costs, but instead compete on the basis of innovation and knowledge as they seek to create, grow and attract high value-added firms. This report assesses nations’ innovation-based, global competitiveness." Ranking was based on six general categories:
Human capital
Innovation capacity
Entrepreneurship
IT infrastructure
Economic policy
Economic performance
A number of news headlines today highlighted the fact that the United States has fallen to Number 6 on the list. Considering two of the general categories for ranking directly involve economics - and that we're in a recession - dropping shouldn't be a surprise. (Singapore is number one.)
Although the report clearly states that its purpose is not intended to provide a solution to the problems facing the countries on the list that desire to improve their rankings, it is disappointing to read another report that (although data- and not opinion-driven) does not go into how individuals are able to transform their companies to predictably practice systematic innovation.
Last week I had the opportunity to see creativity and innovation expert Sir Ken Robinson speak in Seattle. His new book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, talks about how adults (in his experience) don't know what their talents are - they don't know their "element."
Why is our element important? Three reasons:
Personal fulfillment
Health of our communities
Economic growth & development
Creativity is a process that our education systems can suck out of us as we're forced into a world of conformity and linearity. Education systems are based on "date of manufacture" - education is ruled by how old we are. The goal of these systems is to teach children to go to college and get jobs.
Sir Ken points out that we need to recognize that life is organic, it evolves - and we need to invest in our natural capacities that mimic the nature. Excellence is not standardization - it's about personalization and customization.
Note: If you haven't had the opportunity to see Sir Ken Robinson speak in person, check out this video from a TED presentation in 2006 on whether schools kill creativity. It's a well-spent 20 minutes (as I can safely state having just watched it yet again).
Last week I was in Miami for iSixSigma Live! Summit & Awards. Innovation made its way into the agenda in a breakout and a workshop, and it was also a topic for the first day's general session – David Silverstein, President and CEO, Breakthrough Management Group International – spoke about "Six Sigma and Innovation: A Distinction Without a Difference."
A few key points from his presentation include:
"Innovation is about information and data."
"Innovation is about connecting the dots."
"Innovation doesn't happen without collaboration."
He also discussed the principle of separation in time. (It's something most of us have probably used to solve problems without knowing "it" had a name!)
Separation in time can be explained by the following: you're working on a problem, you get stuck, you go to a colleague's office, you explain your problem and you come up with the idea during the explanation. The collaboration was with yourself – you could have been in anyone's office, whomever was there listening was irrelevant to the solution. The solution came about because you had to re-process and re-state the problem at another time.
If only every problem could be solved so easily...
You could say it doesn't take much to make me happy, because I was thrilled to see TRIZ (the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), an innovation methodology, featured in an article by BusinessWeek just before the end of 2008.
Why is this such great news? It means that people are moving beyond the rhetoric of innovation and acknowledging (publicly) that there are methods and tools that can be used to achieve breakthrough innovation, much as Six Sigma did for the world in creating breakthrough process improvement.
Are you one of the companies using TRIZ behind closed doors - counting on the "secret" to provide you a competitive edge for a while longer? Be ready - your competition is catching on!
