The Droid - No Compromises?

Katie Barry — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:34:39 -0500

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.

On "A Problem-Solver's Guide"

Katie Barry — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:19:27 -0400

"A Probl

30 Dumb Inventions

Katie Barry — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:29:20 -0400

Life's title, 30 Dumb Inventions, almost says it all.

A curved machine gun?
Babies in cages hanging outside of windows?
Illuminated tires?

A good reminder - not all innovation is good!

Value of an Innovation Strategy

Katie Barry — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:44:39 -0400

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?

Innovation in a Tough Economy

Katie Barry — Wed, 13 May 2009 23:54:35 -0400

InnovationLabs has released the results of a survey, "Innovation in a Tough Economy."

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:

HP Talks TRIZ

Katie Barry — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:04:29 -0400

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.

Benchmarking EU & U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness

Katie Barry — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:15:34 -0500

The Information Technology and and Innovation Foundation - with the European-American Business Council - has released the report, The Atlantic Century: Benchmarking EU & U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness.

Sir Ken Robinson in Seattle

Katie Barry — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:53:06 -0500

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:

Innovation at a Six Sigma Conference

Katie Barry — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:50:03 -0500

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:

The Secret of TRIZ

Katie Barry — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 18:23:23 -0500

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.