performance

Innovating with Meaning: Elements of the "Innovation Field"

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:21:39 -0500

Often our clients ask us: how do we know if we are an innovative organization and how can we measure if we are improving? Based on our experience practicing, teaching, and consulting in Innovation Management, we developed an empirically-based model or framework to view innovation from a team and organization-wide perspective.

Innovating with Meaning: You Reap What You Sow

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:56:18 -0500

We would like to briefly share key lessons from the bestselling book, The Seeds of Innovation. From our experience conducting research, teaching, practicing, and consulting in Innovation Management for over 20 years, we see that innovative thinking can be enhanced by improving core competencies (i.e., knowledge, skills, an

Innovating with Meaning: Build a Shared Understanding

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:54:00 -0500

Through our work in organizations, with clients, as well as with students in both public administration and business administration courses, we have witnessed a wide range of definitions of “innovation.” Some of these, of course, are better than others. These definitions typically include references to “creative thinking,” “brainstorming,” “new products and services,” “breakthrough technologies,” and/or “radical business models.”

Leading in Times of Recession

Rochelle Mucha — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:46:32 -0500

Innovating with Meaning: It's Time for a Prison Break!

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:37:45 -0500

If there ever was a time for a “can-do” attitude to help find innovative solutions to our personal and collective troubles, this is it! Many of you may remember the words uttered not too long ago by former U.S. Senator and economist, Phil Gramm, who downplayed the idea that the nation was in a financial recession; instead, he "diagnosed" the situation as a “mental recession,” likening the country's (and its citizen's) ills to what we all know as mental depression.

Innovating with Meaning: The Power of Meaning-Full Engagement

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:52:55 -0500

Innovating With Meaning: Are You "Asking" For Innovation?

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:05:06 -0400

There is a well known saying, “You get what you ask for!” Many organizations identify or list innovation as a core value in their mission statements and then fail to follow up with the necessary action steps to ensure that innovation does, indeed, become a rallying cry throughout the organization.

Innovating with Meaning: Designing Idea Programs That Matter

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:09:23 -0400

Over the years, we have consulted with many clients who have implemented idea programs as an integral part of their overall Innovation Agenda. The design and implementation of such programs must be well thought out, in order to build innovative thinking skills, participation, and trust among all employees. Here are just some of the idea program design principles to consider:

Innovating with Meaning: The Power of Focus

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:46:30 -0400

So often leaders think that they are communicating a focused message to the members of their team or organization but, in many instances, their message gets lost in the clutter. Often these leaders move on to the next message before the members of their team/organization fully and commonly understand the first one!

Auto Industry Crash

Francis McInerney — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 14:08:15 -0400

New York — Some of the world’s biggest companies are about to blow one of the most exceptional growth opportunities in history. Seventy million light vehicles are sold annually, demand is rising steadily worldwide, the industry is in the beginning of a huge replacement cycle to green vehicles, but, most of today’s suppliers will not be around to benefit.

Innovating with Meaning: What's the Big Idea?

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 22:36:38 -0400

Welcome back to the Innovating with Meaning Blog!

Innovating with Meaning: Missed Opportunities

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:27:17 -0400

Welcome back to the Innovating with Meaning Blog!

Life is about choices. Just like the contestants on the popular television show, "Deal or No Deal?", who have to choose between making a deal with the banker or carrying on with the chance of identifying a case containing a million dollars, we are all faced with making choices that send us along different paths in life. Often, these choices can lead to fulfillment or, alternatively, to feelings of "missed opportunities". These choices can be in our professional as well as in our personal lives.

Innovating with Meaning: Mind the Garden!

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:41:59 -0400

Innovating with Meaning: A Wake-Up Call!

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:27:38 -0400

It seems fitting in light of the previous few weeks of turmoil in our financial world, that we, as co-authors of this blog, share our perspective on how we all can still Innovate with Meaning during these volatile times.

The Media Blues

Francis McInerney — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 12:11:09 -0400

Tokyo — NBC’s Beijing Olympics coverage was over the top, with more coverage over the air, on its cable networks, and online than in all the years since the 1960 Olympics, combined. But here’s the shocker: despite streaming most of this — thousands of hours — over nbcolympics.com, the Games drew less than $6 million in online advertising revenues. That’s a tiny fraction of the $1 Billion NBC recouped on legacy media toward what it spent to acquire American broadcasting rights.

Welcome and Introduction

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:23:38 -0400

Welcome to the "Innovating with Meaning" Blog!

Innovating with Meaning

Dr. Alex Pattakos — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:51:08 -0400

A forum for discussing the search for meaning at work, the creation of meaningful workplaces, and the design of innovation systems, products, services, processes, and policies that make a positive difference and are truly meaningful.

Microsoft and Apple

Francis McInerney — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 07:13:41 -0400

New York — Talk about asymmetric innovation, today the big story was Microsoft hiring comedian Jerry Seinfeld for $10 million to help rebuild its stodgy image in what the Wall Street Journal called its “Battle to Beat Apple.” While the blogosphere chattered away about how Seinfeld used Macs on his show and once appeared in an Apple ad, the real story is in this chart.

Mangled Words

Rochelle Mucha — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:48:44 -0400

When you look in the mirror, see glass

Rochelle Mucha — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:44:52 -0400

Rehearsal Can Make For More Effective Leadership

Rochelle Mucha — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:28:46 -0400

One of the great prevailing myths in the workplace is that our time is actually planned. In truth, our day is a series of interruptions and surprises. The best-laid plans give way to spontaneous conversations, debate, and decision-making. Unanticipated external influences demand adaptation. Simply, we are improvising much more than most of us realize.

Reframing Authenticity

Rochelle Mucha — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:24:20 -0400

Authenticity is a popular topic amongst leadership pundits. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue has been misleading, absent the critical conversation on role and characterization appropriateness. To be authentic, is not just to be who you are, flaws and all, flaunting ‘self’ regardless of circumstance. Rather, it is about clarity of intention, and drawing on oneself to deliver on that intention.

Inner Work of Leadership

Rochelle Mucha — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:22:35 -0400

The ‘when’ and the ‘what’ of leadership

Rochelle Mucha — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:21:25 -0400

‘When’ is different from ‘What’.

‘What’ suggests a thing, an item, an object, something that may easily be defined, observed, measured. ‘When’ suggests a time, an experience, a feeling. Whereas ‘what’ may be short-lived, ‘when’ is ongoing.

Reclaiming the Power of our Senses

Rochelle Mucha — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:19:59 -0400