Articles

My podcast interview on innovation by Zunder Lekshmanan. 

Topics:

·                  What is innovation? What is systematic innovation? What is innovation ecosystem?

·                  Business model, strategy, competitive advantage, business moat

·                  Method / process of innovation, innovation metric

·                  Design Thinking and empathy

·                  Idea generation, sources of innovation

·                  Idea selection, management of risk

·                  Experimentation, prototyping

·                  Idea communication
·                  Mindfulness, self-discovery, cognitive biases, self-deception

·                  Evolution of systematic innovation in India

·                  Idea management systems

·                  organizational culture, roles like catalyst and champion

Topic	Article
What is innovation? Systematic innovation Innovation ecosystem	Applying I-squared-P definition of innovation What is Systematic Innovation? Organizational innovation ecosystem Chance favors prepared mind: Pasteur’s first law of innovation What can innovation movement in India learn from Quality movement? 4 types of innovations: BusinessWeek classification Joseph Schumpeter's 5 types of innovations (100 year old classification) Mahatma Gandhi and the heart and the soul of systematic innovation A century of systematic innovation: From Edison to Lafley A century of systematic innovation: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) A century of systematic innovation: My favorite milestones (Part-1, Part-2 and Part-3) Thomas Edison's method of innovation Jamsetji Tata's method of innovation Is innovation really about progress?
Business model, Business moat, Competitive advantage, Strategy	What is your business model? Warren Buffett and Disruptive innovation What kind of moat does your business have? When Warren Buffett invests in business model innovation Strategy as surfing a wave: David Grossman's moment of recognition at IBM Strategy as surfing a wave #2: More MORs (Moments of Recognition) Strategy as surfing a wave #3: Grossman-Patrick story and "dog that didn't bark analysis"  Strategy as surfing a wave #4: What do successful surfers do? Letting a wave pass by: Story of Warren Buffett's non-investments in Intel and Microsoft Why does Geoffrey Moore say, "Being innovative is not enough"? Thomas Edison and the patent paradox Kodak: story of how George Eastman resolved patent paradox Centenary of a blue ocean: Ford Model T “Predatory leap” metaphor of Prof. Rumelt iPhone and Blackberry: Competitors and Complementors Is your business model sticky? Richard Rumelt’s 9-point hard-times survival guide My favorite Buffettisms Strategy and the fat smoker: Why insights don’t always translate into actions Kodak is toast: insights from Bill Gates at Buffett Group meeting Game of shorting: is it really easier to figure out the losers? When growth chokes your business: lessons from Subhiksha retail Tata Nano: How the story evolved over the years
Innovation framework, Innovation engine, innovation process, innovation capacity, innovation effectiveness	How innovative are you? A simple innovation dashboard 5-levels of innovation maturity Two dimensions of innovation maturity: creative confidence and incubation effectiveness Want to increase capacity of your innovation factory? Check your C-E-O Assessing capacity of innovation engine using CEO model Thomas Edison the father of systematic innovation Thomas Edison's method of innovation Assessing efficiency of your internal innovation bazaar Rigor and rhythm of innovation review: a P&G example Going beyond idea contest #3: Building innovation sandboxes Bangalore 10K run and a (N=1, R=G) model Open innovation insights from P&G’s Connect + Develop More open innovation insights from P&G’s Connect + Develop Dynamic innovation sandbox: Where thinking inside the box matter  Innovation custodians and their innovation philosophies   Lower your batting average to increase innovation productivity  Innovation sandbox: a low-cost grass-root level example A look at Tata Nano through "Dynamic Innovation Sandbox" lens INSSAN Convention: Sources and types of innovations
Design Thinking	4 tenets of Design Thinking 3 principles of immersive research Empathy as accessing three kinds of ignorance Empathy as understanding the assumptions behind rigid reflexes Learning Design Thinking: Is it more like learning cycling or cycology? 3 symptoms of empathy deficit  Immersive research: P&G's approach of getting deep customer insights Can empathy be taught? Where does an intervention begin? Story of Dr. Kiran Bedi’s first day at Tihar Jail Design thinking vs TRIZ: A panel discussion My 3 take-aways from "Design Thinking, Creative Thinking and Innovation" workshop at SPJIMR Highlights of "Design Thinking" workshop held on Nov 7-8, 2012 in Bangalore Prof. Ulrich Weinberg on Design Thinking Building creative confidence in housekeeping and model making staff at Agastya
Idea generation, Sources of innovation, Challenge book, Challenge framing	Innovation trigger: idea vs. insight Three sources of innovation: pain, wave and waste (video on pain, wave, waste) Innovation: where to begin? 5 ways of framing a challenge 3 characteristics of a good challenge statement How to build curiosity stamina? Four approaches to problem solving Do ideas float in the air? Role of communication in generating creative insights Is creative thinking an oxymoron? Going beyond idea contests Immersive research: P&G’s approach of getting deep customer insights Discipline of full body immersion: lessons from Ganesha and Bill Gates Reva and Nano: 2 approaches to innovation Searching the source of "low-cost car" idea in India
Idea selection,  management of risk	4 types of risks every innovator should be aware of Overcoming prediction disability: Applying the black swan wisdom to idea selection Black swan and the laws of Mediocristan vs Extremistan Insight, entrepreneurial mindset and principle of affordable loss Joseph Schumpeter and the principle of indeterminateness Impossible problems and successful approaches: Story of Fermat’s Last Theorem Clean slate enquiry & strategic insight: Story of Intel’s exit from memory business Lego: story of an innovative company that forgot cost of innovation 1996 Everest disaster and a lesson in "design as if implementation matters" Killing an idea: Lessons from the destruction of Nalanda University Appreciating the promise of underdog technology: story of Henry Ford's first meeting with Edison Edison's folly and understanding the exposure to negative Black Swan Margin of safety: my most favorite insight of 2009 1930: The year when Benjamin Graham re-discovered "Margin of safety" Killing an idea: the good, the bad and the ugly way What legends learn from gambling: Warren Buffett & the rules of the racetrack
Prototyping, experimentation	Prototyping: A foundational competency of every innovator Rapid prototyping: 1-hour, 1-day and 1-week prototypes 4 levers of systematic experimentation: Story of Wright brothers Two experimentation loops in an innovation: the story of Watt-Boulton steam engine Prototyping to clarify requirements: a 747 experience Why do you say innovation is difficult, Mr. Feynman? Lower your batting average to increase innovation productivity    Story of how Google's AdSense almost got killed A low-cost experiment that crystallized Deccan Aviation's vision Prototyping new roles: story of Malaysian airlines     Acharya Jagadis Chandra Bose: The father of systematic experimentation in India
Idea communication,         idea selling,                        idea diffusion	Idea communication and curiosity gap theory An idea presentation template based on Steve Jobs' iPod launch speech in 2001 An idea presentation template based on 2 minute pitch by The Wand Company founders Managers are from Mars and storytellers are from Saturn Cabbages and condoms: Story of how Mechai gives something to talk about Story of how Bill Gates brings a little reality to the room Idea communication: The Edison way Generative metaphors: Disney’s “cast members” vs Subway’s “sandwich artists” Why do you say - innovation is difficult, Mr. Feynman? Deconstructing curiosity flow from Steve Jobs iPod launch presentation Lessons from Einstein's career progression at Swiss Patent Office In love with the villain: curse of knowledge Bullet point jokes Going beyond bullet points: 1-day workshop on how to design effective presentations Confirmation bias and curse of knowledge: The villain connection between “Black Swan” and “Made to stick” Why don’t we hear stories in presentations? Story of (lack of) storytelling Invoking emotion through one individual: Ann Nixon Cooper and Obama’s victory speech Ideas don't die easily: Gopal Krishna Gokhale and "right to education" act
Mindfulness, Creative mind, Thought as a system, Meditation, Self-discovery, Cognitive biases	Mindfulness on the go: my first workshop experience 3 powerful illusions created by thought 3 flavours of mindfulness 12 angry men and 2 movements of thought My favourite five principles of spirituality A beautiful mind and the three acts of creativity, madness and awakening Realizing my biggest addiction – thinking Learning mindfulness through "Penn and Teller: Fool Us" magic show “Thought as a system” by David Bohm: A book review Metaphors from "Thought as a system" - a presentation "The Matrix as a system" vs "Thought as a system" - a presentation Kahneman's "associative coherence" vs David Bohm's "sustained incoherence" The problem and the paradox of "becoming" Listening, looking and learning: 3 ways of "knocking at the open door" Catch yourself getting LOST in wasteful thinking 9 ways of losing oneself in egoic thought pattern Pain-multiplier effect: My key insight from a 10-day Vipassana course Three practices from Eckhart Tolle’s teachings that I find useful Baseline test: in music and in life My 3 take-aways from “Buddhism and modern psychology” course Highlights from Swami Chidananda’s talk: Learning from the book of life Eckhart Tolle’s “Catch me if you can” experiment What is “change by being?” Stories of Ramana Maharshi and Eckhart Tolle Who improve the world more: Thomas Edison or Ramana Maharshi? The marvels and the flaws of expert intuition: story of Ramanujan's first letter to Hardy Confession of a fake guru: A soliloquy from "Tujhe aahe tujpashi" Thinking fast and slow: A landmark book in intuitive thinking and decision making My most favorite youtube video and marvels and flaws of intuition book review: "Strangers to ourselves" by Timothy Wilson Remembering Ramana Maharshi and Warren Buffett on Guru Poornima
Evolution of systematic innovation in India	Mahatma Gandhi and the heart and the soul of systematic innovation Jamsetji Tata's method of innovation 4 reasons why innovation programs in India flounder What can innovation movement in India learn from the Quality movement? The corporation that changed the world: How the East Indian Company shaped the modern multinational Story of the “Real Rancho”: Ranchhodlal Chhotalal (1823-1898) – a pioneer of Indian Cotton industry From Jugaad to systematic innovation: A book launch experience at IIM Bangalore Patents from India: Broad trends over the past 35 years Jamsetji Tata’s vision of “University of Science” and Prof. Ramsay’s experiment Innovations in the industrial sector in India: A Ratan Tata perspective Idea management systems in India: Benchmark data from INSSAN INSSAN 20th Annual Convention: where shop-floor innovators are theheros INSSAN Convention: sources & types of innovations and a good practice A look at Tata Nano through “Dynamic innovation sandbox” lens Tata Nano: How the story evolved over the years 3 idiots: Is it a crash course on innovation? India as a hub for low-cost experimentation: my favorite theme from 6th India innovation summit Jyotiba and Savitri Phule's girl school (1851): A radical innovation Laxmanrao Kirloskar: A pioneer of Indian machine-tools industry Acharya Jagadis Chandra Bose: The father of systematic experimentation in India Electronic Voting Machine (EVM): An innovation from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) Entering the game-changer funnel: story of SAP Labs India Walchand Hirachand Doshi: A daredevil innovator
Idea management systems	40 years, 20 million ideas: The Toyota suggestion system William Denny and world's first and pioneering idea management system 8 characteristics of effective idea management systems Idea management systems in India: Benchmark data from INSSAN INSSAN 20th Annual Convention: where shop-floor innovators are the heroes INSSAN Convention: sources & types of innovations and a good practice When Peter Drucker's suggestion creates a black market of ideas
Innovation and organizational culture Idea championing Innovation catalyst Change management	4 characteristics of an innovative culture Saying “We need a culture of innovation” is mostly correct and useless Adsense story: Role of environment and innovation process Edgar Schein’s fundamental laws of organizational change Why does Edgar Schein say, "A culture of innovation doesn't scale up"? 3 tools I find useful as an innovation catalyst 3 things Mike Markkula did as a champion of "Apple Computer" idea Responding to team member's idea using 3 types of inquiries A humble inquiry that led to a successful culture change initiative What is "change by being"? Stories of Ramana Maharshi and Eckhart Tolle 3 lessons innovation leaders can learn from the iPod story Is Google 20 percent time same as "Right to experiment"? Infinite vision and the questions that shaped Aravind Eye Care System Rewarding innovation: what doesn't work - story of United Airlines The myth of innovation DNA 3M's innovation storybook: a time travel experience through a culture capsule