World Trend Report 2010/2011

These are the most important and most present Trends for 2010/2011, observed by our CoolHunters Worldwide. Feel free to aks further information to carl@scienceofthetime.com or luis.rasquilha@ayr-consulting.com

10. The 'No Office' Policy “Open Work Spaces for Urban Nomads”
First idea generator: Wojtek Szumowski

We are all getting wired & are connected 24/7/365. Here and now we are becoming urban nomads, with the the creative class leading the way. Fixed office rooms are a thing of the past for these frontrunners of society. (Many of the young generations worldwide for example don’t have telephone landlines anymore; mobile phones are enough.) Starbucks tapped into this trend once and offered a place to work wherever these urban nomads of the 24/7/365 generation found themselves. Now we see a professionalization of this insight: The Rise of the Open Workspaces. Something that the corporate world is also experimenting with. However the more authentic of these open work spaces are popping up independently in numerous cities across the globe. Right now the USA is taking the lead, but the desire for cool open workspaces is recognized and growing internationally. This desire to work on the fly by those who are forever on the go also ties into the desire to be healthy as you navigate through your day. People who utilize open work spaces want to eat fast, healthy food. The neck breaking pace in which they live requires them to take care of their bodies or risk burning up and fading away as fast as they live. Every brand, every organization, every human being who taps into this desire will make people happy in 2010 and 2011.
Related Books:
Who’s Your City? Endcommercial

9. More Connections, Less Wires

We became aware of www.fmylife.com for the first time through students from Science of the time’s Euro-Asian cool mentality research start to mention the site.
From all over the world – though mainly Europe until now - people flock to www.fmylife.com in order to share the ‘suckage’ of their lives. Other people reflect on these stories by telling them that they are right to pity themselves. Or that they simply deserve their unhappy fates. Is this a mindboggling innovative site? No, it is just good, clean fun. But it does stand for an idea that just a few years ago was mindboggling: the Rise of the Social Web and how it will accelerate and intensify in 2010 and 2011 in numerous and as yet unfathomable ways. On sites like www.fmylife.com, we collaborate on the production of knowledge and action surrounding specific issues and sentiments that are dear to us. From environment advocacy through the use of certain Iphone applications up to telling each other intimate troubling details of our lives, we are using social media to connect. Totally new? Don’t think so. But according to many of our experts and students across the globe an acceleration and intensification of these uses is on the horizon for 2010 and 2011. It is a trend recognized all over the world, but not yet properly implemented when thinking about innovations.
Related Books:
Wikinomics
What Would Google Do?
Crowdsourcing
The Future of Competition

8. SANE RECESSION/SANE RESILIENCE

First idea generator: Trend Filter Guillermo Boces(Argentina and Barcelona).
The IMF says that we can expect ten years of job cuts and rising taxes. Fund manager George Soros says the rosy view on the American economy has everything to do with the fact that the US banks’ big profits right now are just a ‘gift’ from the state and nothing more. There are no substantial signs that the recession is over in North America and Europe. The Financial Times is even asking “Where have all the promising green shots of half a year ago gone - all those promising signs that the economy is recovering?” Europe and North America still consider themselves as the most “developed” part of the world, but with an immense debt they no longer think that they are leading the world as they did before.
What we need in 2010 and 2011 is the resilience to focus on the sane sides of recession. To focus on the fact that even though it may not be as easy to get rich as before, this might bring us a more enjoyable, a more ‘broad’ and therefore more rich life as well.
Guys have lost their jobs and are taking part in the Unemployment Olympics. By taking part in competitions ranging from “Office Phone Skee-Ball”, “Pin the Blame on the Boss” to the “You are Fired Race”, these unemployed use satire as a means of coping. As Miami based trend analyst Wojtek Szumowski told us “the Unemployed Olympics functions as a kind of group therapy to remove the stigma traditionally associated with unemployment in a society where a work ethos used to define the value of an individual.”
Yes, it is over the top. But it is also shows how we can deal with difficult circumstances and make them opportunities to have fun. This is Creative Resilience. Every brand, every organization, every human being who understands how to tap into that Creative Resilience will be more happy in 2010/2011 and will make other people more happy.

7. Compassion Without The Pity

The world over cruelties are committed every day and the voices of the survivors are buried beneath numbers and statistics. The world is a dangerous place, but the stories of those who live in the most dangerous places of the world should not be forgotten or romanticized. Through various art projects we encountered we saw the urgency and the need for a transnational dialogue wherein people were no longer numbers and where their humanity was no longer obscured by statistics that could only tell part of the story. By now we have all seen Hans Rosling’s debunking of what the statistics on the developing world actually say. He opened up another avenue of conversing with what we in the former west see as the developing world.
JR, an other type of artist, took another approach to foster real dialogue between the survivors living in conflict areas and us, the onlookers. And not just any survivors, but the women whose voices so often are neglected, misunderstood or who others find the need to speak for instead of listening. With his trusted 28 mm lens JR has already visited countless places around the world and showing that the possibilities for dialogue are greater than we think. In this project the compassion and these women’s will to live is put front and center. Showcasing them and showing us that what we are shown through statistics and in news reports are not the only stories. There is more and there needs to be more than just money to survive. These women take care of their families, take care of the household, hold down jobs, deal with loss sometimes on a daily basis and still get up every morning to go at it again. To live and survive. The resulting worldwide project is both an impressive symbol of empowerment and a deeply compassionate and human gesture. http://www.womenareheroes-paris.net/en/women-a-travers-le-monde/

Behind this example lies what the world will need in 2010 and 2011: Compassion. And we’re not just talking about being compassionate to your neighbor, but taking it to the next level. Tap into this cool mentality and we all get better.

6. Structural Eco Cool
“Cool Unobtrusive Eco Awareness”

Clever co-operation constructed the most environmentally friendly font to print with. Downloadable for free at http://www.ecofont.eu.

In case you may not have noticed: our environment is currently experiencing some technical difficulties. It’s all over the news and sometimes you can feel it on your own skin. Everywhere people are telling us: “the weather in my city is not what it used to be.” Whether we like it or not, we have to adapt our lifestyle and that will not always be fun. Generally speaking, we don’t consider the eco prophets of doom very cool. But at the same time, we surely cannot shield ourselves from what they have been telling us for decades now. We’d better adapt or be left trying to convince ourselves that it’s not true as the world gradually becomes a less hospitable place.
This is the fertile soil – surely enhancing in 2010 and 2011 – for Structural Eco Cool. Eco Cool is more than doing your duty to help save the world for future folds of humanity. Eco cool is doing it via well designed fun, pleasurable and creativity inducing and inspiring activities. It is taking an idea and making it fit this generation that isn’t just happy with the message but wants it to be massaged as well. Take for instance, the people behind ecofont at http://www.ecofont.eu, who came up with an efficient and effective way to lessen the usage of ink when printing and several other ingenious environmentally savvy office printing suggestions. Their main find however is the EcoFont which they provide free of charge at their website. Expect to see far more of these clever initiatives of Structural Eco Cool in 2010 and 2011. Initiatives that don’t just wave a finger at us, but give as an affirmative way of incorporating Eco friendly mannerisms in our daily lives without us having to go to extreme lengths.
Related Books:
World Changing

5. ANGER, DISTRUST AND DECADENCE

Bankers are not thought of fondly these days and this will not change anytime soon. They have effectively undermined the collective platform of social trust on which all societies are built. This platform has been severely damaged and it will take some time to mend. More attention is also being paid to the ones who have fallen prey to this misuse of trust. Thereby making everybody more conscious and aware of each other. Consequently collective anger and distrust reigns, sometimes volcanic but often just below the surface. We are once again connecting, as trend 9 showed us, we are more compassionate, as trend 7 tells us, and we are more conscious of our world and the way we are positioned in it, as trend 6 tells us.
However, our desire for little indulgences which are about us and exclusively about us will not simply go away. This trend is about getting away from it all. Feeding into this distrust and turning out backs to reasoning and giving in to the primal urge to just pull away. We have an innate need to prove to ourselves (and others) that we are (still) able to permit ourselves an island of decadent refuge, even if only momentary. It is simply about the way how it is done. When the rich do it over the top, the rest of us will be aghast and approach them with anger. Top executives of almost bankrupt companies traveling in private jets to ask for money is a no-no. But when decadence combined with an obvliousness to the harsh realities of our world is shown off in a cool way, the rest of us will admire and aspire. Cool Decadence will grow in 2010 and 2011: !! We will be working/writing on this soon!!

4. TENDER URBANITY

The city is rapidly becoming the human being’s natural habitat. The city’s pollution, disorder and anonymity however are points that people all over the world complain about. Many of us have however learned to love our city regardless. It is our city, so robust, so hectic, so fascinating, and after 9/11 so fragile as well. There is a loving concern for the city. Throughout the findings of our cool hunters and Trend Filters an affectual connection to the urban dwelling was noted. The city has become the place where we live our lives and meet the people who become our extended families. Where we find our favorite coffee corners or bagel shops tucked away in the neighborhoods we have gotten to know like the back of our hands over the years. We appreciate the city.
This hyper-decorative snail is an interesting way of using this appreciation. It was found during our EurAsian student coolhunt. This example hits several notes at once. The snail carries his home with him just as we carry our cities in our genes. Also those who are in tune with their city will notice the small creatures making their way through the city seemingly unnoticed and anonimous. Using the snails’ shells as exhibition spaces the artist expands the way in which graffiti and outdoor art is now used, among other reasons, to comment on the depersonalisation of cities through bland and “touristy” city marketing.
The website thefuntheory.com also taps into this trend of Tender Urbanity. It’s all about exploring ways in which mundane activities in the city can be turned into fun ways of bettering it. It’s about taking care of the city, and in turn yourself in the city, while not giving it that pedagogic weightiness that scares most. One of the coolest examples sent to us by Kristin Brodie, a student at Kamloops University Canada, is that of the piano stairs. The example shows how by making walking up the stairs a fun activity 66% more people than normal chose the stairs over the escalator. It wasn’t a guerilla tactic per se, it was sponsored after all, but the insight behind the act is infinitely cool.
Every brand, every organization, every human being who manages to act within this cool mentality touches a chord. Of course, you have to find your own authentic ways of creating Tender Urbanity. The best & coolest of us certainly will do so.
Related Books:
Merry
Graphiscape NY & Tokyo

3. LET ME LAND

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/01/09/immaculate-mini-lawn-in-your-loo/
Many criss cross the globe – and if we don’t as yet, we aspire to do so in the future. We are more on the move (and on the run) than generations before us. We have wings – and it can feel great & cool. Because of these flights, literally and figuratively, the home and coming home, ‘landing’, becomes more important. Landing, after your trips as a worldwide citizen or as an urban nomad. Where Human Pearls In The City is about landing in your city, your neighborhood, your street. Here it’s about landing in your house, your home, the place you call your nest.
This Moss Carpet is all about Let Me Land. Discovered by a coolhunter in Skopje, it is designed by the in Vienna located Vietnamese designer Nguyen La Chanh, it is the ultimately reminder of where you have chosen to root yourself in this world of transnational networks and movements. You come home from your trip, a long one or a short one, take a shower or a bath and step unto your carpet. That homecoming is an experience beyond words. That is real landing. Moss does not need a lot of maintenance and the drips of water as you stand on it are enough to keep it alive when you are flying across the globe.
Every brand, every organization, every human being that helps you to land, to really land, will be loved and appreciated in 2010 and 2011.
Related Books:
The Global Me

2. TOTAL RELAX

Beeld. Dat is wat mij betreft het beeld van de Snake Massage. Als onderschrift kunnen we wat mij betreft volstaan met: Total Relax: Snake Massage.
Do you remember those hard working yuppies from the eighties? Well there’s a big chance that you are working harder than they ever did. Next to that we are living in a stress society grasping at every straw for ontological security. The former West are dominated by a deep recession and the predictions when it will end are vague. In South America and in big parts of Asia however there is more hope and growth. But this growth is connected to the rampant rise of a one-dimensional work ethic.
There is that moment however, when we let go of all those pressures. When the dangers of everyday, the insecurities of living in this fast paced, capitalistic world, are left outside the door. Outside your body, for once. This is a cool mentality desire that is recognized and embraced all over the world. The snake massage we show here is just one extreme example of it. If you manage to relax under such a massage, you can be really sure that it is a deep and total massage.
More generally speaking: every product, every service, every brand, every organisation, every human being that promises you a glimmer of Total Relax, will be appreciated. If it works it will be appreciated as cool. So wherever you are, and whatever your business might be, think hard how you are adapting to the international desire for Total Relax.
1. 24/7/366: The Transparency of Life
“Augmented Reality Kicks In”

This is the trend with the most growth potential in 2010. The desire for ubiquitous connectivity isn’t only limited to others, but also to information. Information is a powerful commodity. Locative media, media that gives you information on where you are in the world, are with our current winged nature as urbanites of the world more important than ever. We want to know where we are, where resources useful for us can be found when we are once again walking around our cities or a city that is not ours.
Locative media aren’t the only thing though. They need to connect to our growing networks. Informing us where the shops are that might interest us. Google maps and Google Earth have given people the ability to position themselves on the map, Google Goggles links it all. Even on Youtube you can directly pinpoint where your video was filmed. We’ve had Augmented Reality Asphalt Games in New York and other cities and Esther Polak has shown us how milk travels the world before it reaches us using locative media.
Now there is Layar, an award winning application first developed for the Google Android phone. With this application a mobile telephone’s camera is turned into a network revealing tool. To simplify a complicated story, the phone’s GPS system is used to apply a layer of knowledge over the image that your camera captures. A further conceptualized version is Windows to the World. Students from Science of the time’s EuroAsian cool mentality research found this gem. Where Layar shows you where the resources are Windows to the World goes a lot further. Put the little screen in front of a building and – always connected as it is – it will show you the history of the building, its ecofriendliness, the people who work there, the people who have lived there etc. Put the little screen in front of a person and it will tell their fun potential as disclosed on Hyves, their friends on Facebook, their hobbies as revealed on MySpace, their professional c.v. from LinkedIn etcetera. Broad and deep knowledge about everyone and anything. Augmented Reality connected to our material and social networks.

Social Media in 2010 – Aggregation, Segmentation and Specialization

by Danny Brown
http://dannybrown.me/2010/01/04/social-media-in-2010-aggregation-segmentation-and-specialization/

This is a guest post by Brett Borders, who blogs about online identity issues at Online Reputation Edge and is also one of my 10 Bloggers to Watch in 2010.

2009 was an epic time in the evolution of social media. It was the year that many people got used to the real-time statusphere. It was the year that location-based social software (like FourSquare) started to socially map out the “real world” and encourage face-to-face connections.

Next generation social collaboration tools like Google Wave made a splash. And 2009 was the year that both my mom and dad signed up for Facebook – which marked a major “tipping point” for mainstream social media adoption.

There was a ton of positive hype and emotion about social media. Some of it was justified.

A lot of it was overblown.

2010 (“twenty ten”) is the year that many of the people who jumped into the social media honeymoon in 2009 are going to get seriously overwhelmed and burned out. Some people who thought social media meant the end of real work and normal business concepts will be painfully disillusioned.

And it will be a very successful year for people who know how to filter and focus on specific parts of social media, and for those who offer tools and training for using social media more efficiently and effectively.

Aggregation
Most people realize there’s way too much information for one human brain to process – but most of us aren’t yet very comfortable with filtering and aggregating social media streams. Yahoo Pipes is intimidating for even advanced users. Tweetdeck groups were a little advanced for beginners.

I expect to see lots more social media clients (external software apps) and interfaces with advanced filtering features, and countless new Web applications designed to make your social media life more manageable. Most of them will fail, but some of them will be essential smash hits.

The increase in aggregation technology and skills is going to raise the standards of content quality and originality.

In 2007 almost anyone could write a semi-coherent blog that would bring in links and comments. In 2010, only the very best and most compelling content will attract attention: the rest will increasingly be “filtered out” as a matter of course. As more and more people begin to suffer from social media burnout or career-endangering levels of productivity loss, the more experienced and connected users will become less generous with their time and attention.

Segmentation
Segmentation means being able to see patterns and break things down into groups. There are many different types, castes and subcultures of social media users: mommybloggers, small business owners, venture capitalists, cool kids, social news junkies, Make Money Online guys, social activists, corporate and agency types, narcissists and hopelessly-addicted hobbyists.

But people’s understanding of the different segments of social media users is relatively basic. Most published social media advice is “one-size-fits-all” – which isn’t as potent as it could be. Marketing to venture capitalists vs. government bureaucrats has some important “little differences.” The deeper your understanding of the sociological segments of the social media user base… their quirks, passions and hangups… the more successful you’re going to be in 2010.

Specialization
Specialization means knowing exactly what you want and going after it. People who specialize in general “social media consulting” are going to struggle to find clients amidst competition from thousands of consultants and agencies who are jumping into the same general basket.



That flew better in 2008 / 2009 when social media wasn’t as mainstream… but expect clients to become increasingly savvy, experienced and specific about the types of expertise they need. Those who drill down and focus on mastering a certain aspect of social media marketing are generally going to perform better. They will get more international clients who tend to pay better, and they’ll also get more sleep at night because they aren’t spread too thin and trying to “keep up with everything.”

Do you want to focus on training? Speaking? Consulting? Research? PR? Publishing? Programming? What specific part of the market do you want to serve? Is this area over-saturated with more established providers? Do the customers who need these types of services/products have money to afford them?

Specializing in social marketing for musicians, or online reputation management for politicians, or custom blog themes for the green industry – is a lot better than just getting into “social media,” “SEO” or “web design.”

Specializing in one area will let you brand yourself in as a leader in smaller area, and you’ll waste less time researching and entertaining inquiries that are outside of your zone.

Here’s to a profitable, productive and passionate 2010!

7 coisas que eu espero que SUMAM das palestras de publicidade em 2010

http://www.oesquema.com.br/conector/2009/12/16/7-coisas-que-eu-espero-que-sumam-das-palestras-de-publicidade-em-2010.htm

Freqüentar palestras de publicidade, nos últimos, digamos, quatro ou cinco anos, têm sido desafiador para a paciência. Mesmo em eventos de porte, como o Festival de Cannes, é comum a sobreposição de assuntos e exemplos, de forma que no terceiro dia você já começa a ter intensas experiências de déjà vu, para não falar de desagradáveis flashbacks nas semanas seguintes.

Ok, os mais radicais vão me lembrar que festivais de publicidade não são lugar de novidade, novidade MESMO. Ainda assim, acho que a coisa está um pouco demais. O que posso fazer, além de tentar evitar esses assuntos e exemplos nas minha eventuais palestras, é compartilhar uma singela e sincera listinha com os temas que, sugiro, deveriam ser sumariamente DELETADOS desses encontros.

Vamos lá.

1. O consumidor está no poder.

Caso ninguém tenha percebido, o consumidor sempre esteve no poder. Agora ele só tem um megafone na mão. Megafone esse que será usado para gritar bem pertinho no ouvido dos palestrantes de publicidade: NÃO-PRECISA-MAIS-REPETIR-ISSO.

2. A internet veio para ficar*

Sério? Há controvérsias. O senhor de 112 anos que mora num casebre atrás do sítio do primo do meu amigo sem luz, telefone e água encanada acha que a internet é um modismo. Então talvez ainda vejamos alguns palestrantes por aí pregando desnecessariamente que “a internet é uma revolução sem volta”.

3. A criatividade pode vir de qualquer lugar

Frase muitas vezes dita com gosto por executivos que não sabem como coordenar suas equipes e pra quem entregar determinados trabalhos. Tira a responsabilidade das costas de muita gente e por isso espero que em 2010 ela suma das palestras de publicidade e quem sabe vire assunto de gestão no HSM Expo Management.

4. Quem não inovar, está morto.

A frase mais dita por gente sem imaginação nos últimos 200 anos. E ainda é mentira: muita gente que não inova está vivo, bem como muitas marcas e empresas. A quem duvidar, recomendo que leia a matéria sobre os Biscoitos Globo na revista Piauí número 32. E tem mais, mesmo que fosse verdade, a frase já cansou. É antiga, retrógrada e exclusivista.

5. A força do boca-a-boca

Outra incrível descoberta dos últimos tempos: o consumidor acredita mais no seu amigo de infância do que num comercial de televisão com um ator que mal chegaria perto dele dizendo frases elogiosas porque foi muito bem pago por uma multinacional com doze milhões de funcionários que investe um bilhão de dólares em publicidade pra tentar convencê-lo de que aquele amontoado de produtos químicos perigosos são um sabonete que faz bem pra pele. E você ainda se surpreende que as pessoas confiam mais na indicação de amigos? Chega né?

6. Não existe diferença entre o mundo online e offline

Existe sim. Ninguém na vida real (fora o Roberto Carlos) tem tantos amigos e vê tantas fotos deles quanto no Orkut. O mundo online e o mundo offline tem diferenças importantes e essa frase não só vem sendo repetida à exaustão como não foi pensada direito pela maior parte das pessoas que a repetem. O que não foi bem pensado, é melhor que caia fora do PPT.

7. A verdadeira agência de publicidade é on e off.

Primeiro você monta uma agência assim. Daí você constrói um bom número de cases sólidos dentro desse escopo com clientes de porte. Em seguida, você mantém essa filosofia por no mínimo 3 anos. Não, 5. Aí, só aí, você coloca essa frase na palestra.

Obrigado.

***

Ah: aceito colaborações para uma segunda lista

Innovation, Invention and Entrepreneurs

Innovation, Invention and Entrepreneurs
by Jeffrey Phillips
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/23ImEV/www.business-strategy-innovation.com/2010/01/innovation-invention-and-entrepreneurs.html/r:t

After all I read on the blogs and on Twitter, and all the new innovation programs and initiatives in state and local governments, I feel the need to revisit the definitions of these key words. While innovation, invention and entrepreneurs are important and somewhat interconnected, they aren't synonyms and they have different needs, intents and purposes. Whether accidently or on purpose, we can't allow them to mean the same things.

First, the definitions:

An entrepreneur is a person who starts a new business. That's not necessarily innovative, but it can create new jobs and new wealth, so it is valuable. Sometimes, entrepreneurs create new businesses based on new ideas, either inventions or new innovations. However, a person running a McDonald's is also an entrepreneur, but not necessarily innovative.

An inventor is someone who creates a new to the world product or solution. Inventions become interesting when they create value for the inventor or consumers or the world at large. Inventors are often innovative, but innovative solutions don't have to be inventions. Many innovations are new business models, new services or new experiences that aren't necessarily "inventions".

An innovation is a new idea that is put into valuable or profitable action. An innovation can be created by an inventor who then licenses her invention to others to commercialize, or commercializes the concept herself as a small business person - in this case as an entrepreneur. An innovation can (and often is) created by a large organization to disrupt an existing market space or create an entirely new market (the iPod or Flip Video recorder are two good examples). Innovation can happen in any organization, of any size. Additionally, there's innovation in governments, in academic institutions, and in not-for-profits. We typically don't think of these organizations as entrepreneurial or as inventing new things, yet they can be innovative. Further, innovations can be new products, but can also be new service models, new business models and new customer experiences.

The reasons the distinctions are important are hopefully obvious. There are a number of state governments, as well as the federal government talking about innovation policy. Read the fine print and they are really talking about funding and sponsoring entrepreneurs and technology transfer from institutions and universities. This may have some aspect of innovation, but doesn't really consider organizations outside the start-up realm. A vast majority of disruptive and incremental innovations come from larger, commercial organizations, and these organizations can become more innovative as governments adjust tax policies, intellectual property rights and a number of other components of regulation and legislation. Yet most of the state and federal initiatives are really targeted at starting and funding new entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Interestingly, if you stop to consider the most "innovative" locations in the US (Boston, Research Triangle Park, Austin, Silicon Valley as a few) you'll note that they have all three things in common - government, education and technology are closely linked and vital to all of these cities. Innovation thrives in an interlinked, internetworked community. The same isn't necessarily true of inventions or entrepreneurs.

The overwhelming focus as well is on product innovation, yet we see consistently that business model innovation and customer experience innovation are much more compelling. After all, the icon of innovation, the iPod, is simply another MP-3 player unless iTunes is attached. It was the radical change in the business model and customer experience that made the iPod a true disrupter. Yet we don't find too much focus or government initiatives in these areas. And almost no policy or funding for the organizations that need innovation the most - governments and educational institutions and bureaucracies.

Another thing - having been a founder in a start-up, most entrepreneurs don't need or want a lot of help from an "innovation" perspective. They are betting the farm on their one great idea. For them, its all a matter of execution to bring that one idea to life, and then successfully scaling that idea. In contrast, larger organizations which have lost the passion and initiative of the entrepreneurs need a great deal of help and encouragement to innovate, since they have much to lose if a new product or service fails. In larger firms there is almost never a shortage of ideas, but a shortage of risk-taking, passion and resources to develop the new idea. Interesting that the problem the small firms have (scaling) is one the larger firms can offer, and the challenge the larger firms have (risk-taking, passion) is one the smaller firms can offer.

We need all three of these concepts work well to succeed. We need inventors to create new products and new processes, and we need entrepreneurs to disrupt existing markets and bring these new products and services to the market. We also need innovation from large existing firms, because without innovation they stagnate and die. When we talk about innovation, invention and entrepreneurs, and when we put policies in place to encourage certain types of activities or investments, we need to understand the implications and ramifications of those words and actions.


"While closely related, invention, innovation and entrepreneurs are not the same things, and should not be treated in the same fashion."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jeffrey Phillips is a senior leader at OVO Innovation. OVO works with large distributed organizations to build innovation teams, processes and capabilities. Jeffrey is the author of "Make us more Innovative", and innovateonpurpose.blogspot.com.

Ten ways to boost innovation

http://www.director.co.uk/MAGAZINE/2007/7%20Jul/bp_innovation_60_12.html

by Paul Sloane

1. Have a vision for change
You cannot expect your team to be innovative if they do not know the direction in which they are heading. Innovation has to have a purpose. It is up to the leader to set the course and give a bearing for the future.
You need one overarching statement that defines the direction for the business and that people will readily understand and remember.
Great leaders spend time illustrating the vision, goals and challenges. They explain to people how their role is crucial in fulfilling the vision and meeting the challenges. They inspire men and women to become passionate entrepreneurs, finding innovative routes to success.

2. Fight the fear of change
Innovative leaders constantly evangelise the need for change. They replace the comfort of complacency with the hunger of ambition. They'll say, "we are doing well but we cannot rest on our laurels, we need to do even better." They explain that while trying new ventures is risky, standing still is even riskier. They must paint a picture that shows an appealing future that is worth taking risks to achieve. The prospect involves perils and opportunities. The only way to get there is by embracing change.

3. Think like a venture capitalist
VCs use a portfolio approach and balance the risk of losing with the upside of winning. They like to consider lots of proposals. They are comfortable with the knowledge that many of the ideas they back will fail. These are all important lessons for corporate executives who typically consider only a handful of proposals and who abhor failure.

4. Have a dynamic suggestion scheme
Great suggestion schemes are focused, easy to use, well resourced, responsive and open to all. They do not need to offer huge rewards. Recognition and response are generally more important. Above all, they have to have the whole-hearted commitment of the senior team to keep them fresh, properly managed and successful.

5. Break the rules
To achieve radical innovation you have to challenge the assumptions that govern how things should look in your environment. Business is not like sport, with its well defined rules and referees. It is more like art and is rife with opportunity for the lateral thinker who can create new ways to provide the goods and services customers want.

6. Give everyone two jobs
Give all your people two key objectives. Ask them to run their current jobs in the most effective way possible and at the same time to find completely new ways to do the job. Encourage your employees to ask themselves—what is the essential purpose of my role? What is the outcome that I deliver that is of real value to my clients (internal and external)? Is there a better way to deliver that value or purpose? The answer is always "yes", but most people never ask the question.

7. Collaborate
Many CEOs see collaboration as key to their success with innovation. They know they cannot do it all using internal resources. So they look outside for other organisations to partner with. A good example is the Mercedes and Swatch collaboration, which produced the Smart car. Each brought different skills and experiences to the team.

8. Welcome failure
The innovative leader encourages a culture of experimentation. You must teach people that each failure is a step along the road to success. To be truly agile, you must give people the freedom to innovate, experiment and to succeed. That means you must give them the freedom to fail, too.

9. Build prototypes
People's Bank has a refreshingly original attitude to new ideas. "Don't debate it, test it," is the motto of this innovative American financial services organisation. Try the new idea at low cost in a section of the market and see what the customers' reactions are. You will learn far more in the real world than you will in the test laboratory or with focus groups.

10. Be passionate
Focus on the things that you want to change, the most important challenges you face and be passionate about overcoming them. Your energy and drive will translate itself into direction and inspiration for your people. It is no good filling your bus with contented, complacent passengers. You want evangelists, passionate supporters. You want people who believe that reaching the destination is really worthwhile. If you want to inspire people to innovate, to change the way they do things and to achieve extraordinary results, then you have to be passionate about what you believe in and you have to communicate that passion every time you speak.

Paul Sloane is the author of The Innovative Leader, published by Kogan Page


July 2007 : Director Magazine

Lateral Thinking Stimulates Creativity and Innovation

By Paul Sloane
http://www.realinnovation.com/content/c081110a.asp

British inventor Edward de Bono coined the phrase "lateral thinking" as a counterpoint to conventional or vertical thinking. In conventional thinking people go forward in a predictable, direct fashion. Lateral thinking involves approaching the problem from new directions – literally from the side. De Bono defines the four main aspects of lateral thinking as:

The recognition of dominant polarizing ideas
The search for different ways of looking at things
A relaxation of the rigid control of vertical thinking
The use of chance
There are dominant ideas in every walk of life – the assumptions, rules and conventions that underpin systems and influence people's thinking and attitudes. The idea that the Earth was flat or that the Earth was the center of the universe are examples of dominant ideas that polarized thought along set lines. Once the dominant ideas are in place everything else is viewed in a way that supports them. A paranoid person sees every attempt to help them as malevolent and manipulating. Someone who believes in a conspiracy theory will explain away any inconvenient facts as deliberately constructed by the powers behind the conspiracy. Most organizations have dominant ideas that polarize their view of the world. It is easy for us to criticize the makers of horse-drawn carriages who thought automobiles were silly contraptions that would never catch on. People now, however, are also the captives of established ideas.

A Technique for Lateral Thinking
A lateral thinking technique is to write down all the dominant ideas that apply to a particular situation and then deliberately challenge them. For example, the major airlines worked with these beliefs:

Customers want high standards of service
Issue tickets for all flights
Allocate seating in advance
Sell through travel agents
Fly to major airports because that is what business travelers want
Low-cost airlines broke all of these rules and created a new market. A good start with lateral thinking is to deliberately turn every assumption and dominant idea on its head and see where it leads.

Asking "what if" is a lateral thinking technique that helps explore possibilities and challenge assumptions simultaneously and stretches every dimension of an issue. Each question should be extreme to the point of being ridiculous. Consider a small charity that cares for homeless dogs. The challenge for the managers of the charity is, "How can we double our fundraising income?" The "what if" questions might be:

What if we had only one donor?
What if we had 10 million donors?
What if we had an unlimited marketing budget?
What if we had no marketing budget?
What if everyone looked after a homeless dog for a day?
What if dogs slept in beds and people slept in kennels?
What if dogs could speak?
The question "What if we only had one donor?" might suggest the charity target wealthy dog lovers to raise more funds from fewer donors. The charity could explore ways to do this and generate new ideas. "What if dogs could speak?" might suggest marketing strategies with speaking dogs or dog conversations. Each question generates stimulating lines of inquiry by testing the rules and dominant ideas' boundaries that are assumed to apply to the problem. Start with a challenge and, individually or in a group, generate a short list of provocative "what if" questions. Take one and see where it leads. Follow the crazy train of thought and see what emerges. Starting with silly ideas often leads to radical insights and innovations.

The Role of Chance and Random Input
The role of chance in major inventions and scientific discoveries is well documented. Heinrich Hertz discovered the transmission of radio waves when some of his equipment produced a spark on the other side of the room. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin when he noticed one of his old petri dishes had developed a mold that was resistant to bacteria. Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-rays accidentally when playing with a cathode ray tube. Christopher Columbus discovered America while looking for a route to India. The common theme is that someone with a curious mind set out to investigate things. When something unusual happens they study it and see how it can be used. The same methods can work today.

When looking for new ideas and fresh ways to do things random input can help. An effective brainstorming technique is to randomly choose a noun from the dictionary. Write down some associations or attributes of the word and then force fit connections between the word and its associations. Although the technique is often initially met with skepticism it is worth trying. Some words produce nothing worthwhile, but occasionally radical ideas are generated. The same approach works using a random object, picture, song, etc. Similarly a walk through a museum or art gallery can be useful when working on a difficult problem. The brain can make lateral connections between a variety of stimuli encountered and the problem.

A great deal of humor is based on lateral thinking. The comedian ridicules existing beliefs – he comes at an issue from unusual directions and makes unexpected connections to give the surprise that makes an audience laugh.

Using lateral thinking in everyday lives generates fresh, better ideas and can be great fun.

About the Author:
Paul Sloane is the founder of Destination Innovation, a consultancy that helps improve innovation. He gives talks and workshops on leadership, creativity and innovation. He is the author of 17 books; the most recent is The Innovative Leader, published by Kogan-Page. Contact Paul Sloane at psloane (at) destination-innovation.com or visit http://www.destination-innovation.com.

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INP. 17 anos depois, a despedida.

Curioso começar 2010 com um primeiro Post sintomático da mudança da década que agora se iniciou.

Entrei no INP em 1993 como aluno, tendo em 1997 terminado o curso e sido convidado pelo saudoso Professor António Serrão para ser Assistente de Estudos de Mercado e Análise Multivariada, cadeiras na altura coordenadas por ele e leccionadas pela minha ex-professora e amiga Paula Lousão.

Em 2000 e após um período no estrangeiro regressei aquela que tinha sido a minha casa para leccionar na Pós-graduação de Marketing e Comunicação, assumindo logo de seguida a Coordenação de Publicidade, eixo nuclear da Licenciatura em Relações Públicas e Publicidade, ainda hoje o curso, a par de Turismo e Assessoria, com maior Notoriedade. Tinha a missão de continuar o trabalho de muitos anos da equipa da minha ex-professora Manuela Serrão.

Foram 10 anos - muitos alunos, muitas turmas, muitos projectos. Trabalhei com uma equipa de professores excelente e que sempre deram o seu máximo. Tínhamos a missão de devolver ao INP a credibilidade de outrora na vertente de Publicidade.

Conseguimos esse objectivo - Iniciámos este percurso com a vitória do Projecto Clio BY em 2002, reconhecida como a melhor campanha de publicidade desenvolvida num concurso com várias Universidades e agora em 2009 voltámos a dar cartas com o EDP University Challenge, também ganho com rasgados elogios ao trabalho dos alunos.

Foram dois expoentes máximos, mas não os únicos deste trabalho. A elevada taxa de empregabilidade na área, a quantidade de alunos hoje profissionais de reconhecida competência, as referências existentes constantemente referindo a qualidade e a actualização dos conteúdos, bem como a bibliografia produzida em autoria ou co-autoria, fazem destes tempos, tempos históricos na já longa vida desta Universidade.

Pelo meio assistimos a muitas mudanças: a compra por parte da Ensinus e mais tarde por parte da Lusófona. Desempenhei todos os cargos possiveis: Professor Assistente, Professor Coordenador, Administrador, Director de Marketing, Membro da Direcção. Vi as ameaças e as oportunidades. Lutei lado a lado com diversas pessoas pela marca, pela empresa e pela qualidade dos conteúdos leccionados, na busca de uma excelência que quase sempre foi conseguida.

Preparei e ajudei a preparar um largo conjunto de pessoas e profissionais, alguns deles hoje membros da equipa de Professores de Publicidade a quem agora passo o testemunho: António Silva Pires, José Dias, Henrique Areias, Pedro Trindade e Hugo Soares, juntamente com os diversos professores externos e convidados desta área, têm agora a missão de continuar e levar por diante o sonho de tornar o INP ainda mais credível e reconhecido nesta área da Comunicação de Marketing.

Da minha parte e na altura em que este caminho chega ao fim, depois de um longo período de vitórias e alegrias, mas também algumas derrotas e tristezas, resta-me agradecer:
1. A todos @s alun@s, sem excepção, que nas Licenciaturas, Mestrados, Pós-Graduações e Formações de Executivos ao longo destes anos me deixaram passar o conhecimento e experiência mas também me ensinaram, como eu os ensinei, tendo a consciência que dei sempre o melhor na sua formação. Hoje ainda os encontro com regularidade pelas empresas no nosso mercado e sei que em cada um está um amig@;
2. Aos colegas de equipa, acima referidos e aos que já não estão (Sara Souto, Luis Verissimo, Cristina Falcão, Manuel Pereira, Fernando B Gomes, entre outros) com quem partilhei as cadeiras leccionadas. Nem sempre estivémos de acordo mas o objectivo final sempre foi o mesmo;
3. À Direcção do INP - académica e de gestão - por terem sempre ouvido as nossas e as minhas sugestões e pedidos para melhorar a oferta formativa e os conteúdos leccionados. Hoje têm um eixo nuclear sólido e reconhecido. Apenas lhe devem dar seguimento no caminho há muito traçado. Assim o espero;
4. Aos parceiros do mercado que sempre acederam a tudo o que lhes solicitei: desde apoios a estágios, passagem de briefings ou seminários.

Por fim e não menos importante a quem ainda está: seja no 1º ou no 2º ciclo. Sei que ficam bem entregues e sei que terão toda a qualidade de formação que durante este tempo exigi a mim próprio e pedi aos meus pares para terem.

A estes que ainda ficam e que comigo estarão até ao fim do Semestre em Fevereiro sabem que mantenho a exigência, a dedicação e o profissionalismo na sua formação. A estes e aos outros que, não estando comigo mas que ainda estão em formação, sabem que a partir de 1 de Março a vida é diferente. Estarei sempre disponível mas apenas como amigo mais velho, talvez mais experiente, e não como professor. Essa função no INP termina aqui.

Sei que me vão perguntar o Porquê. Essa é a pergunta que para já fica sem resposta. Um dia quem sabe lá chegaremos... Fica muito por dizer, mas não é agora relevante. Relevante é seguir em frente e fazer melhor todos os dias.

Como qualquer treinador ou maestro que deixa a sua equipa ou orquestra a meio da temporada, voltar a treinar ou a dirigir neste campeonato ou temporada deverá ser dificil. Nunca sabemos quando outros treinadores ou maestros mudam. O futuro escrever-se-á dia-a-dia. Agora é tempo de descansar e focar nas temáticas das Tendências e Inovação que me pedem mais atenção. E muitas novidades vêm a caminho.

O Sol nasce todos os dias e para todos. A Vida é Bela, parafraseando o meu amigo António Quina. Assim vai continuar a ser. Só que agora sem o INP.

Obrigado e Até Sempre ou Até Já INP,
Luis Rasquilha