By Ron Shulkin

Maybe this rings a bell for you: You want to launch an innovation program at your company but you can’t get any support.

I talk all day to people who are interested in innovation. They know in their hearts that embracing innovation is the only way their organizations will flourish. They know the only way their company can compete in the difficult economic climate we face is to adopt an innovative approach. These people I talk to fall in love with the idea of collaborative ideation; assembling all of their smart people while they share ideas and other information of interest. They yearn to allow their cohort to find others within the company who are like minded; with common areas of interest.

Read the rest of this post »

By Peter Verschuere

I’ve always been determined not to lose my creative side, because it's my belief that innovation cannot persist without creativity. If you loose your creativity, you stop to be innovative.

Yesterday I've been watching Josh Linkner's keynote on creativity, and I'd like to share it with you because it induces positive vibes and contains some strong and valuable messages:

• Never cave to your detractors.
• Sometimes you have to let go in order to seize greatness.
• Aim for the future.
• Pursue the unconventional path.
• Put passion first! (the money will follow).

Josh Linkner is the New York Times Bestselling author of "Disciplined Dreaming: A Proven System to Drive Breakthrough Creativity".
Josh is the CEO and Managing Partner of Detroit Venture Partners. Together with business partners Earvin "Magic" Johnson and NBA team owner Dan Gilbert, Josh is actively rebuilding urban areas through technology and entrepreneurship. Josh is also Adjunct Professor of Applied Creativity at the University of Michigan.

But most importantly, Josh is on a mission to make the world more creative.

Peter Verschuere is Social Media Director at CogniStreamer®, an Open Innovation Management System. Learn more about CogniStreamer®, follow our tweets or join us on Facebook. 

By Ron Shulkin

Here are some thoughts on contributor’s perceptions when involved in crowd sourcing and collaborations…

It is an accepted fact at this point: tapping into the “wisdom of the crowd” or “crowd sourcing” is a great way to get to a reliable set of truths. By asking lots of people what they think about any given challenge, the group, acting as a holistic unit, will generally push the best idea forward.

A promoted idea will most often

• yield the best financial return,
• offer the best way to answer the challenge at hand and,
• ultimately point to the best path forward for the organization discussing the topic.

However, human nature can sometimes add a mix of positive and dangerous components into the process! By being aware of both effects, the company’s innovation managers can keep the process on track.

Read the rest of this post »