By Ian Smith

In a recent New York Times article by Steve Lohr (The Ying & the Yang of Corporate Innovation, published Jan 26th 2012) he quotes Paul Saffo as saying “there is nothing democratic about innovation. It’s always been an elite activity, whether by a recognized or unrecognized elite”. While this may or may not be the case, and while this may or may not be a sensitive subject in a US election year, what is definitely changing is the make up of that elite.

In the (corporate) past this elite, in the context of innovation, may have been defined by role, intelligence, specific expertise, proximity, relationships, control of funds…or even privilege. Technology, however, has ensured that anyone, in effect, can now be part of that elite…anyone that is who has access to the internet, is keen & enthusiastic and has an idea or opinion along with a perspective on the particular subject.

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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.

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By Peter Verschuere

Today, organizations from schools to large multinationals all face the same challenge: How can we innovate? And in that process, all employees are supposed to be pro-active and reactive thinkers who can respond to any change in the market or competitive situation.

How to embed innovation in an organization is likely one of the most discussed, conflicting topics nowadays.

This post on the subject is written from the standpoint of the entrepreneur who wants to introduce innovation in his organization and reflects my findings after starting a discussion on LinkedIn ('What are the prerequisites to successfully embed a corporate innovation culture?') and reading some inspiring articles on that matter.

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