Thinking about Thinking, Creativity, Innovation and Design
Better solutions and new ways of solving problem is required in all areas of society. Social innovation is a concept that is perhaps less known that innovation in technology sector. But to make positive social change happen requires new ideas and solutions. The Young Foundation has Thinking Action Change as their motto and the organisation …
Continue reading "Social Innovation in Slovakia – Thinkibility Nibble"
What do you do when you open a parcel and see an instruction? Do you read the instruction before you try to assemble the parts? Do you try first yourself and only read the instruction after you have failed to assemble the parts? Or do you change the instruction and build something else? Envisioning what …
Continue reading "Hacking – Turning an IKEA Chair into a Bicycle"
Companies and governments must be innovative. But how? Many organizations wait for some curious creative ideas to suddenly appear out of nowhere. The suggestions that are put forward are often not so useful after all. Other organizations go a little further. They organize an “innovation day”, set up a committee on innovation, they try to …
We are used to relying on our vision but according to IBM in the future the focus will be on broadening the perspective developing capacities to mimic the ability to smell, touch, taste and hear. Tiny sensors in the computer may detect if you are coming down with a cold by analysing your breath. Many …
A buzzword like innovation tends to lure us into false security. It is tempting to believe that innovation is simply something that you can inject into an organisation. Today, every company says that it got innovation. The definition of the term varies from inventing a new product that has never existed to turning an overlooked …
What is an “Aha!” moment? Finding a structure to the thoughts that endlessly flows through our minds is often described as the first step towards getting a good idea. Yet the best ideas often appears when we are half dreaming, relaxing, or walking our dog. A common explanation to this phenomenon is that creativity means …
Using the Internet to promote our skills is becoming increasingly more important. New skills and ideas are required and Peter Thiel says that it is vital to let interests and talents help to us find a career that inspires us. Choosing subjects and topics that we are interested in and love, mean that we are …
Inspiration for innovation Many innovative and sustainable solutions have been found by studying natures best solutions and searching for ways to imitate those solutions. We have used nature as an inspiration for a long time, yet, it has perhaps not been a conscious approach. Architects have used spiders’ webs and termite mounds as inspiration. …
In times of globalisation, it has become vital to maximise the rate of innovation. Defining the concept innovation is difficult. Often we spend little time thinking about definitions, yet how we define a word influences our actions. There are many misunderstandings about innovations and often innovation has become a passive process. Innovation should be part …
A mystery What is innovation? Is it an improvement, a further development of the product? Is it an extra button? A new colour? Or something impossible? To encourage innovative thinking we need to inspire action and at least in some cases, swim against the tide. The pitfall that many for us step into when trying …
Learning to innovate: an abstract art? Many companies and organisations may not have noticed that innovation means something else than more research, more technology, more money, or taking more risks. All these factors comes after the conception of an idea for innovation. Inventing ideas is thinking. And a truly innovative idea does not exist - it is only …
What do a driverless car, Google, and democracy in higher education have in common? The German computer scientist Sebastian Thrun is a creative mind working in the zone between the possible and impossible. Resisting impossible ideas are easy but inventors are unhappy, says Sebastian Thrun. Inventors are constantly searching for solutions and they feel the pain of …
Continue reading "World Thinkers’ Ideas – Believe in the Impossible"
Today’s world is characterised by quick and dramatic changes. This means that there is a constant search for new ideas. Yet, there is a difference between innovation and ideas. Most of us have ideas, some of them good, other not so good. Miguel de Icaza, the founder of the GNOME and Mono projects …
Below is an extractfrom Jeffrey Baumgartner's Report 103, which he has kindly given us permission to reprint. An inspiring post about innovation, and the importance of considering how to innovate. Jeffrey Baumgartner is from Belgium and when he is not busy writing about creativity he trains individuals and organisations on how to solve problems. And of course, …
A vision on innovation Innovation is a very misunderstood technique. We would like to introduce some clarity: Innovation does not just fall into your lap Ideas have to be consciously designed Application of a technology follows the generation of an idea, not visa versa Innovation does not just fall into your lap You will …
