Innovation

The wisdom of improv training

November 7, 2019
What do comedy and business have in common? Plenty, as it turns out. Here are just a few shared principles useful in improv and work.

Where transformative ideas come from

November 7, 2019
Science author Steven Johnson writes books about the search for where ideas come from, how we make decisions and what the two pursuits have in common. Some takeaways from his recent conversation on the podcast “Clear + Vivid” with Alan Alda.

6 innovations that changed everything

October 10, 2019
In his book How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World, Steven Johnson tells the story of history’s most intertwined, complex and crucial enterprises.

Listen to pop culture and profit

September 12, 2019
Look around at popular culture. Watch for the little signs of transformation. Your next brilliant idea is in there somewhere.

The accidental genius of Monopoly

September 12, 2019
The game board itself had been used as a delivery system for moral or practical lessons to players. But creator Elizabeth Magie thought the board could be used for more revolutionary purposes.

5 businesses you’re a little late on

August 8, 2019
These five interesting discoveries showcase how the pursuit of money is timeless.

Why innovation needs its own space

August 8, 2019
Creativity is stifled in a risk-averse environment, usually in companies that cannot get past memories of failed efforts and apparently, in their view, unacceptable costs. What is needed is a different thought process and the space to encourage it.

Celebrate the beauty of constraints

July 11, 2019
Research is showing more and more that working with limitations and constraints is a contributing factor to innovation and possibility. If you learn to embrace them, the constraints that might at first appear stifling could open up new creative opportunities.

How to spot the innovators

July 11, 2019
Spotting innovators early on and identifying what makes them true originals is difficult. We tend to look for certain markers that someone is poised for success. And those markers can be misleading.

‘I invented this!’ ‘No, I did!’

June 13, 2019
Throughout history, there have been many cases of inventions and discoveries made independently by different people at the same time. Here are some examples.