It seems like everything we read these days has to do with the financial bail out. Everyone seems to be bickering over who should get a “rescue package” and why. But we’re not going to talk about that. Instead, we’re going reiterate the message we’ve been telling our readers and clients for the past few months: Don’t bail on innovation.
Sure, it’s easy to push innovation to the back burner (or even take it off the burner completely) when times get tough and resources are tight. But now, more than ever, it’s critical that you remember the importance innovation will play in helping revive our struggling economy. Innovation will help smart companies tap new streams of revenue. Innovation will build new business models. Innovation will eliminate wastefulness and inefficiency. Innovation will not only help you survive this economic downturn; it will help you come out on top. Read the rest of this entry »
What did we find this year? Simply put, organizations are approaching innovation efforts without first taking the time to lay down the proper foundation. They’re blindly engaging in innovation activities such as idea-generation and culture-building while avoiding discussions around innovation strategy and processes. The problems with this are many. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks in the business world. Our current economic climate and everything that’s happening on Wall Street may seem apocalyptic, but remember: this too shall pass.
It almost seems ironic that we’re in the midst of strategic planning season when no one seems quite sure what it is they should be planning for. The way we see it, you have two options. You can stand still and wait to see what happens, or you can charge ahead with an eye on the future. (Hint: You can’t afford to stand still)
We were inspired this month by a blog post by James Gardner of Bankervision. In The role of innovators in future thinking, Gardner discusses the importance of thinking about (and planning for) the future, and poses an interesting exercise. Think up a seemingly far-fetched future scenario that would impact your business or industry ($500 oil? Carbon taxes?). Play out the implications in two ways: one in which your organization stays the course and ignores this scenario, and one in which you’ve taken it into account throughout your regular planning process. How do you fare in each scenario? Read the rest of this entry »
We’ve just wrapped up publication of our latest research report: The Future of Green Business Strategy, and I’ve noticed the volume on Green has turned up a few notches since we began researching this report a few months ago.
Just today, I came across a new site by the American Institute of Architects designed to inform both architects and the general public on the world of Green building. The site is a perfect example of how various organizations around the globe are cutting through the “noise” to communicate a clear, focused message on sustainability and the environment. It’s called Walk the Walk, and it features a number of resources, tutorials, and videos that inform visitors on the many facets of Green architecture and construction. There are two dedicated sections: one for people in the industry (architects, builders, designers) and one for everyone else (anyone considering remodeling or construction). The information on the site is clear, honest, and direct. It doesn’t focus too much on the “crisis” aspect of Green—rather, it offers much food for thought around how to simply make things better.
TechCrunch wrote a post the other day on “The Future of Search,” which includes a video walk-through of some of the search features with which Google is apparently experimenting. The highlight of this “experiment” is a layer of social functionality (much like Digg) that Google may add to its standard page of search results.
Basically, this world of search allows users to vote search results up and down, move things to the first page, and comment on individual results. What this means is that Google may be turning to “the wisdom of crowds” to enhance it’s world-famous (but ever-mysterious) algorithm. What’s more, it appears that users will be able to create rich Google profiles (Facebook, anyone?), which will be visible to other Google users through comments made on specific search results. Could this all be part of Google’s master plan to take over the internet? We already know they’re getting into virtual worlds. Keep an eye out for new experimental features in Google’s ever-active Labs.
To see a very, very cool demo of this functionality, be sure to visit TechCrunch.
TED recently posted a great talk by Yves Béhar (of previously-mentioned Fuseproject fame). In 18 minutes, Béhar walks us through some of his more famous projects (Herman Miller’s Leaf Light, the Aliph Jawbone, Y-Water) and details how the design of each of these projects was driven by stories. Stories, according to Béhar, are what set innovative products apart from the rest of the pack. Stories create a bond between the end-user and the product, and they help to ultimately create loyalty. Read the rest of this entry »
Last week, I attended A Look to the Future, a conference at NYU. There were a number of panel discussions and speeches about topics as diverse as the future of risk to the future of green as a business strategy. One of the talks I enjoyed the most, however, was entitled The Digital Future: What Social Networking and Marketing Tools Mean for Businesses and Entrepreneurs. The panel included Douglas Atkin, Chief Community Officer, Meetup.com; Bant Breen, President, Interpublic Futures Marketing Group and Director of Strategic Development and Innovation of the Interpublic Group; Rob Master, Director of Media North America for Unilever; Kenny Miller, EVP and Creative Director for MTV Networks Global Digital Media; and Marc Sirkin, Lead Social Networking Strategist at Microsoft. Read the rest of this entry »
In the April issue of futurethinking, our recently-redesigned monthly e-Newsletter, we included a link to a recent TIME Magazine article entitled 10 Ideas that Are Changing the World. Of all the other links and articles in the newsletter, this was, by a wide margin, the most popular (based on the number of clicks it received). The article - TIME’s cover story just a few weeks ago - is certainly a great one; but we got to wondering why it was so overwhelmingly favored when there were three other equally thought-provoking resources right next to it. Read the rest of this entry »
You are currently browsing the archives for the Uncategorized category.
futurethink
everything you need to innovate. all in one place.
at futurethink, we recognize that innovation is hard work. that's why we've done the work for you. we offer the world's largest catalog of innovation research and tools, covering the topics that are critical to the success of your innovation efforts.
so stop talking about innovation and start getting it done. get futurethink.
Newsletters
Sign up for futurethinking, our free monthly newsletter.
Posted by Josh Kutticherry
Posted by Josh Kutticherry
Posted by Josh Kutticherry
Josh Kutticherry
Chetan Chandavarkar
Lisa Bodell
Andrew Der