Collaborative Innovation

Introducing the IDC Captivate Program for Collaborative Innovation

August 20, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

People who pursue collaborative innovation wrestle with how best to describe the practice to their colleagues and to the larger community. How best to paint a compelling picture of the practice which encourages others to engage in ideation? In this article innovation architect Doug Collins paints a picture by way of drafting a communication from a senior practice leader to fictional organization Intriguing Design Corporation (IDC).
Thinking of Creating an Innovation Centre of Excellence? Think again.

August 14, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

Organizations create centers of excellence to distill and disseminate best practices on any number of topics. Using this approach to support collaborative innovation has certain drawbacks, however. In this article Doug Collins identifies the drawbacks and explores an alternative way to support collaborative innovation which respects the tenets of the practice by adopting principles from the Montessori Method.
Internal Communications, Meet Collaborative Innovation

August 6, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

Groups handling internal communications within their organizations experiment with engaging employees through virtual forums. These forums create space for collaboration. In time, meaningful collaboration foments a culture of innovation.
How might internal communications advance this culture? How might they secure deeper engagement?
Three Ways to Achieve Breakthrough Innovation

July 23, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

How might you foment authentic breakthroughs through collaborative innovation? The fuzzy front end, by name and nature, fails to lend itself to foregone conclusions. Yet, as the innovation practitioner, you can take certain steps that increase the likelihood of achieving breakthroughs. In this article innovation architect Doug Collins explores the most critical steps for people who see the practice as a means of transforming the organization.
Crossed Signals: Things that Keep Us from Effective Collaborative Innovation

July 9, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

Sometimes we plan to go from point A to point B, but wind up at point C. What happens when point C turns out to be a dead end? In this article innovation architect Doug Collins explores the crossed signals that can occur when organizations attempt to advance their practice of collaborative innovation, but find themselves someplace less promising.
Fertile Ground for the Ideation Seed

May 14, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

Depending on the people involved, their motivations, and the phase of the moon, you may or may not find fertile ground for the practice of collaborative innovation. In this article innovation architect Doug Collins explores the fecund places that you, as a practitioner, may want to think about planting your seed of ideation to ensure a bountiful harvest.
The Many Paths to Collaborative Innovation

April 30, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

The Lean Startup. Lean Thinking. Design Thinking. Agile. Skunk Works®. Outcome-Driven Innovation. Customer Co-Creation. Future Search. The World Café.Hunting for Hunting Grounds. Choosing an approach by which to pursue collaborative innovation is like choosing a religion. In this article innovation architect Doug Collins reflects on the essence of the practice.
The CFO: the Innovator’s Best Friend

April 16, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

The front end of innovation offers organizations engagement. Engaged people bring more of their gifts to the table. The back end of innovation offers organizations ideas that, when implemented, bring relative advantage. Each idea has its own story of relative advantage and risk. How do you tell the back end story in a valid, credible way? In this article innovation architect Doug Collins commends people who practice collaborative innovation to their organization’s chief financial officer. Having heard many, many tales of the back end, she can guide you. You can help her, too.
Two Years at the Coalface: A Miner Reflects

April 2, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

For two years our columnist Doug Collins has shared with us his exploration of the practice of collaborative innovation. Today, at this anniversary, we announce the release of volume 2 of his Innovation Architecture series, an exciting and deeply thought-provoking book whose cover is depicted in the headline graphic for this article. Hence, this week, Doug reflects on his contributions that resonated most with readers and shares a few thoughts about what inspired each.
Better Living through Collaborative Innovation

March 19, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

Organizations big and small have begun to explore the practice of collaborative innovation as a way to increase engagement and to foment a culture of innovation. Let’s say you work for such an organization. What’s the quid pro quo when you find yourself part of the crowd from which wisdom is sought? In this article innovation architect Doug Collins wrestles with questions that you may want to ask the practice sponsors and yourself.
What’s That Smell? Skunk Works® Meets Collaborative Innovation

March 5, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

The front and back ends of innovation test us in different ways. At the front end we wrestle with, “What problem is worth solving?” At the back end we wrestle with, “How do deliver something that offers greater relative advantage than the next best alternative?” The back end can test us the most. We tap fully our potential for leadership to produce something new—something that, in its newness, disrupts the status quo. In this article, innovation architect Doug Collins explores the link between the Skunk Works®, a successful approach to the back end developed during World War II, in the context of today’s approach to collaborative innovation.
Four of Five Social Innovators Recommend…

February 18, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

Gartner predicts that four of five large enterprises that pursue social innovation with their employees and the world at large will, over the next couple years, fail in their endeavors. Ouch. Meatloaf gave better odds. In this article innovation architect Doug Collins explores how you might increase the odds of gaining a coveted membership to the twenty percent club.
The Persuasive Innovator: Influencing People to Collaborate

February 5, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

When you introduce the practice of collaborative innovation to your organization, you make the case to your colleagues that the approach will benefit them more than the status quo. Why might they agree with you? Why might they change their beliefs and behaviors? Have you developed your campaign of persuasion? Innovation architect Doug Collins shares his thinking on how you might influence people to share your beliefs about the benefits of the practice.
Revisiting the Idea of a Fully Formed Idea

January 22, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

What elements comprise a fully formed idea? How might originators capture the evolution in their thinking about their ideas over time? Innovation architect Doug Collins—older and, debatably, wiser—revisits his thinking on this subject.
Your New Year’s Resolution for Collaborative Innovation

January 8, 2013 | By: Doug Collins

The New Year offers a quiet time for reflection and reappraisal over a fine, locally brewed winter lager. How will I spend my time wisely? What will I do better? What will I do differently? Do I return the juicer from Aunt Ethel? In his first article of 2013, innovation architect Doug Collins suggests a New Year resolution for people who practice collaborative innovation.