August 31, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovation Needs Different Thinking Horizons
Paul Hobcraft makes the case that different types of innovation operate and evolve over different time horizons and explains the three emerging horizons that need different treatment for innovation.
August 31, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Artificial Intelligence and the Consulting Industry
The same technologies that have led to the growth of consulting companies over the last couple of decades, will begin to lead to a shrinking of those same consulting firms. The increasing diversification of the large global consultancies into other spe…
August 30, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Cross the Chasm Using the Market Development Model
How do you get your product ready to “cross the chasm” and move from the early market to the mainstream? Use the Market Development Model to successfully navigate this critical junction by making your product easy to sell, easy to buy, and easy to employ. I read Crossing the Chasm when it was published in …
August 30, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
The (Fill in the Blank) Way
Each professional entity has a way of handling business. This way is encoded with spoken and codified rules and unspoken and non-verbal clues on how to perform. What gets done, how decisions are made, and how money is allocated can be defined as “culture.”
August 30, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
I Am Not a Handyman
Are you a man — or know a man who is, shall we say, “handyman challenged”? If so, then this newly published Huffington Post article of mine, is for you. Three minutes worth of comic relief. If you like it, please LIKE it and forward the link to your…
August 29, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovation Lessons from the Six Rules of Urban Planning
Anyone who has enjoyed a long walk through the pleasant streets of Greenwich Village in New York may have Jane Jacobs to thank. Among the most brilliant thinkers in the area of city planning and architecture, Jacobs in 1961 wrote the book The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Jacobs wrote that the Modernist …
August 29, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovation Leaders Need Peers
There’s an old saying in business. Don’t make enemies of your peers. If you do, you won’t need any more enemies. They’ll be able to do you in…just fine.
August 28, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
“Bone-Aid” an innovative flexible cast
Remember those old plaster casts? I remember the discomfort of these casts for broken bones, but here’s an idea that I thought I’d share today: Bone-Aid casts, that I think might make the process of healing broken or fractured bones more comfortable. These were designed by students from Tunghai University in China. The casts aren’t […]
August 28, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Captain Fantastic
Wonderful movie! Inspiring. Moving. Memorable.
August 28, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
What makes a country innovative?
Each year INSEAD team up with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and Cornell University to produce an innovation league table for the countries of the world. It’s designed to rank the infrastructure and support environment for innovation around the world. The 2016 rankings have just been published, and given the desire of the EU …
August 28, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Key Innovation Issues for the Time Ahead – Part 2
In addition to the still highly topical issues, outlined in part 1, I’d like to raise another four points which I personally foresee key for innovation management in the time to come – making no claim to completeness: Organizational Ambidexterity As you can see from previous posts, I’ve been passionately advocating the importance of organizational ambidexterity for a couple of years …
August 27, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Transforming Healthcare from Within
How One Woman Is Working To Transform The Healthcare System From Within The successful decoding of the human genome in 2003 was a historic achievement. Not only because it unlocked the biological code to life, but also because it marked a new fusion of life sciences and information technology, using powerful computers and analytical techniques to …
August 26, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovation and How to Recruit and Retain Top Millennial Talent
As discussed in the new innovation book Robert’s Rules of Innovation II: The Art of Implementation, one of the biggest reasons why the actual implementation of innovation can become such a formidable if not insurmountable process is because of people-related issues. A key element to successfully implementing innovation is finding and keeping the right people. …
August 26, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Product Naming 101
If you ask business experts what is the most fundamental ingredient in a successful product launch, you may hear three things: distribution, quality, or pricing. All three are merely givens in this era—mandatory.
August 25, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Trend-driven Innovation for Product Managers
Smart product managers study trends and innovate accordingly. This is trend-driven innovation. Uber’s success is an excellent example of trend-driven innovation. It made transportation more convenient and also made earning money easier for drivers. Both were possible due to changes in perceptions of sharing – a trend that became known as the sharing economy. Trends …
August 25, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Register for CLEAR™ VIEW: Driving Business Performance through Organizational Capability!
CLEAR™VIEW is a highly interactive, three day leadership experience for top executives charged with driving business performance through organizational capability and transformational change. The CLEAR™VIEW program is focused on building practical strategies to address challenges in agility, change, innovation, talent and leadership. In-depth sessions with globally recognized thought leaders such as John Boudreau, Rob Cross, […]
August 25, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innov’Up at La Poste (French mail company)
Aude Le Carpentier is in charge of Innov’Up Creativity, in the Service-Mail-Parcel sector of La Poste. She’s a 27 year-old manager of a team of 15 creative people, helping business teams to develop innovative services. She kindly accepted to answer our questions on the story of Innov’Up. 1) What is ‘the reason why’ for Innov …
August 24, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
eX Summit: Is the real innovation around employee engagement?
Many organizations have failed to focus on the experiences of their most important competitive advantage: employees. It’s now time to talk about the employee experience (EX). That’s why I’ve founded eX Summit, a space to debate the importance and impact of the employee experience. Our first event eX Indy will take place on September 22 in Indianapolis.
August 24, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
You Must Define This Term to De-Risk Innovation
Meaningful innovation inherently involves risk. Adopting consensus thoughts on acceptable failure is insufficient. Defining acceptable failure for your organization is critical.
August 23, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovation Lessons from the Troublesome Start of AIRBNB
What began as a simple idea to earn some extra income and help out travelers from out-of-town eventually took off globally. AirBnB started in 2007 and is valued now at over $ 25 billion. There are at least 3 important lessons learned from its troubleso…
August 23, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Connecting: The Key To Your Next Billion Dollar Business
What Do These Billion Dollar Businesses Have In Common? What do all of these companies have in common? Uber, Lyft, AirBnB, Instacart, Etsy, eBay & WeWork Here are some things that have been said, while correct, they are not the essence of what makes these companies so valuable and so disruptive. For one, whichever service they…
August 23, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Customer driven innovation at Ricoh
Mike Irvine is the leader of Ricoh’s European Technology Centre. His team is responsible for bridging the gap between Customers business needs and the Ricoh engineering and development teams. I met with Mike at Barcelona Innovation summit, and was impressed by the presentation he delivered on customer driven innovation, and how Ricoh unfolds various ways to involve customers in its product roadmap. Mike kindly accepted to answer a few questions about it.
August 22, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Learning to forget the past
Overcoming the ‘way we do things’ is a key ingredient to successful innovation, but it’s one that few organizatiosn do well. This article looks at how you can successfully overcome the past to help you craft the future.
August 22, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovations of the Incas – Part II
I recently wrote about innovation lessons from the Inca citadel at Machu Picchu in Peru. This article focuses on other Incan innovations from Machu Picchu and elsewhere in Peru. As mentioned in the previous article, some scholars believe that the purpose of the site at Machu Picchu was to serve as a research station for the …
August 22, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovation Metrics: How to Stay on Track
Before you launch your innovation campaign, you want to set up key performance indicators or KPIs for short. Key performance indicators help you keep track of your overall strategy and your individual innovation programs. They alert you when it’s time to intervene and take action to get things back on track. Without KPIs, you’re flying blind, so to speak, and you run the risk of falling short of your overall goal.
August 20, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
The Tony Soprano Problem
Tony Soprano, the heavy-handed mafia boss from the famous TV show, was a master of coercion. Through violence, extortion and bribery he rose to the top of his industry, leaving competitors in his wake. Despite the high employee turnover in his organization, he achieved attractive margins. Yet sensing that he could benefit by exploring alternative strategies, …
August 19, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Self-driving taxis hit Singapore
Starting on this week, residents of Singapore can hail a self-driving car as a taxi, thanks to It’s brought to U.S.-based nuTonomy by Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi. The new i-Miev taxis use an invite-only app. The trial will offer riders a commute through Singapore’s one-north business district: The startup, which in May received $16 million […]
August 19, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
The Dysfunctional Innovation Ecosystem
We naturally think an ecosystem should be positive or encouraging toward their end goal and naturally evolve to support their stated purpose. However, innovation tends to be different. If left unchecked or allowed to evolve on its own, innovation withi…
August 18, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Innovation and Bridging the Generational Divide
How to Fine-Tune Working Relationships between Boomers and Millennials to Create Harmonious Innovation Teams The innovation book Robert’s Rules of Innovation: A 10-Step Program for Corporate Survival lays out a step-by-step framework of 10 Key Imperatives that an organization must take to achieve profitable business growth through innovation. While a structured, repeatable innovation process is …
August 17, 2016 | by Chris Kalaboukis
Danger is the Early Warning Sign of Opportunity
Without relying on the predictable places to hide—spread sheets, business buzzwords, risk mitigation plans, past glories—look me in the eyes. Now, point out the potential dangers for your business. When you stutter or express worry about your employees, I will know you’re being real, vulnerable, human.