In this article, I explain 6 building blocks that Strasburg mentions in his presentation. Jana Strasburg, a research scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory at the University of Washington recently presented a presentation explaining the building blocks of innovation.
And these are:
1. Processes
Innovation implies a deliberate process, although it may seem casual. There is almost always an underlying focus by which ideas are shared, integrated and improved, which can be as simple as an agenda for a meeting or a series of very complicated steps to achieve a specific result. Processes are important for innovation.
2. People
Particularly teams of people are important for innovation. People who have different backgrounds, experiences, ways of looking at the world. People who come together to leverage their strengths and build a new collective vision that is greater than the sum of each of them as individuals.
When you meet people who do not know each other, who speak different languages, or use the same words in different ways, it means that you need a process to build trust and encourage communication. In this way, processes and people are important for innovation.
3. Place
Innovation is nurtured in a place where you have space and the tools to be creative. I see it as a playground, where ideas can play and interact, evolve, and build. It is a physical place where you have tools, papers for notes, markers, snack, and coffee. But also from a mental place where you can make other areas of your life disappear. Where you can focus and dream and be inspired. You need a place that is different from where you normally operate. A place where you can go with people and have innovation construction ideas.
4. Products
Innovation develops new products. And when talking about products is in the broadest sense of the word, it can be something physical, a prototype, a presentation or report. But it can also be something intangible like an idea, a strategy, a relationship or a feeling. Innovative products are the result of innovation and are a result of people, processes and the place where they all interact.
5. Perspective
Innovation allows new perspectives. You can change people. Innovation is about sharing ideas and when they are shared they are implicitly received and when you receive something, you have changed forever, sometimes in imperceptible ways, but sometimes in a profound way. Prospects and products are the results of innovation. They are the result of the people, the place and the process we use to get there.
6. Progress
Innovation accelerates progress, makes things better, cheaper and faster. But it is important to understand what you want to achieve. How to know if you have been successful? What are the indicators by which you can demonstrate the improvement?
