Gregg Fraley

It occurred to me that as a cultural trend spotter and scanner, I’ve not posted about current trends in my own field of Innovation.  No time like the present!  Like any industry or concept things fall in and out of fashion. This is just my view, but a fairly well informed one. So, here are my 10 thoughts about innovation trends, in no particular order: (see below for more thinking about each item) 10 Trends In Innovation (March 2011) 1. Creativity is getting more lip service but less action. 2. Risk Aversion is still very much part of the big company scene. 3. Lack of Resources is the number one excuse for not innovating. 4. Idea Management Systems and Product

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While trying to escape the business world for a few hours last evening (aka “male channel surfing”) I happened upon a Heston Blumenthal TV program on Channel 4. Kudos to Channel 4 for producing Heston’s Mission Impossible. It’s a must watch for those interested in innovation. Period. The program is all about Heston’s efforts to dramatically improve the food on British Airways.  Wow, a good start, it’s an iconic brand, and a brand in trouble. The program concept is not new; Blumental made a similar effort to update the menu at Great Britian’s classic diner, Little Chef. What is new, and very worth watching if you are an innovation person, hell, a business person, is the clarity of the program

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I’ve been asked by intelligent people why I bother with Twitter. The short answer, for me, is — marketing. But, it’s not only marketing and that glib answer will hardly suffice for those who really are seeking to understand the phenomena.  I passed 7,000 followers this past week, and I consider that an accomplishment. Now, not everybody needs to have that kind of Following, in fact, depending on your goals, 100 or less might be exactly what you want.  Your goals with Twitter will be different if you’re playing for yourself, or for an organization. They’ll be different depending on your personal desires. This post is more about how and why an individual might get to Tweeting, see my 7

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Heads-up! There’s a great creativity post on Mike Brown’s excellent blog, Brainzooming. It’s a listing of 37 articles on ways to be more creative.  I’m kicking myself because I’m not on the list! I realize that even though I’ve written about 300 posts related to creativity, and a book — I haven’t written a piece that explicitly takes on that challenge.  I would argue that my “Magic Jacket of Creative Behavior” post comes darn close!  Well, never mind, no time like the present to make a change — I’ll make the next list with this post! There are a lot of ways to be more creative, in my list below I’ve tried to focus on fundamental Ways of Being that lead to

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How do we get more companies on board to do the new dance, the Idea  Management Adoption Slide?  It’s Holistic! I wrote an article two years ago that stated managers will lose their jobs, at some point, for not adopting Idea Management Systems (IMS).  Those who read this blog know I’m an advocate and believer in IMS, and I’ll point you to the original article (Idea Management, the Measure of Innovation) for all the good reasons and concrete benefits. I’m not the only one who thinks this, I found a more recent blog post by Ron Shulkin, who wrote comprehensive piece on the topic. I haven’t heard of anyone losing their job yet, and there is anecdotal evidence of more adoption

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If It’s Not a Creative Solution, I’m Not Interested. The tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords has me thinking about political discourse in the USA. My heart goes out to the families who have lost loved ones, and my heart goes out to all Americans. Once again we grieve over guns and politics. As a “Boomer” it takes me back to another time, in a sad way.  I am once again sitting in grade school and hearing over the loud speaker that John F. Kennedy, my hero, our President, had been shot, and once again, I’m re-living the shooting deaths of Robert F Kennedy , and Martin Luther King. Dead hero’s all, it’s not a proud legacy. I now pray

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Some people have no idea what it means to have a “Generative Discussion.” A generative discussion is when people talk, and in the process of discussing something, use a bit of vision, imagination, and ideation. Entrepreneurs and inventors are good at this; they tend to always be looking for the opportunity in what’s being talked about. “What If…” or “Wouldn’t it be Cool If…” or “How Might We…” are phrases you often hear. Now dig, I’m not talking about brainstorming (in any of its many forms and definitions).  I’m talking about, well, talking — but with a creative twist. Creative talking, Innovative talking (aka a Generative Discussion) is more than debate — which is usually about proving how right you

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Brainstorming. What does the word mean to you?  How would you define it? Charting on an easel? Post-It notes? Or White Board doodles? A vigorous debate or discussion? Wall murals with Mind-Maps and other Graphic Facilitation tools? Virtual ideation using an online system? A wander in the woods thinking?  Other types of “excursions?” A group of people exchanging ideas? An intensive one or two day session of idea generation Improvisation games or other kinesthetic exercises to stimulate ideas? How the originator defined it, that is, Alex Osborn in “Your Creative Power” and “Applied Imagination” A generic term for idea generation that includes 1-10 and more… Those of you who read this blog often, know I got caught in something of

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There is a memorable scene in Godfather III where Michael Corleone laments his inability to stay out of the mob game, he screams —  “Just when I thought I was out of it, they pull me back in.” This is something like my relationship with start-up companies. I’ve been involved with several, and whether they were successes or not, at the time, I always felt that this ‘was the last one.’ I don’t know why exactly. Perhaps because of the intensity of the work, or the roller coaster ride of high high’s and the low low’s. Maybe just because it’s a bit scary.  At times, back in the day, I was ambivalent about my own motives. That ambivalence is probably what

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I’ve been a professional facilitator, of some sort, for the better part of the last 15 years. I’ve taken, and given, a good deal of training related to tools, techniques, and methods for idea generation and meeting facilitation. I’m regarded as one of the best.  I say all this not to toot my own horn (toot toot) but as a preface to a review on possibly the best book written about the subject in many years, GameStorming, a Playbook for Inovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers. I know a lot of tools, but these guys put them all (nearly all) in a great book! There are a number of books out there on idea generation (and meeting facilitation) methods. What’s I’ve found

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