INVENTING INNOVATIVE ENTERPRISES - STARTUPs, OPEN INNOVATION, INCUBATION, INVENTIONS

 

On 18th July 2022, I was invited to conduct a half-day workshop at VVIET MYSURU, Entrepreneurship Development Cell. It was attended by about 100 students and faculty members.

 

The key points are 

1. Invent a solution  or a venture using sixth wave of innovation technologies or changes http://www.crafitti.com/sixth-woi.html

2. Create a Lean Canvas

3. Customer value framework is essential 

4. Invent using TRIZ 

5. minimum viable product needs a plan for verification  and validation of all assumptions hypothesis

6. use the Goal Canvas for continuous evolution of MVP

7. Use Crafitti idea Journal weekly capturing problem  and ideation

8. Create a White Paper for your product or venture 

9. Continuously keep on inventing 

10. Prepare an invention disclosure even if your venture is not inventive 

 

 

Open Innovation ! Where are you?

Where is Open Innovation in 2014?

Open Innovation was a mantra last decade.

By 2008 however, people started questioning it. I wrote in this post

"Mark the word BIG COMPANIES. Last year when I asked a gathering of Big Company executives on a sales pitch," we know when elephants cant stamp they start dancing, when they cant dance do they become more social or open" - the big company executives did not answer. But the real hidden intentions of big companies really is cover risks of small guys eating suddenly what they have created for so many years.
This will be short term, in my opinion, only co-creation with mutual trust has long term sustainability."

Ivy League Profs talked about it as "Innovation Bazaar" 

My reaction to their HBR paper was " The end-effect after reading is - what are they saying different or new - if you are the one who have been following the open innovation literature - you will get a feeling of "heard it before" after reading the paper.The only interesting part is of course naming the article as Innovation Bazaar.
Further since the two professors are already ready with their book on Network-centric Innovation it will be interesting to see - whether we get the same feeling after reading the book as well. I hope not!"

However, the book on "Starfish Vs Spider" gave a nice articulation of the change - not necessarily in open innovation way - but generally in the emergence of leaderless organizations - A review Here

My comment after reading the book " I am love-stuck with this book! Do I need to say more"

My view has been that we are seeing three interconnected trends I call Globalization Innovation Complexity. All three are increasing but impacting each other- both by impeding and accelerating simultaneously. A phenomenally different world is emerging. I called in The GIXBang world.

Open Innovation Next has to be looked at how our understanding of Networks Evolve.

The shifts were visible - its not Open Innovation - but Co-Creation

And I wrote " I call it just the first step... Next will be the invitation only conference with your Value Net - customers, complementers, competitors and suppliers. This is the age of co-creation. Earlier enterprises realize better it is for all. This actually requires all round mutual trust and confidence in openness to explore future.Zero sum games will be failures in co-creation scenarios - play the +ve sum games, where in each others capabilities are synergized to create end value!"

Our view was that Open Innovation has to be Lean and TRIZ enabled 

It has to be a learning organization

We formulated 14 Key Areas for Value

The Operating Architecture for GIXBang world is not "open innovation" but Co-Crafting. And one can become an Innovation Co-Crafter by SOUL-ALVIS-CRAFT framework.

We need to move from simpleton to scientist  to saint 

We call it the Innovation Co-Crafting approach.

Making Open Innovation Lean and TRIZ Enabled

Open Innovation - Mixed Bag

Open Innovation is becoming the new mantra everywhere.

The article here points out the other side of Open Innovation as well. The author states that
But there are costs, too. A company can lose control of its own technology, as it leaks out to partners. It can make it less likely, rather than more, that a new product is genuinely new and original. It’s hard on employee relations; is it a prelude to outsourcing or bypassing? And collaboration can be anything but efficient.

The positive side also is articulated thus, "Some of the benefits: getting new ideas, finding hot new partners or employees, killing the “not invented here” syndrome, conducting some early market research, pre-selling before the product launch – and, of course, saving money."

The definition of open innovation really takes the cherry. "The bluntest definition possible: open innovation is what happens when big companies collaborate on a large scale with outsiders – university researchers, suppliers, small tech start-ups – to get new products or services to market."
Mark the word BIG COMPANIES. Last year when I asked a gathering of Big Company executives on a sales pitch," we know when elephants cant stamp they start dancing, when they cant dance do they become more social or open" - the big company executives did not answer. But the real hidden intentions of big companies really is cover risks of small guys eating suddenly what they have created for so many years.
This will be short term, in my opinion, only co-creation with mutual trust has long term sustainability.

First steps toward Co-Creation

The businessweek article Building through collective innovation, is a small shift towards co-creation from the open innovation trend of last 5 years. Non-competing firms Design departments come together to exchange ideas through an invitation only conference.

I call it just the first step... Next will be the invitation only conference with your Value Net - customers, complementers, competitors and suppliers. This is the age of co-creation. Earlier enterprises realize better it is for all. This actually requires all round mutual trust and confidence in openness to explore future.

Zero sum games will be failures in co-creation scenarios - play the +ve sum games, where in each others capabilities are synergized to create end value!

Innovation Bazaar

The June 2007 Harvard Business Review article by Satish Nambisan and Mohanbir Sawhney gives a continuum dimension to Open innovation - with an in between stage of what they call Innovation Capitalists focussing on market ready ideas. The two end points being raw ideas and finished products (market ready products).

Innovation Intermediaries are the new actors that consolidated raw ideas and invest some of their resources to make products for the clients who take them to end customers. The authors provide guidelines for choosing and balancing your innovation sourcing strategies.

The end-effect after reading is - what are they saying different or new - if you are the one who have been following the open innovation literature - you will get a feeling of "heard it before" after reading the paper.

The only interesting part is of course naming the article as Innovation Bazaar.
Further since the two professors are already ready with their book on Network-centric Innovation it will be interesting to see - whether we get the same feeling after reading the book as well. I hope not!