INNOVATION… Are You Innovative?

My first introduction and curiosity about innovation came a few years ago, after a meaningful discussion with Ken Morrelly, President of the Long Island Forum for Technology. He talked with me about various projects at LIFT and about new ways of accomplishing things. A few months ago, he wrote a white paper comparing a tsunami to the economic climate, which I found ingenious.

When I saw the book, CATS, The Nine Lives of Innovation by Stephen C. Lundin, Ph.D., in the Miami International Airport, I immediately purchased it!

The book talks about the importance of innovation and compares it to a cat’s 9 lives. “Each life is independent and moves you to a higher level of innovation,” the author says.

Dr. Lundlin gives concrete examples of how other people in companies have changed the way they do business through innovation. I was particularly interested in the three provocations – Social, Physical and Intellectual. Although we all think of new ideas, I never thought about how they pop into your head and the relationship between ideas and other factors surrounding you.

With social provocation, you think of something as a result of what someone else said. For example, if you are brainstorming an idea, something will come to you as a result of someone else’s idea.

With physical provocation, we think of ideas when other things happen to others around us. For example, I have a friend who set up a foundation after his child passed away.

With Intellectual provocation, we use our imagination to create innovation. For example, we consider doing things totally different then the way we did things in the past. This is used when you get outside your typical routine.

Dr. Lundlin also talks about the importance of failure. Obviously no one wants to fail, but the only way to really learn and continue to innovate is to fail.

Especially in today’s economic climate, it is important to be innovative and to think about new ways to conduct business. At HJMT, we are constantly thinking of new ways to get out there for our clients and for ourselves. It’s important to make that investment, especially now.

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it certainly got me interested in reading this book, which was well worth the read!