INNOVATION & CREATIVITY BLOG
INTRODUCING FOURSIGHT ONLINE: WEBINAR, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Have you completed a FourSight Thinking Profile Assessment? Have you been trained in how to use the FourSight Thinking System™ or thinking about learning how to use it? This FREE webinar introduces the FourSight Online Application where we will show you how to: Access...
I work on an Innovation Team
You’ve been asked to work on an innovation team with a diverse group of people. They’ve been hand-picked from across the organization and you’ve likely not worked with any of them before. Your work is split off from the core business and it’s not what you’ve been...
My team is facing Change, Uncertainty, and Constraints
You’ve been asked to lead change in your organization and you’re concerned about your team. You’re feeling pressured to deliver more value to the organization, and what you’ve done in the past might not serve you as well in the future. You and your team have...
I work on a Distributed, Dispersed or Virtual Team
Call it what you want--distributed, dispersed or virtual--these kinds of teams are made up of individuals who are geographically dispersed, work across time, space, organizational boundaries and rely on communication and technology to get things done. Team...
I work on a Technology Team
You’re being asked to create value and deliver innovation. Your team is excited about the possibilities of new technologies, but when you bring a solution to the organization, you get a whole bunch of grief. You’re doing your best to follow sound project...
I work on an Engineering or Product Development Team
You’re being asked to create value and deliver innovation. Your team is excited about the possibilities of new technologies, but when you bring a solution to the organization, you get a whole bunch of grief. You’re doing your best to follow sound project...
I work on an R&D Team
You’re finding that more and more of your success is dependent on your ability to workacross functions. And it’s painful. Everyone looks at the problem you’retackling from a different perspective and few people see the value of lookingbeyond next quarter’s results. ...
I work on a Project Team
Your team has been asked to lead or contribute innovation, and research and develop new products and opportunities critical to the success of the organization. But you’re finding more and more of your success is dependent upon your ability to work across functions....
I work on an Operations Team
Yourproject is expected to deliver change to the organization. You’re doing yourbest to follow sound project management principles but your efforts at workingacross functions are frustrating. Getting stakeholders involved and interested in doing the work needed tohelp...
I work on a Leadership Team / I’m helping to develop leaders
Your team does pretty well the same things every day, but you’re being asked to think creatively, be more innovative, and find new and better ways of doing your work. Cost savings and avoidance, continuous improvement to drive efficiency, effectiveness and...
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX WORKSHOP: TORONTO, SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
Globally, creativity has been identified as a key leadership competency, and many organizations have identified innovation as a priority. Creativity and innovation are strongly linked because without creative thinking skills, you can’t drive the novelty necessary for...
INNOV8RS VANCOUVER: OCTOBER 3 & 4, 2019
There is a little-known secret to thinking outside the box. It’s knowing how, when faced with a challenge, you engage in the universal creative process. Every one of us has unique thinking preferences for moving through that process. These preferences act as an energy...
THE ULTIMATE CREATIVE THINKING WORKSHOP! TORONTO, NOVEMBER 5, 2019
At Innov8rs Vancouver, you will get access to the best and latest in corporate innovation. Innov8rs is not just another conference, where you leave with high-level ideas and a bunch of business cards. You’ll actually learn and do stuff. Date & Location: October 3...
How to Facilitate Effective Meetings
Your team does pretty well the same things every day, but you’re being asked to think creatively, be more innovative, and find new and better ways of doing your work. Cost savings and avoidance, continuous improvement to drive efficiency, effectiveness and...
What Kind of Organizational Culture Supports Innovation?
In this blog post we examine various aspects of how to facilitate effective meetings. It’s a topic clients ask us about a lot. But why? Why Worry about Effective Meetings? Given trends around the future of work and an increasing need for innovation in...
How to Bring Innovation to a Company
The kind of organizational culture that supports innovation is a “culture of innovation.” What are the defining features of a culture of innovation? At BridgePoint Effect we define it as: An environment that has the agility to respond to change and provides the...
Answering the Challenge of How to Measure Innovation
The question of how to bring innovation to a company is certainly something I spend a lot of time exploring through research and with clients. With our partner FourSight, we sponsored the Innov8rs Conference for intrapreneurs, conducted global research to answer the...
Innovators: Here’s What We Know About You (So Far)
You’re being asked to create value and deliver innovation. Your team is excited about the possibilities of new technologies, but when you bring a solution to the organization, you get a whole bunch of grief. You’re doing your best to follow sound project...
How to Be an Innovator: Four Actions You Can Take Now
You’re finding that more and more of your success is dependent on your ability to workacross functions. And it’s painful. Everyone looks at the problem you’retackling from a different perspective and few people see the value of lookingbeyond next quarter’s results. ...
How to Facilitate a Meeting
Call it what you want--distributed, dispersed or virtual--these kinds of teams are made up of individuals who are geographically dispersed, work across time, space, organizational boundaries and rely on communication and technology to get things done. Team...
How to Be Innovative at Work
You’ve been asked to work on an innovation team with a diverse group of people. They’ve been hand-picked from across the organization and you’ve likely not worked with any of them before. Your work is split off from the core business and it’s not what you’ve been...
Why Is Innovation Important for Society?
There is a little-known secret to thinking outside the box. It’s knowing how, when faced with a challenge, you engage in the universal creative process. Every one of us has unique thinking preferences for moving through that process. These preferences act as an energy...
How to Develop Innovation Skills
You’re finding that more and more of your success is dependent on your ability to workacross functions. And it’s painful. Everyone looks at the problem you’retackling from a different perspective and few people see the value of lookingbeyond next quarter’s results. ...
How to Develop a Culture of Innovation
A common misconception about innovation is that it’s all about technology; it’s not. So, if your job doesn’t have you occupied with developing or implementing the latest and greatest in bleeding edge technology, or if you’re in a job that’s operational in nature, you...
How to Develop Innovative Ideas
By Janice Francisco, CEO, Principal Innovation Consultant, Facilitator and Coach, BridgePoint Effect Given that innovation is a leading indicator of an organization’s ability to sustain success, it’s understandable why so many organizations are focused on how to...
How to Develop an Innovation Strategy
By Janice Francisco, CEO, Principal Innovation Consultant, Facilitator and Coach, BridgePoint Effect Funny thing about ideas: within organizations, there seems to be a large interest in asking for ideas and little thought put into how to develop innovative ideas. This...
What Is the Global Innovation Index?
By Janice Francisco, CEO, Principal Innovation Consultant, Facilitator and Coach, BridgePoint Effect Given that innovation is a leading indicator of an organization’s ability to sustain success, it’s understandable why so many organizations are focused on how to...
Why Innovation Is Necessary
By Janice Francisco, CEO, Principal Innovation Consultant, Facilitator and Coach, BridgePoint Effect Funny thing about ideas: within organizations, there seems to be a large interest in asking for ideas and little thought put into how to develop innovative ideas. This...
How to Facilitate a Community Meeting
The Conference Board of Canada defines innovation as a process through which economic or social value is extracted from knowledge—by creating, diffusing, and transforming ideas—to produce new or improved products, services and processes. In short, a key reason as to...
How to Think Creatively and Innovatively
Community meetings are often held to engage community members, hear more voices and get more viewpoints. The question is, how to facilitate a community meeting so that these goals are achieved? What Is a Community? Before we answer that question, let’s step back and...
How to Be a Good Meeting Facilitator
The Conference Board of Canada defines innovation as a process through which economic or social value is extracted from knowledge—by creating, diffusing, and transforming ideas—to produce new or improved products, services and processes. In short, a key reason as to...
How to Create Innovative Ideas
Community meetings are often held to engage community members, hear more voices and get more viewpoints. The question is, how to facilitate a community meeting so that these goals are achieved? What Is a Community? Before we answer that question, let’s step back and...
How to Develop Creativity and Innovation: Dedicate One Day
Have you noticed – there’s a lot of interest in having “innovative Ideas” in our workplaces. Many people wonder about how to create innovative ideas, or worry if their ideas are “innovative enough.” What many don’t realize is that creativity is very important to the...
How to Generate Innovative Ideas
World Creativity and Innovation Week (WCIW) April 15 – 21 and World Creativity and Innovation Day, April 21 (WCID) advocates solving problems in new ways an annual event. The overall purpose is to free up, encourage and remind people to use their creativity...
Acknowledging Inconvenient Truths
Have you noticed – there’s a lot of interest in having “innovative Ideas” in our workplaces. Many people wonder about how to create innovative ideas, or worry if their ideas are “innovative enough.” What many don’t realize is that creativity is very important to the...
How to Become an Innovative Company
World Creativity and Innovation Week (WCIW) April 15 – 21 and World Creativity and Innovation Day, April 21 (WCID) advocates solving problems in new ways an annual event. The overall purpose is to free up, encourage and remind people to use their creativity...
How Does Innovation Increase Productivity?
How to become an innovative company is all about powering people to innovate. By situating your organization on the innovation map, equipping your team with the creativity and innovation skills they need, and giving them real-world practice on solving a problem for...
How to Encourage Innovation in a Team
This past week in New York City, my colleague Helene Cahen and I had the honour of attending a joint meeting of the Conference Board of US Innovation Leadership Council and the Conference Board of Canada Council of Innovation and Commercialization, of which I am the...
Go Take a Risk: How to Conduct an Experiment in Risk Taking and Innovation
How to become an innovative company is all about powering people to innovate. By situating your organization on the innovation map, equipping your team with the creativity and innovation skills they need, and giving them real-world practice on solving a problem for...
Taking the Risk on Innovation: The Video
This past week in New York City, my colleague Helene Cahen and I had the honour of attending a joint meeting of the Conference Board of US Innovation Leadership Council and the Conference Board of Canada Council of Innovation and Commercialization, of which I am the...
Reading for Creativity
As we’ve had a number of inquiries about our Taking the Risk Out of Innovation course, we made a short video that shows the course content and experience, and we filmed the video from a participant’s point of view. Taking the Risk on Innovation is a highly interactive...
The Innovation Skills You and Your Team Need
78% of college-educated workers over 25 wish they had more creative ability. 94% of hiring managers consider creativity when hiring job candidates. Creative applicants are preferred, 5-to-1. CEOs identify creativity as the #1 leadership quality needed for...
The Trouble with Canada’s Innovation Policy
As we’ve had a number of inquiries about our Taking the Risk Out of Innovation course, we made a short video that shows the course content and experience, and we filmed the video from a participant’s point of view. Taking the Risk on Innovation is a highly interactive...
An Innovation Christmas Carol
78% of college-educated workers over 25 wish they had more creative ability. 94% of hiring managers consider creativity when hiring job candidates. Creative applicants are preferred, 5-to-1. CEOs identify creativity as the #1 leadership quality needed for...
Managing and Measuring Innovation: Improving Canada’s Innovation Outcomes
"Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of the things that May be only?" - Scrooge to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens) We had a lot of fun creating this year's Christmas card. We hope...
Three Ways Your Organization Can Do Innovation Better
This past week in New York City, my colleague Helene Cahen and I had the honour of attending a joint meeting of the Conference Board of US Innovation Leadership Council and the Conference Board of Canada Council of Innovation and Commercialization, of which I am the...
Intrapreneurship and Innovation are All About Change, and the Job of a Change Leader is Never Easy
Have you noticed – there’s a lot of interest in having “innovative Ideas” in our workplaces. Many people wonder about how to create innovative ideas, or worry if their ideas are “innovative enough.” What many don’t realize is that creativity is very important to the...
Intrapreneurship and Why it’s Essential for Innovation
As I mentioned in my last blog post, earlier in November I spent three days at the Intrapreneurship Conference in Toronto. The line-up of speakers on Day One included CEOs Larry Keeley of Doblin Group (Deloitte), Idris Mootee of Idea Couture, my colleague Ken Tencer...
IT Leadership Development with the FourSight Thinking System™: A Case Study
"Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of the things that May be only?" - Scrooge to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens) We had a lot of fun creating this year's Christmas card. We hope...
How to Wire Your Organization’s DNA for Innovation
“[FourSight is] a great tool for driving change where you need people to collaborate and get comfortable with the change—they become part of the solution.” BridgePoint Effect has been working with a national Information Technology organization since 2015. Last week...
Is Collaboration Dressed Up as Consensus in Your Organization?
Would you say your organization is innovative? Maybe? Or maybe not. What if I asked the question this way: Would you say that innovation and being more innovative are part of your organization’s strategy? Now that your head is nodding “Yes,” I’ll ask one more...
Playing with Fire: Innovation is Risky Business
Community meetings are often held to engage community members, hear more voices and get more viewpoints. The question is, how to facilitate a community meeting so that these goals are achieved? What Is a Community? Before we answer that question, let’s step back and...
Why reflecting on progress is key to a culture of innovation
"Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of the things that May be only?" - Scrooge to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens) We had a lot of fun creating this year's Christmas card. We hope...
Making the Commitment to Risk and Learn from Failure in Innovation
Do you find collaboration when innovating a bit scary? Are you haunted by consensus decision-making? Let me bring you some hope. As I’ve often said, innovation is a team sport. And like any sport, there are rules to follow and everyone has a role to play. Otherwise,...
An immersion experience in the Silicon Valley: A tale of two cultures
On Friday September 29, BridgePoint Effect ran a special event in Ottawa that introduced our course Taking the risk on Innovation with leaders from the private, federal government and non-profit sectors. They were brave souls willing to engage in reflective...
Working with the “argyle profile” and facing team challenges
A common misconception about innovation is that it’s all about technology; it’s not. So, if your job doesn’t have you occupied with developing or implementing the latest and greatest in bleeding edge technology, or if you’re in a job that’s operational in nature, you...
