INNOVATION & CREATIVITY BLOG
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 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 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...
THE ULTIMATE CREATIVE THINKING WORKSHOP! TORONTO, NOVEMBER 5, 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...
How to Facilitate Effective Meetings
This creative thinking workshop will help you harness your creativity to find innovative solutions to business challenges. Every business focuses on solving problems for clients, but we also need new solutions within our own businesses. What would you like to see...
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
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...
Innovators: Here’s What We Know About You (So Far)
In this article I focus on firm-level metrics, that is, how organizations measure innovation. If you’re interested in how to measure innovation at the country level, please see our blog about the Global Innovation Index. In a business world accustomed to having easy...
How to Be an Innovator: Four Actions You Can Take Now
This article was originally published on the Innov8rs blog, October 14, 2018. The research focused on in this article will be released at the Innov8rs Miami conference, February 20-21, 2019. What makes an innovator an innovator? Why is it that some people just can’t...
How to Facilitate a Meeting
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 Be Innovative at Work
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. ...
Why Is Innovation Important for Society?
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....
How to Develop Innovation Skills
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 Develop a Culture of Innovation
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...
How to Develop Innovative Ideas
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 Develop an Innovation Strategy
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....
What Is the Global Innovation Index?
This Thanksgiving, I'm travelling to work on an innovation project with the Israeli government. (For readers outside of Canada, Thanksgiving Day is the first Monday of October.) As I'm landing in Tel Aviv, the Thanksgiving turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie...
Why Innovation Is Necessary
This week, on July 10, the 2018 Global Innovation Index was released. You may ask, “What is the Global Innovation Index?” The Global Innovation Index (GII) report is a leading indicator of a country’s ability to innovate, and is based on the premise that innovation is...
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
This week, on July 10, the 2018 Global Innovation Index was released. You may ask, “What is the Global Innovation Index?” The Global Innovation Index (GII) report is a leading indicator of a country’s ability to innovate, and is based on the premise that innovation is...
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
When we think about how to be a good meeting facilitator, we often focus on the time that we are in the meeting itself. However, the job of a good meeting facilitator starts well before meeting time and lasts long after it ends. Good meeting facilitators endeavour to...
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
When we think about how to be a good meeting facilitator, we often focus on the time that we are in the meeting itself. However, the job of a good meeting facilitator starts well before meeting time and lasts long after it ends. Good meeting facilitators endeavour to...
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
Guest post by Dr. Brett Richards, Founder and President of Connective Intelligence, and author of Grow Through Disruption: Breakthrough Mindsets to Innovate, Change and Win with the O.G.I. The goal of organizations and the goals of innovation are most often the same...
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
Guest post by Dr. Brett Richards, Founder and President of Connective Intelligence, and author of Grow Through Disruption: Breakthrough Mindsets to Innovate, Change and Win with the O.G.I. The goal of organizations and the goals of innovation are most often the same...
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
Imagine a senior leadership team telling their entire department to “go take a risk.” Ginny Santos and I recently completed a four-month engagement with a client who told their department exactly that. Last summer, we got the call. Our client was looking for a way to...
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
Imagine a senior leadership team telling their entire department to “go take a risk.” Ginny Santos and I recently completed a four-month engagement with a client who told their department exactly that. Last summer, we got the call. Our client was looking for a way to...
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
In October 2017, in my capacity as Chair to the Conference Board of Canada Council on Innovation and Commercialization, I participated in a Council meeting held in Montreal. During this meeting we examined how innovation performance is measured in Canada and how...
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
In October 2017, in my capacity as Chair to the Conference Board of Canada Council on Innovation and Commercialization, I participated in a Council meeting held in Montreal. During this meeting we examined how innovation performance is measured in Canada and how...
Intrapreneurship and Innovation are All About Change, and the Job of a Change Leader is Never Easy
"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...
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
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...
How to Wire Your Organization’s DNA for Innovation
Guest post by Dr. Brett Richards, Founder and President of Connective Intelligence, and author of Grow Through Disruption: Breakthrough Mindsets to Innovate, Change and Win with the O.G.I. The goal of organizations and the goals of innovation are most often the same...
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
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...
Why reflecting on progress is key to a culture of innovation
What might it have been like to be the person who discovered fire, arguably one of the greatest innovations in our human history? My bet is, the idea was greeted pretty much in the same way most new ideas are. With skepticism. Imagine if you will: Perhaps fire...
Making the Commitment to Risk and Learn from Failure in Innovation
In her book, The Progress Principle, creativity and innovation researcher Teresa Amabile shares the following: A sense of making progress on meaningful work was the single most important factor in igniting creativity, satisfaction, and productivity among employees—far...
An immersion experience in the Silicon Valley: A tale of two cultures
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...
Working with the “argyle profile” and facing team challenges
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...
