Innovation Requires Both Ideas And Action | Idea Sandbox Brainstorming

Ideas have been getting a bad rap lately.

Some say the lack of innovation within organizations isn’t because of a lack of ideas, rather a lack of action. There are too many ideas and not enough implementors.

But, ideas need champions to implement them. Just the same way seeds need farmers.

A popular recommendation is: Stop generating ideas and start taking action. Stop the brainstorming and get to work. To return to my farm comparison, that would be like declaring:

Since crop production (innovation) is down
we need more farmers (execution)
and fewer seeds (ideas).

But that doesn’t work. We’d end up with a bunch of hungry farmers standing in cropless fields.

Fact is, we need both.

 

There is a symbiotic relationship between the pair. One can’t get along without the other.

We ‘get’ that a seed isn’t a plant. We should understand an idea isn’t a plan. Seed (and ideas) take time, patience, pruning, and weeding to bear fruit.

And, brainstorming is for more than idea generation; it is also a solution-finding process. We meet for more than creating ideas; brainstorming and strategy sessions help us choose the right idea to properly solve the problem or grow the business. Which seed is right for the soil you have? For the amount of water you have access to? What is right for the crop you want to produce?

Next time you run into someone bashing ideas and strictly touting action… Remember, it isn’t one or the other. To be innovative, we need to be good at both idea generation and idea execution.

This article was originally published on the MarketingProf’s DailyFix blog

via idea-sandbox.com

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Take a Look At This Innovative TREK Kiosk for Bicycle Parts #Innovation

Unless they happen to be near a bicycle shop during business hours, bicyclists who break down are typically out of luck if they don’t already have the parts they need to make a repair. Aiming to make bike parts more accessible, two different vending machines we’ve spotted are always on hand with critical parts.

Most recently, bike manufacturer Trek set up a prototype Trek Stop Cycling Convenience Center at the end of June, just off the bike path in Madison, Wisconsin. Located outside (and operated by) bike shop Machinery Row, the Trek Stop is a 24/7/365 convenience center for cyclists that provides access to cycling products, information and a safe place to work on a bike. The full-service vending machine is stocked with bicycle products such as spare tubes, patches, tire levers, CO2 cartridges and more, along with food and cold drinks; it also features an information center with maps, a message board and advertising space for local announcements. A covered maintenance area, meanwhile, offers a work stand, free air and even how-to videos–available at the push of a button–for those trickier repairs. 

The idea for Trek Stop was born a few years ago when a crew of industrial designers at Trek led by Mike Hammond began thinking of ways to make bicycle commuting more viable. “Motorists have it easy,” says Hammond. “Gas stations, convenience stores, auto parts stores, tow trucks–you name it. The support network for cars far outclasses cyclists. The Trek Stop aims to change that by breaking down some of the ‘worries’ attached to cycling.” While the Trek Stop is currently just in prototype form and slated to run for only another month or so, Seattle-based Aaron’s Bicycle Repair has actually had a similar vending machine in place since 2005. With items like inner tubes, flat repair items, energy bars and gel, the machine is located just outside Aaron’s for after-hours service. 

As environmental concerns and skyrocketing gas costs lead to increasing numbers of bicyclists around the globe, it’s not hard to imagine vending machines like these popping up all over–particularly in spots where there aren’t bike shops nearby. Time to get together with a bike shop or manufacturer and bring some machines to the trails near you?  via springwise.com

Jim Woods is president and founder of InnoThink Group. We are one of the very few consulting firms specialized solely in helping organizations of all sizes in all industries catalyzing top line growth through strategic innovation and hypercompetition. Email or call us at 719-649-4118 to speak at your event or devise an effective competitive advantage and innovation strategy for your organization.  Subscribe to our innovation and hypercompetition newsletter?  

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