The Innovation 5: An Introduction

When I first began thinking about what NewNorth Center could and should be, I thought a lot about the word “innovation.” I still think about it, in fact.

in•no•va•tion noun

1. : the introduction of something new
2. : a new idea, method, or device: NOVELTY?

[Courtesy Merriam-Webster.com]

In my conversations with CEOs, I often ask them what innovation means to them. Inevitably, most answer in one of two ways: There’s the “I want to be like Steve Jobs” response, which suggests they will one day discover the essential magic fairy dust of innovation; or the inexpressible, “You know, technology and stuff” reply.

From our perspective, innovation is neither magical nor obtuse. Instead, innovation is a process that begins with imagination, i.e. the facility to think and visualize. What is the output of imagination? It’s creativity, which springs from personal ability and the quality of one’s imagination. People often believe that when I am discussing creativity I’m referring to drawing, painting or a similar artistic activity. But creativity can also be expressed through a Word document or a spreadsheet. Whatever the medium, eventually we must plug the output of our imagination and creativity into a process; that’s where innovation comes in. Ultimately, we arrive at design, the development of something for a purpose.

Since “Design in Business” is the stock-in-trade of NewNorth Center, we approach innovation as a strategy for influencing design-driven thinking with the goal of enhancing our clients’ business.
To accomplish this we have identified what we call The Innovation 5, the elements that enable us to leverage design thinking. In order, they are:

1. See
2. Connect
3. Appeal
4. Synthesize
5. Influence

These elements can be applied to people or a business, but I’m always especially interested in learning how individuals rank in each area. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so it’s helpful to know where improvements can be made to establish a greater flow across the five elements. And, since each element falls into either a right-brain or left-brain-focused activity, the ability to “toggle” between the two is a discipline worth developing.

In the weeks ahead I will be blogging about each of The Innovation 5, starting with “SEE, The Ability to See Beyond the Ordinary.” Among the first questions we’ll ask is, “What Does Steve Jobs SEE?”
Your questions and comments will be welcome throughout the series.

I look forward to furthering the innovation dialogue with you, magic fairy dust optional.