I always have been inspired to see what my four-year old son has created with his supply of Lego. There are three behaviors that I have noticed while building these peculiar objects with him:

1.    Repurposing;
2.    Experimentation; and
3.    Gaining on-demand specialized support.

These play activities can be applied to the serious work of building your business through simple, yet effective, innovation practices:

1.    Repurposing: This can manifest in many ways, from recycling mature intellectual properties to repurposing pre-existing software stacks. This reuse can be employed to solve issues or create opportunities well beyond the design intent of the original creative effort.

2.    Experimentation: Trying things out in a safe and forgiving environment is an easy way to drive innovation. For this to work, the organization must be willing to accept a certain amount of inefficiencies and risk caused by trialing new products and methods.

3.    Gaining on-demand specialized support: Bring in the right people and products only when you need them. Keep yourself focused on what you do best, while they stick to theirs. However, provide them the opportunity to see the whole picture in order to gain fresh insights and a new point of view on your work.

In these disruptive economic times, it is time for disruptive innovation. We have a lot to learn from almost anyone – especially four year olds.

Now, how do you control and manage this disruptive innovation process? More on this in a later post.

P.S. I have provided one of his latest creation below.

All the best,
Jeremy
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Jeremy Nickerson, BASc, MBA
Director, Helix Commerce
www.helixcommerce.com