There is another insightful IBM video circulating on YouTube. It shows the extent of the use (and misuse) of buzzwords today. See the YouTube video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgeLY7CL5IE

Today, the misuse of jargon is no joking matter.

Lingo is acceptable if it is used as a common language to describe difficult-to-describe concepts to a knowledgeable audience. However, if it is used to oversimplify complexities, gloss over details or impress an audience, buzzwords can be …

In every joke there is an element of seriousness.

This can be seen in a interesting video that IBM has produced on innovation. The video makes use of a comedic super hero. His name: Innovation Man; his mission: drive innovation within the organization.

Watch the Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXrIoF-sVi8

Humour aside, this video struck a chord with me. Having someone preach about innovation in the organization does little if it is not adopted by its people. Innovation…

The Power of Social Networking:

Social Networking is a powerful tool to connect people from across disparate parts of the organization, enabling them to collaborate in, and innovate on developing new and valuable ideas.

The core value behind Social Networking is that it supports the free and unfettered flow of ideas and information across the organization. It acts as an accelerant in tearing down organizational silos and driving people who have never collaborated before to work together…

A new report on the health of Canadian innovation is due out from the Council of Canadian Academies in June 2009. An abridged version of the report has recently been released.

Here are some of its points:

1. Issues underlying strategic weaknesses in the Canadian economy include:
- Lack of involvement in goods and services that bring Canadian firms closer to end-users/customers. More exposure to downstream players would provide deeper insights into and impetus for innovative…

Taking a positive approach in life is an important thing. Our current recession just may lead to many interesting outcomes. One of these might be the increased market capacity for innovation.

It seems to me that during times of economic growth our talented workforce is absorbed into organizations to support organized and steady growth. However, during times of economic contraction those same workers are released into the marketplace as entrepreneurs to drive disruptive and accelerated…

Changing the way that we see the world and, in turn, the way we do things is hard to do. We ask ourselves questions, which may slow or stop our case for change, such as:

- Why change when it doesn’t look like things are broken?

- Isn’t change inherently risky to what we value?

- How can we assess the value of change?

- How would we start changing things?

The key to addressing these concerns is understanding that one must start with a low-risk change, no matter how small. This will get…

There is much discussion about clean technology and the required business environment to see this industry grow. In Canada, something is being done about it.

In February, I attended the Clean Technology Report launch at the MaRS Discovery District in downtown Toronto. The purpose of the report is to offer a case for action and specific steps for governmental bodies and business managers involved in clean technology to achieve success in this market sector in Canada.

The Report is a perfect…

My last blog discussed how Canada has received a ‘D grade’ in innovation from the Conference Board of Canada. It also mentioned how grass roots interactions and joint ventures between business and academia can support a path from a ‘D grade’ to a ‘A grade’ in innovation.

What we did not talk about is the role of government in the innovation game.

Already, there are many governmental programs which encourage innovation here in Canada. Both the Canadian federal and Ontario provincial…