Little “i” Innovation: Why Small Ideas Matter as much as Big Ones

LITTLE ‘i’ INNOVATIONWHY SMALL IDEAS MATTER AS MUCH AS BIG ONES

DMI Design/Management Thinking 24 Guthrie DolinExecutive Director of Strategy@gee3

LITTLE "I" INNOVATION WHY SMALL IDEAS MATTER AS MUCH AS BIG ONES6 / 2012

Body goes here...

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WE’RE ODOPOD, a new kind of design consultancy — one that thinks like a start-up, understands brands like an ad agency and creates products and services like an innovation firm.


The seduction of big ideas.A FEW MINUTES ON BIG “I” INNOVATION

The domestication of plants and animals (also known as farming). A big innovation that really settled us down — so to speak.

BIG INNOVATION

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9000 BC

The first mammal was cloned. A sheep named Dolly — born from a somatic cell using the process of nuclear transfer.

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1996ADBIG INNOVATION

The wheel. Arguably the most important mechanical invention of all time — and one of humankind's most significant.

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3500 BCBIG INNOVATION

The mass production of affordable automobiles debuted. And the suburbs followed shortly thereafter.

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1902 ADBIG INNOVATION

Gutenberg developed a complete printing system, including movable type — leading to the mass production of books.

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Amazon released the first gen Kindle. E-book sales triple year-over-year while paper books decline in every category.

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Encyclopedias, reference books filled with printed articles of factual information, have existed for more then 2,000 years.

77 ADBIG INNOVATION

Wikipedia launched. The collaboratively edited encyclopedia has fundamentally re-architected information publishing.

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We’re obsessed with big ideas.

We idolize their champions.

Why do we love them so much?THEIR SIMPLE SWEEPING NARRATIVES ARE SEDUCTIVE, BUT...


STEVEN JOHNSON | AUTHOR OF WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF INNOVATION

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It’s very, very rare to find cases where somebody on their own, working alone, in a moment of sudden clarity has a great breakthrough that changes the world. And yet there seems to be this bizarre desire to tell the story that way.


Innovative ideas often come from the

connection or the collision between

smaller (or even half-baked) ideas.

Often a technological advancement,

devoid of specific purpose, will inspire

new, sometimes innovative ideas.

Many big ideas are more of a ‘slow

hunch’ that develops over time — from

multiple inputs and perspectives.

CULMINATION

Most big ideas come from little ones.

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CONNECTION CAPACITY


But, this isn’t about big versus little — it’s about considering them together.

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Think of it as an “innovation portfolio.”

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CORE

ADJACENT

TRANSFORMATIONAL

MANAGING YOUR INNOVATION PORTFOLIO HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW — MAY 2012

FROM



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EXISTING

PRODUCTS AND ASSETS

EXISTING

MARKETS AND CONSUMERS

CORE

ADJACENT

TRANSFORMATIONAL

Optimizing what’s existing



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RELATED

PRODUCTS AND ASSETS

CONTIGUOUS

MARKETS AND CONSUMERS

CORE

ADJACENT

TRANSFORMATIONAL

Expanding into into neighboring territories




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ENTIRELY NEW

PRODUCTS AND ASSETS

ENTIRELY NEW

MARKETS ANDCONSUMERS

AND/OR NEEDS

CORE

ADJACENT

TRANSFORMATIONAL


Inventing new things for markets that don’t yet exist




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CORE

ADJACENT

TRANSFORMATIONAL


Inventing new things for markets that don’t yet exist

Optimizing what’s existing THE GOLDEN RATIO

For most companies the 70/20/10 split is a good starting point.

70%20%

10%


And, 90% of the investment is here...

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90%

UNHERALDED MAJORITY Yet these efforts are often ill-considered and/or underestimated

INCREMENTAL

Who are the little “i” innovators?JUST A FEW EXAMPLES, AND THEY MIGHT SURPRISE YOU.



APPLE’S IPOD A HISTORY OF INCREMENTAL INNOVATION


1998Google Search had an index of about 60 million pages in their engine.

They have followed (continually) with smaller core and adjacent innovations to their initial search offering ever since.


All while developing transformational ones for the broader brand.


Launched to improve on Friendster —

got seedy, looked awful and now is

focused on music entertainment.

Launched as “hot or not” —

continually innovated and now has

nearly a billion users worldwide.

One of the first social networks with

over a million users. Today, it’s a social

gaming site — big in Singapore.

2004FACEBOOK

2002FRIENDSTER

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Text

2003MYSPACE

Not the first-mover, but the best mover.

8MIL

25MIL

900+MIL


Then there’s Justin Timberlake.


Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, dancer, actor, comedian, businessman — JT is constantly pivoting with core and adjacent innovations to evolve — and in doing so he’s enjoyed a successful, long lasting career in this extremely fickle consumer environment.

LET’S REVIEW


The Innovation Timeline of Justin Timberlake


The Innovation Timeline of Justin Timberlake1982

JT debuts his bright smile.



JT, the child country singer (with a bright smile).


The Innovation Timeline of Justin Timberlake

JT sings and smiles as a child star.

1993



Child star becomes teen heartthrob.



Heartthrob gets heart broken, and goes solo.



(Britney cries a river)



JT precipitates a sexy “wardrobe malfunction.”



And then brings sexy back, officially.



JT puts his sexy in a box.

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BARRY GIBB

D*CK IN A BOX

A SINGLE LADY

BON IVER A BREAST IMPLANT

A BEER

AN OMELET



And puts sexy on the runway.



Brings sexy to the big screen.



JT makes Internet entrepreneurs sexy.



And now, JT is a real Internet entrepreneur.


Taking notes young Padawan?

Four fundamental principles. BUILDING A CULTURE FOR LITTLE ‘I’ INNOVATION


EMBRACE CHANGE

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EMBRACE CHANGING

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Life is flux. Plan and work accordingly.


Adopt an agile approach

Develop flexible frameworks and smart toolkits to enable ideation — avoid locking into ridged processes or dictatorial methodologies.

• Be responsive and ready to adapt your plans• Work iteratively in smaller, faster cycles• Establish a pace that you can sustain, continuously • Maintain focus, favoring clarity over certainty

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Profound and powerful forces are shaking and remaking our world. And the urgent question of our time is whether we can make change our friend and not our enemy.PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON | 42ND PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES — FIRST INAUGURAL ADDRESS

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FOSTER EXCHANGE

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Chance favors the connected mind.


Develop a “platform” for sharing ideas

Innovation isn’t something you stick in a secret lab in the basement — you need to encourage innovative thinking everywhere, and from everyone.

• Let ideas fly (no judgement) and see what sticks• Create an environment for serendipitous discovery• Invite unexpected people and perspectives• Reward participation and reduce friction (make it fun)

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... expand the range of your possible next moves by exposing yourself to as much serendipity, as much argument and conversation, as many rival and related ideas as possible; to borrow, to repurpose, to recombine.STEVEN JOHNSON | WHERE GOOD IDEAS COME FROM: THE NATURAL HISTORY OF INNOVATION

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THINK ECOLOGICALLY

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Examine the whole as intimately as you do the parts.


Consider the full ecosystem

No view on innovation is good if it’s myopic — don’t get lost iterating on the details, or go “all in” on one big idea.

• Clarify your innovation goals and move with purpose• Strike the right balance with your ‘innovation portfolio’• Place little bets, double down on what’s working• Coordinate efforts, considering how it all works together

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Rather than hoping that their future will emerge from a collection of ad hoc efforts, smart firms will manage for “total innovation.”BANSI NAGJI & GEOFF TUFF | MANAGING YOUR INNOVATION PORTFOLIO — HBR MAY 2012

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INNOVATE EVERY DAY

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Actively seek improvement, daily.


Our perennial design questions

• What isn’t there that should be? • What is there that doesn’t need to be?• How can I make this more valuable?• How can I make it more delightful?• What do I understand today that I didn’t yesterday?

Compete with yourself. And, don’t fall in love with ideas!

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EMBRACE CHANGINGFOSTER EXCHANGETHINK ECOLOGICALLYINNOVATE EVERY DAY


Please keep in mind, this is about attitudes and a culture not adhering to some stone-chiseled doctrine.

And, don’t forget to innovate (a little) today.

Thanks. Guthrie Dolin@gee3

Odopod@odopod

Date post:	02-Nov-2014
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