The Very Serious Business Of Fun

How much fun do you have in your business? How much fun are you having creating your business?For too many of us fun and business are mutually exclusive. Business is serious, and fun is what we do when we're not working. Or at least that's the way it seems for many of us.I don't believe it has to be this way.What if fun is actually a serious business? What if fun could be part of our every day lives?What change could that create on the planet I wonder?And what could that create for your business?But business is serious, I hear you say. I have to make money. It can't all be fun.Really? I guess it depends on your definition of fun.For me, I know that when I got really serious about business, I left me out of the equation. I did what I thought that people in business should do to be successful. The only thing I was successful at in that instance was blowing that business up - as I was being totally inauthentic to who I was and I was having no fun at all.Now I know that the more true to myself I am and the more I create from a space of fun, the more energised I become about what I am doing and creating and the more possibilities and adventures show up.So what is fun for you?For some people it is talking to people, or creating deals or fixing things or building things. The list is truly endless.If you don't know, then get curious and find out.What if fun is just a choice?


What if, when you are having fun you are being you at your best? Some people would call that being in the flow.When we are having fun we are open, receptive, creative, productive and energised... and we wouldn't choose to be that at work for what reason?Follow the energyI once knew someone who was so talented in so many ways. However, rather than follow the energy and enjoy and create from what was fun for him, he would say things like 'but how can this make me money? And so would talk himself out of it before he had even begun. He killed off the possibilities.If you are not having funIf you are in business where you are not engaged, inspired and motivated - then my simple question is why are you doing it?If you can choose to create anything, and you can - what would make you pick something that doesn't have you jumping out of bed each day eager to see what adventures unfold that day?Looking to create more funThen begin to play with some of these questions.If I was having fun what would I be doing different here?What would it take for this to be fun?What else is possible here?Who would I be here if I was having fun?What am I choosing to be here? How is that working for me?What would I like to choose now?Who else can I involve that would make this more fun for me?

Imperative for Innovation in Healthcare

Healthcare is one among the industries which is given a significant or a higher share in a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and it is one of the major challenges which any country faces, under-developed nations in particular. There is a huge burden due to non-communicable diseases and population ageing in the developed nations, especially the European countries, whereas there is a dual burden of both communicable and non-communicable diseases in the Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC). While the governments are spending more and more on Healthcare, there have been challenges in addressing gaps, and bringing improvement in terms of increasing the value, productivity and quality of healthcare, all of which can be described as the outcomes. In addition to this, the developing countries and under-developed ones are struggling; even to provide affordable and accessible Healthcare for its people.There have been great advancements in medical technology since the start of the 20th century, and continuing in the present century. This is evident from the development of new technologies to detect diseases at an early stage, and even cure the diseases which were once thought to have no remedies. It has also been constantly emphasized and proven that innovations not only in technology, but also in the process and service delivery can improve the health indicators drastically and lead to achievement of targeted goals like the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is especially true in the case of developing countries like India. There has been an overhaul of the health care delivery system in the grassroots level after the introduction of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). This and other programs and innovative schemes in healthcare delivery and service, have helped India to make a huge leap in improving some of the health indicators like Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate. The Conditional Cash Transfer schemes and Community Based Health Insurance schemes have been a major success in India. This helps to increase the demand generation for Public Health care, thereby improving the quality further, and helping the vulnerable sections of the society to avoid catastrophic health care expenditures when they seek expensive private healthcare


The average life expectancy at birth in the OECD nations which are economically stronger has reached 80, which is a remarkable increase in five decades. Even though the spending on health care ( in proportion to the GDP) is directly related to the improved health outcomes, other social determinants like education, environment, improved living conditions and lifestyle, also are major factors in determining the health status of a population. In spite of greater life expectancy achieved, there are huge gaps in meeting greater efficiency level and quality of health service. There are elusive disease burdens like Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia, Parkinson's and other neurological disorders, and cancers which need a convincing remedy, which can be achieved only through innovation. The diseases which have been quoted above can be called as diseases of affluence which have been discovered due to human longevity.Hence it is to be realized that, due to the greater challenges of the present state of healthcare, innovation plays a major role in achieving high standards of healthcare and to solve the problems which do not have answers currently. Innovation is the only answer which can improve the quality and efficiency, thereby raising the productivity of activities involved in health care. It is to be realized that countries which spend a higher proportion of their GDP (14% in U.S) or countries which spend a comparatively lower proportion of their GDP (4% In India), both need to have innovation as their indispensable tool in order to progress and achieve the best in healthcare, in case of U.S, and meet the MDG, in case of India.

The Economic Impacts of 3D Printing

In the recent past, a number of companies have adopted the 3D printing technology; a clear indication that this technology is likely to transform the manufacturing industry. Generally, this technology sounds futuristic. It is not a very complex process; the printer puts down layers of some substantial material until the layers build up to form an object. The object to be printed can be designed using a CAD (computer-aided design) software. Alternatively, the design can be obtained by scanning the existing object using a 3D scanning machine.The technological advancements have really reduced the cost of goods and services. This implies that there are higher chances that the cost of some products which will be manufactured through 3D printing technology will reduce significantly. Basically, as technology expands; there are higher chances that both goods and services are likely to be manufactured at or close to their point of purchase or consumption. Moreover, the number of goods which will be produced locally will increase. Apart from the price, its adoption will imply that other process such as supply chain management will be eliminated.Product customization; every consumer would wish to be identified with a specific good. With the advancement in 3D printing, there will be more customized goods. Manipulating the existing goods will be easier and cheaper. This is because the alteration process will not require retooling.All businesses along the retailing, manufacturing and supplying chain will have to come up with new strategies to have a fair share of the market. Take for instance the current situation where a good number of electronic products are being assembled or manufactured in China. Even the most reputable brands in the market such as Apple Inc. has shifted to China to source for cheap labor. Such countries will lose much of their force. This will consequently affect their economy since a good number of people will become jobless. This is for the reason that China will cease to be the manufacturing powerhouse. This transition may take place a little faster since other reputable companies such as HP have also shown interest in the 3D printing. Basically, as much as people should embrace technology, it also comes with its limitations which should be analyzed critically.


Of course using China in this article does not mean it will be the only country will be affected by the advancement in 3D printing. However, it is worth noting this nation has become a manufacturing powerhouse. This country has created unprecedented efficiencies of scale and reduced the key cost of production; labor. This has been possible through the intervention of the Chinese government, which has been pro-produced in the recent past.But, will China become the biggest loser suppose most companies in the United States of America and the Western country embrace the 3D manufacturing technology? Of course the Chinese government is one of those governments which has been very keen in protecting their local industry. Moreover, using 3D printers in manufacturing firms will not take place drastically. It is important to note that China will not be a big loser here. China is one of those countries which has a huge domestic market, which will still drive its economy. But as a matter of fact, it will cease from being a mass manufacturing powerhouse.Technology is very dynamic and it is still early to draw a conclusion on how much it will affect various economies.

Innovations Are Coming Faster - But Can We Predict Disruptive Technology Time Tables

For good or not innovation and disruption will occur anytime human begin thinking, creating and cross-pollinating to solve problems - and that, at least to me is a given. We often read somewhere that the rate of change, and disruption is coming in at a faster pace than ever before, but are those claims true? I'd like to briefly discuss this with you if I might.You see, there was an interesting article in Wired Magazine - November of 2013 titled; "Is Innovation Predictable?" by Abhijan Rej which stated;"There are four major arguments that are made by Arthur in TNT that are directly relevant in answering our Gorilla-in-the-Room question: (1) Technologies have a recursive structure, (2) there is a generative grammar for each technology, (3) technologies group together as domains, and finally, (4) there are ecological mechanisms for selection of one technology over the other and a given technology might be mode-locked into a path of further and further demand and eventually arise as the 'victor' in the ecology of technologies."Okay, that is one way to see it, but there are many more bits of wisdom to this, from Kurzweil's tracking of Moore's Law in the technology sectors - to a theory of mine I'd like to share with you.You see, for the last 3.5 decades I've subscribed to as many Trade Journals in as many industries as I could get my hands on. At one time I can remember subscribing to something like 76 magazines. As the Internet got popular fewer were published, but I certainly learned a lot. It seemed like every industry had at least 2 to 3 major disrupting innovations per decade, often bunched together, usually the product of a non-industry entrant and a new company not entrenched in the industry association.


Now then, I do believe that innovation is predictable and you can usually tell about when it will happen, and mind you, I am basing my finding by observations in tracking so many industries and being involved in them as a service company to industry. In the end there is one thing that is true, innovation is best predictable by those engaged in some part of the innovative supply chain - from Science Fiction thinker to engineer, and from inventor to entrepreneur - to industry R&D departments of sector main-stay multi-national conglomerate incumbents and government lobbyist greasing the skids for the next new thing to plow into our lives - like it or not. Okay so, I'd like you to consider all this and think on it from a philosophical perspective.Take a gander at the article I cited above and let me know what you think. You can reach me by email.

Want To Be A Good Innovator - Keep Your Hands In the Cookie Jar!

There seem to be a number of phrases and words we see and hear every day such as; sustainability, and innovation. We use these words so much they've almost become cliché and reduced to rubble, no value to anyone. Interestingly enough, I do know a thing or two about innovation, as I've been innovating all of my life, mostly in business, but also now in retirement running a think tank. Let's talk shall we?Not long ago, an acquaintance mentioned to me that every time I say I am "retired" she laughs and tells me that I "will always have my hands in something," unable to turn my mind off or stop getting involved. True, enough, yes, I will most likely always have my hands in something - hopefully not the cookie jar. You see, my mom used to tell me I couldn't keep them out of the cookie jar and had a picture of me climbing on top of the refrigerator as a 2.5 year old collecting cookies after she tried to put it out of reach!Well, isn't that a lot like real innovating, as it is very much a matter of problem solving. Cookies way up high and I desire to devour cookies, you know like the Cookie Monster on Sesame Street. Now then, they say that when you have kids, paybacks are a beach. Perhaps it is things like that which I always had in the back of head reasoning why I didn't believe I should have kids. My genes are too much for our society, they are not ready for us yet! Into everything, can't leave well enough alone. And yet, although it is a good thing that not everyone is like me, we do need innovative thinking from our creative class, we need those creative geniuses amongst us to carry on.


If so, we should ask ourselves why our education system is so geared towards turning out masses of docile timid humans now, so many people on said planet, so hard to maintain control. Yes, we need those who do the work, but we also need thinkers. What I wonder often enough is why do we pretend and tell everyone to be innovators when in reality we don't want that and even select for the opposite?That is to say that now-days we are afraid of the high-energy anomalistic self-actualized individual, there seems to be a war on 'personalities' and individual thought. It's amazing, and it's even worse online, everyone wants to force everyone else into conformity, a lot of social control, on top of all our laws, rules, regulations, media, religions, politics, corporations, brainwashing education, etc.Well, this is why I am retired, not because I can't compete as surely I am a competitor, and not because I cannot innovate, because I've already proven I can out innovate the best of them, rather because the world really doesn't like folks like me much, innovators, it rattles their cage, like Socrates for instance. But I say; who wants to be part of the Borg anyway? Therefore, I want all innovators out there to know; forget the buzz-words and over usage of the words we most commonly hear, don't follow the conventional wisdom or seclude yourself to a single niche, keep your hands in the cookie jar - and you can far surpass all the wannabes out there talking the big talk and using all the right words.

Unraveling Industrial Design

IntroductionIn the present business dynamics, design is pivotal in bridging a user's handling of a product/service, its functionality, and looks (as applicable). The ergonomics catapults its efficiency potential and in turn its success. With every evolution of creativity, technology, and applied sciences, product innovation frequently witnesses a new dawn. Industrial design is one such type gaining ground in nearly all industries. The scope extends to brand building & promotion as well. Let us know more about this field.ConceptIt is a creative amalgamation of applied science and art to create an optimal utility product, while also ensuring its aesthetics. The design engineers work upon a product's two- or three-dimensional features, such as its shape, configuration, pattern, ornamentation, while complementing the ease of use, its functionality, and marketability.Role of an industrial designerUsually a certified engineer, he/she is responsible for planning, designing, and creating products, the consumers will love to use and own. The product structure should communicate its purpose, enhance its user experience, and work efficiently. Industrial designers brainstorm ideas and draw up sketches that would cater to the clients' and the end customers' needs. Afterwards, some prototypes are created and tested. Based on the results, the designs either are reworked or are given a go-ahead. Some well-known products thriving, particularly due to talented brains include Apple's iPod and the Mini Cooper.SoftwareComputer Aided Design (CAD) and Computer Aided Industrial Design (CAID) programs are the heroes of the show.ApplicationsIndustrial design is vital for a wide spectrum of sectors, including but not limited to:


- Home appliances- Furniture- Electronics- Automobiles- Medical equipment- Sports gear & tools- Construction and architectureExamplesThe following are some unprecedented creativity to meet the end customers' needs:- Piaggio Vespa Scooter: Italian aeronautical engineer Corradino D'Ascanio drew heavy inspiration from the pre-World War II scooters and the Italian creativity to design the classic Vespa. The central spar was removed offering a sleek look and allowing the rider to step through the bike.- Cipher Drinking Glass: This glass may look like a mosaic when empty, but as soon as any drink is poured in, the squares come together to spell the name of the drink. The brainchild of Serbian designer Damjan Stankovic, this unique and quirky product stunningly integrates creativity and utility even for everyday living.- Plumen 001 light bulb: Who would have thought that the humble electric bulb would get a stylish makeover? This award-winning innovation by British Samuel Wilkinson has magnified and intertwined glass tubes, instead of the glass casing. Moreover, it consumes 80% less energy than any incandescent bulb, which makes it truly smart in structure.The future prospectsUndoubtedly, the industrial design will continue to gain significance in product development and giving facelift to the existing ones. The mental soars give hope of products that are more ingenious, collaborating functionality & creativity with aesthetic. Science and art have coupled well for good!

5 Ways to Boost Innovation by Understanding Neuroscience

Innovation is a prized asset in any organisation, but the challenge of how to develop a culture of creativity is an old and complex one.With extra attention on neuroscience since brain imaging technology became more widely available, we are learning more about how the brain works. How can that information be combined with what we already know about innovation and how can it be applied on the ground in organisations?Our brains need encouragement to createSome argue, based on the neuroscience, that we are not naturally innovators and our ability to create depends on the stimulation provided.The old adage that "necessity is the mother of invention" holds true in the sense that, whenever humans have needed to innovate, we seem to come up with something. This can be applied to many of the basics of human existence such as the need to find water, cook food, and to defend ourselves. That's perhaps why we have grown to dominate the planet.In most organisations our challenge to innovate is not usually life-threatening! We have to encourage our brains to be creative by providing the right stimuli - but not overdoing it and, in the process, generating excessive stress.In fact, we are generally most comfortable when we are NOT creating - we like things just as they are. The fact that we are still alive and kicking means we have been doing something right! Stepping outside of this can create feelings of discomfort and stress for many people.Finding the BalanceWe essentially need to find the right balance. Resistance to change, which can create negative responses, needs to be balanced with the positive feelings of discovery and achievement, generated largely by the neurotransmitter dopamine in the reward centres of our brain.If we try to force the situation, we are in danger of creating excessive stress and threat, which causes a retreat to habitual behavior. In this mindset, innovation is almost impossible.However, creating an environment of absolute comfort is also not conducive to creativity.How do we find the "sweet spot" where our people are challenged to innovate but not threatened? Where the will to achieve something is more powerful than the resistance to change? Where we are at ease with the making the new connections in our brain that lead to new ideas?


How to Boost Innovation1. Practice diversityDiversity of people, experiences, and activities in the workplace will help create the sparks and moments of insight. By doing this people make new connections that lead to fresh, new ideas, while a culture of uniformity will stunt the process. In many cases the new ideas will hit dead ends, but it's the one nugget of an idea in the one hundred generated that can change the course of an organisation; this can only happen if enough ideas are generated in the first place.2. Encourage stepping out of the comfort zoneIf people actively choose to step out of their comfort zones it will be more effective than forcing it upon them; the sense of threat will be minimised. Exposing oneself to new situations, environment, people, and activities helps the process of innovation. Rather than going through the same routines day by day, mix it up a little, and don't worry if the new activity or environment seems a little pointless at first - the connections will come. You'll be surprised about the effect on the brain.3. Encourage a healthy lifestyleLook after your physical health and your brain health will follow. Getting enough sleep and exercise, and eating a good diet, will help reduce stress, keep you healthy, and help activate the areas of the brain that spark innovation.4. Play with ideasLearn to play with ideas a little. We are taught that work is separate from play, but if you treat ideas as something that can be tossed around without anybody getting hurt, then who knows where they may land?5. Help people feel safeAn environment of fear and threat will stunt creativity. People must feel that they have a say and are allowed to voice their opinion, or you will find calls for creativity falling on deaf ears. Make them feel safe - bit not too safe!

Solving the Innovation Dilemma

Most people and most organizations want to be innovative.After all, those who are first to market with a new product typically get the best returns, and those who develop new and more innovative processes can typically provide much better quality at much lower costs.Similarly, those who create a management system that promotes an innovative culture can more easily achieve and maintain a competitive edge.But consider how infrequently innovations such as those listed above happen...Clearly innovation is challenging for all organizations, large and small; and the challenges are not always easy to identify.For example, it might seem logical to surmise that a common barrier to innovation is lack of time or poor time management, and lots of organizations cite the lack of time and attention to innovation as a major barrier."People are too busy to think about innovation," they say. "If my boss's boss is too busy to think about new and better ways of doing something, I better be too."Of course this is a good recipe for keeping things exactly the way they are while the world passes by... and frequently results in an organizational belief that there "is no time," so no one bothers to identify potential solutions or ways to become more innovative.But dedicating resources to innovation does not seem to work that well either. It may foster a creative environment, but this does not necessarily translate into more workable innovations.One organization created an innovative think tank with 12-14 people led by a senior executive. After two years they were disbanded because while they came up with some innovative ideas, none of them were financially viable; and in other similar instances, many of the best ideas were ruled out only to be brought to fruition by other companies!So it would appear that time alone is not the culprit; and organizations may give innovation too little time, or too much.So, you might ask, what can an organization do to improve innovation levels?One of the first requirements is strong and empowering leadership, which must provide three important things:The amnesty that people often need in order to take the risk of putting ideas and observations on the table
Awareness of the threats from the changing environment and the opportunities that may arise
Awareness of likely or potential marketplace constraintsFor example, when Xerox PARC created the mouse, it was, quite simply, amazing... , despite the fact that it cost $300 to build and only worked for a few weeks. But, since they had a generous budget these factors were acceptable.Yet to make the mouse truly innovative required something quite different: constraints. Steve Jobs had the vision to add the constraints: the mouse must be buildable for under $15 and operate reliably for two years.


Perhaps the in-house innovation team (above) that was disbanded because none of their ideas were financially viable simply did not realize that the ideas were not yet complete... that marketplace or other types of constraints were in play.For successful innovation, you need people to seek out the real-world constraints that must be respected in order to actualize the idea. Until the idea can work within the constraints - like Apple's mouse- it is still in the germination stage, not yet a true innovation.Another catalyst to innovation is fear of loss... as one company observed, "When our very survival was at risk, we began to implement a program of Continuous Improvement that called on everyone to contribute innovative implementable ideas!"Because they had nothing to lose... because they had to develop new and better ways of operating in order to survive, they did!Similarly, a start-up company with few resources must innovate or quickly wither away.Applying the same concept to an organization that is not experiencing dire circumstances, it is most often true that, in order to develop a truly innovative culture it must be less scary for people to try something new and risk failure than it is to stay with the status quo. To create this condition, leaders must provide amnesty to reduce the risk of sharing new ideas.Of course it also helps if the status quo looks pretty untenable. Never waste a crisis, and if you don't think you have one, look further around you.Change is inevitable; a threat is always on its way!Process innovation also requires getting close to the customers or people doing the work.To be able to create or develop more innovative work processes, you must go to the work. 'Go to Gemba' (or the work place) is Toyota's mantra. You must go and watch the work flow in order to understand the processes and the problems that workers grapple with. You must see for yourself in order to envision a better product or process.Along the same lines, simply asking customers what they "think they need" or what they want is simply not going to be enough. They cannot innovate for you - you must go and watch them use your product to really understand the market.Finally, when striving to increase an organization's innovation level, it is also important to recognize that outsiders often come up with the best innovations, because they have no ties to the status quo.As many have said, it is easiest to think outside the box when you are from outside the box.But outsiders often have a difficult time effecting real change because they are outsiders. A senior manager of a once innovative company wryly observed, "We say we like to bring in outsiders with fresh ideas, but when they share them we explain that's not the way we do it here."Thus the innovation dilemma continues...

The Prices of Access Flooring: Affordable Server Room Solutions

By now you have most likely heard about access floors and how valuable they are. Do you however know what the prices of access flooring and affordable server room solutions are? Well, stick around and you will get an idea. While costs obviously vary from place to place, the prices of certain products like access floors are fairly standard. They also go according to the type of floor system that you get put in. the prices are calculated by square meter usually, and over and above the material costs, you also pay an installation fee per meter squared.This sounds like a very expensive exercise, and while it can be, there is no replacement for the human lives that you will save when you install these floor types. The reason for this of course is the fact that you will be saving people the risk of injury due to excessive amounts of cabling lying around, especially in a big office. These floors were invented so that offices could leave all of their machinery around and not have to worry about people tripping over the cables and whatever else may be on the floor.These floors are also used in server rooms for this reason. The floors can of course be lifted up so that maintenance can be done on any set of cables. This makes it both convenient and safe for your employees to be in the office.


The figuresHere is a breakdown of what some access floor systems will cost you. The numbers are done in US dollars, and can therefore be converted into the currency of your choice. The calculations are done for a 60 square meter office. The installation fee is about $7.50 per meter squared.· General. These are the standard floors that have no special features at all. For the space described above, the fee will be about $7000 in total for your office.· Wooden. These floors are made up of wooden panelling that makes up the floor. The total cost of these for the abovementioned office space is $11893.· Steel. These floors have got lightweight steel panelling as their primary finish and cost $13293 to install.These are the figures for the basic models of access floor to be installed. Of course the product will vary depending on what type of bolt and stringer system is holding up the rest of the floor. Although these prices may seem very expensive, you have to remember that it is better to have a neat and safe work environment than to create a problematic environment for your employees. You will spend far less on the floor systems than you would on workers compensation if you chose to leave your cables lying out and about.

Genius Is 1% Inspiration and 99% Perspiration - What Organizations Need to Remember

'Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration" - EdisonIt has often been said that there is no substitute for hard work. Or said another way... the harder I work the luckier I get. At the same time in today's generation of instant consumption (of information, resources, even social media) it appears that a basic truth of society has been lost or forgotten. Recall our school science classes. Trial, error, documentation, hypothesis, more trials, and clearer hypothesis' led to some of the greatest discoveries of our day.Has the pace of this examination and exploration expanded and accelerated? Yes it most certainly has. Does this mean that the same basic steps, rooted in logic, are not being taken? Not at all.Transfer this approach and evolving societal norm into the world of business - and especially into the sales realm - and is it any wonder that new sales people expect results for (what the 'old guard' might describe as) minimal efforts?Somewhere along the line we, as leaders have failed to impart the bare necessity of planning, examination, data collection and execution in the sales process. Whether it is the pressures forced on us by our leaders (and the continual need to 'feed the beast' with month over month and quarter over quarter results) or our own inability to step back from the tactical deal by deal discussions and look strategically at our customers and our strategies to swerve the market - whatever the reason we need to acknowledge that we need to put in the same level of effort that we expect from our Teams. Yes there is a concept of Leading from the back - however many of our team members need to see us leading from the front in a way that they can model before we take the strategist role.


Like Pareto's Law, the 80% of results are coming from 20% of our efforts. To truly break through to 'inspiration' we need to expend the 99% effort to get there. We need to be comfortable with the risks and learning from the mistakes we make (and we *will* make mistakes if we are doing this properly) so that we can draw closer to the 1% inspiration.Furthermore, our organizations need to be comfortable with the concept of calculated risk - allowing Teams the time and space to explore potential without the continual 'hope and prayer' approach where the expectation is that every 'trial' will yield spectacular results. Worse yet, many organizations punish the innovators by attributing a failed trail/experiment as a personal failure. We only need to look at Pavlov's dogs to see what the eventual result of behavior that drives. Simply put - allow for controlled experiments or face the very real reality that your Team may become nothing more than a pack of drooling dogs - jumping at the 'bell' but not being innovative at all.