In an organization, it’s human nature to resist change and to stick with the status quo that’s often more comfortable and safe. Some of your teammates in your company may be devil’s advocates who claim they want what’s best for the business while they oppose initiatives for Innovation. As a leader and innovator-in-chief of your company, it is critical to drive the culture of Innovation Read More »
Innovation has become the benchmark of success, particularly in the current business environment. Companies in every industry are stepping up their efforts to become more innovative in the way they work, communicate and produce the goods and services they sell. But with such an objective, the obvious challenge becomes, how to identify the individuals within an organization who possess the greatest potential to innovate. While Read More »
Software is patentable subject matter in the United States. There are some restrictions, such as that the software must be embodied in a machine, but software inventions are regularly given patent protection. However, there is strong opposition to protecting software inventions, and many countries, particularly European Union nations, do not allow the patenting of software inventions. The opposition to software patents is based on a Read More »
When was the last time you experienced your product like it was your first time? Product development is a process of cycles – followed by closure. We innovate and create a new concept. Assemble teams to research, develop, manufacture and market the product or service. We then ship it to market. And then… What? We leave it out there for consumers to embrace, or ignore. Read More »
What is really at the heart of business success? Ideas. Without new ideas, companies can achieve no more than the status quo. Ideas lead to better products, more effective marketing and sales, efficient operations and communications; you name it. Without ideas, organizations have nothing. The most widely used tool for generating and developing new ideas in organizations is group brainstorming. Literally hundreds of thousands of Read More »
To receive patent protection in the United States and most other countries, an invention must be both novel and non-obvious. The test for novelty is relatively easy. A patent examiner must simply show that the invention existed previously to conclude that it is not novel. If the examiner cannot find an example of the invention, then the invention is assumed to be novel. The test Read More »
Why innovate? Some would argue that companies innovate to achieve a heightened competitive advantage, streamline the organization, or create intellectual property – including patents, trademarks and other protected property – that create value in the portfolio. Many reason and rationales can be argued for the pursuit of innovation. Yet no purpose for or result from innovation can be more compelling than Value Creation. This metric Read More »