Pre-Ramble:  Just the sound of the word “innovation” gives me a rush of energy that rises up out of a cross section of art, science and the romantic notions of resourcefulness and hard work. Over the past decade, this glorified word has been slapped all over everything from business schools to soap, claiming the “frontier spirit” and trading on its appeal to dreamers and pragmatists alike. 

There is growing concern, however, that the U.S. prowess for innovation is in danger, and that steps must be taken to ”reclaim our edge.”  John C. Lechleiter, chairman, president and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company expounds upon that sentiment in a recent Opinion page article (WSJ, 7/9/10, p. A17).

A stream of inventions helped make the 20th century the American century … Unfortunately, America’s economy is in danger of losing what has always been our greatest competitive advantage – our genius for innovation. … A recent study ranked the U.S. 6th among the top 40 industrialized nations in innovative competitiveness, but 40th out of 40 in the rate of change in innovative capacity … In other words, we’re at serious risk of falling behind.”

(Forgive me if I’m missing something here, but how much farther behind can we fall if we’re already dead last?)

Building capacity. In crafting a turnaround plan, Lechleiter talks about an “ecosystem” of conditions that are required to foster an environment of innovation, among them the “seeds of innovation” meaning, us human beings with our talent and energy, creativity and insights, “…  a priceless resource and one that is woefully underdeveloped in this country.” Lechleiter goes on to suggest that, along with simplified immigration policies and adequate funding for our research infrastructure, one way to bolster America’s “capacity for innovation” is to step up the rigors of science and math instruction in our schools.

At the recent Apsen Ideas Festival, education gurus like Bill Gates, Jeffrey Canada, and Howard Gardner discuss the future of education in America. They suggest all kinds of great ideas, innovative ideas even, that strive to engage young people in real learning and give them the tools they will need for a successful future. They talk about innovative models for reform … a longer school day, … an articulated curriculum, … more rigorous testing, … accountability for results, … teacher quality and parent involvement.  Certainly, these are all important elements in a high-quality education, and important building blocks for innovation as well.

Jack Hidary, a successful innovator/entrepreneur in the tech and finance camp, former philosophy and neuroscience student at Columbia University, and also a speaker at this year’s Aspen Festival, puts things in another perspective, 

“Problem-solving is not correlated with grade scores on a transcript.”

Science and reading and math – Oh my!  Sure, high performance in math and science (and reading ) are critical skill sets that must be nurtured in the well-rounded innovator, but so too are the critical traits of curiosity, independence and engagement. What is going to actually engage these kids?  Why are they going to want to sit in the classroom longer and take harder courses?  What is going to get them excited to come to school and apply themselves?  To get excited about learning?  How are they going to find what they are looking for in life unless they are given an opportunity to access their their imagination, their chi, their passion, their hidden sources of motivation? What is going to compel these students to shift their internal paradigm such that they see barriers and obstacles as exciting ”challenges to be overcome”?

Follow the yellow brick road.  Sometimes the answer is to go off of the beaten path and find yourself in a whole new place … maybe even one with rainbows, a tin man and ruby slippers (awesome, magical sparkliness shown above). Problem-solving – a gateway to innovation – involves critical thinking, exploration, resourcefulness and creativity. Future  innovators need to develop the motivation and capacity to snoop around … to follow their whims … listen to their gut, and rely on instinct and insight to make new connections among an infinite sea of random data points.

We need to provide kids with opportunities to venture down the yellow brick road … to get out of the black and white and see the world in color on a regular basis. In addition to a crabby Auntie Em and high winds, Dorothy’s data points were facilitated by her encounters with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion.  The future entrepreneur needs a firm understanding of math and science and literature, AND art and music and team-work and a whole bunch of other random and wonderful things.

The Take-Away: We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto. Like Oz and the Fab 4, our the world is spinning and we need to figure out a way to make sense out of it. If we are to have any hope of rebuilding the American capacity for innovation, we need to engage and “nurture the seeds” in new ways. … Even clicking our societal heels in a spanking new pair of sparkly red shoes isn’t going to help us find our way back to innovation if we continue to ignore the critical role that the arts and extracurricular activities play in human engagement and continue to undervalue (cut funding for) them in our public and educational environments.

Pre-Ramble: In the interest of reigning in on the random potpourri of stuff I cover in the blog here, I promised my new-found blogging brand-identity guru, Gary (more about him at a later date) that I would keep my posts short, tight and focused on my niche topics, innovation and creativity. Great plan. Yes. Go. Ready.

Well, needless to say, I managed to breach that plan almost instantaneously by posting what is probably one of my longest entries ever last week. I knew it was long, but in my own defense, it was right on topic - scoping around in people’s heads to get a better understanding of how they think and what inspires them is totally aligned with innovation, and one of my very favorite things to do. And, I couldn’t leave out the part about Nerf balls.

Spoiler alert. Ok, so, in another failed attempt, I will now keep the blog entry brief while veering completely off topic …  I never thought I’d have to state my position on this, but the recent headliner in WSJ’s Personal Journal (4/22/10) has pushed my hand — I will never spend $3,000 on a pair of lederhosen.

“Not since the Von Trapp children donned their lederhosen (German for “leather trousers”) in “The Sound of Music” has the fashion world seen so many variations on the traditional attire of Bavarian Boys. Naturally, the look has been transformed for contemporary women. Gone are the front flaps and suspenders. Many of the new leather shorts look like regular pleated and cuffed shorts – with a certain swagger.”

The “city shorts” look, the latest innovation/trend in fashion, is supposed to imbue the wearer with a versatile, ”effortless sensuality” … 

“It’s got that rocker feel, but it’s also casual … Teen idol Miley Cyrus recently wore black leather shorts while performing, and singer Rihanna appeared on the cover of GQ in a tiny brown pair of Balmain leather shorts – and nothing else.” 

Swagger, my ass!  Oh, yes – this totally fits with my lifestyle.  Next time I’m performing at the grocery store I’ll be sure to rock the shorts with some sturdy tights and a tasseled loafer. (I know better than to attempt the bare-legged option.) Fashion reporter Rachel Dodes offers some quick tips (accompanied here by my smarty-pants remarks) on how to pull off the look:

1. “Keep it simple – when wearing leather shorts, it’s easy to become a bad cliche” – No, seriously?
2. “Wear leather shorts for daytime as well as nighttime” - From where I sit, as long as you don’t leave the house, you’d be appropriate wearing the look at any time of day or night.
3. “Be conscious of what looks good on you” – This is code for, “If you’re old or fat don’t even finish reading this blog.”
4. “Don’t wear the style in more formal offices” - I’m sure it will be fine in your casual offices, particularly if you pair it with your feather vest (shown above right).
5. “Don’t wear leather shorts with high heels or anything too revealing … Leather shorts can look ‘a little cheesy’ with platforms” – Especially if you are working street corners late at night.
6. “Don’t be shy; leather shorts have attitude… Designer Laurie Lynn Stark advises wearing leather shorts with ‘a low boot, a bikini top and a scarf around your head.” – This requires no comment.

The Take-Away: See point #6 above.

Parts of this post originally appeared in a feature that I wrote for the PUSH Institute. A new iteration of that piece appears below. 

Pre-Ramble:  A recent WSJ headline notes that at 3M, “Innovation Comes in Tweaks and Snips.”  3M CEO George Buckley charged staffers to find cheaper ways to make products like respirator masks as a way to improve products and cut costs, suggesting that in hard economic times like these, innovations can be found “at the bottom of the pyramid” rather than in pursuit of a single “grandiose invention.” 

Huh? Certainly, innovation can come in many shapes and sizes, but the brand of iterative chicken scratching suggested in this charge raises serious questions about the definition of “innovation.” For example, can any/every iterative maneuver, be it cost cutting, process improvement, or otherwise tweaking and snipping, be considered “innovation”? Where are the lines drawn around an “ah-hah moment” born of the elusive “creative spark,” and simple problem-solving?  Are we wrong to lump the concepts of innovation, invention and creativity into the same category?  Is being “skillful” the same as being “innovative”? What about resourcefulness?  And, where does novelty come into play?

With operations in more than 65 countries, 75,000 employees, and global sales of over $23 billion, 3M leadership must remain engaged on all levels of the innovation pyramid in these tough economic times. No stranger to innovation, Buckley’s training as an electrical engineer combined with a broad knowledge of physics and thermodynamics led to many patented, industry-changing inventions including early prototypes of the front-loading washing machine. In his role as CEO of 3M (current tagline, “Innovative Technology for a Changing World”), Buckley is both an idealist and a realist when it comes to innovation. The cost-cutting exercise around the respirator masks belies the true depth of Mr. Buckley’s creative nature. 

Part genius, part maverick. In 2007, I had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. Buckley to talk about the dynamic of creativity. An intensely curious and widely read man, he described himself as a life-long-learner, engaging in regular inquiry into a wide variety of topics including ancient history, biographies, classical music and the arts. Buckley is comfortable talking in both broad abstract terms and in the vernacular of the pragmatic, Fortune 500 business leader that he is. Introverted and thoughtful, driven to a state of near constant scanning, observation, processing and critiquing, Buckley believes that the creative process occurs at the intersection of intuitive vision, specialized “deep” knowledge and opportunity. He believes that creative discovery is something other than linear processing that “comes on another level of awareness … part genius, part maverick … a willingness to risk, to go out into an unknown realm.”

Whether it’s intensive, intentional brainstorming or pie-in-the-sky day-dreaming, innovation can come at any time in any place.  If the classic anecdotes are true, it would seem that innovations are more likely to come to those who are sitting at a bar doodling on a cocktail napkin. Seems to me that the flash of insight in the “ah-hah” moment is a much sexier way to go than the plodding, nose-to-the-grindstone approach, … some thoughts:

• Value-add.  The nature of the innovation and its value to society is a factor in assessing the innovative quotient of a product or process. Resourcefulness, for example, can be a component of innovative behavior, however it does not necessarily deliver social value. If you’re lost on a deserted island, there will be great personal value in being able to forage for food, fashion shelter out of palm fronds, and create an imaginary friend out of found objects …. But, beyond that immediate situation, what is the enduring or replicable outcome?  What is the value-add for mankind? Does there need to be one?
• Novelty.  Toys and games, can claim some real estate in the sphere of creativity, innovation and invention as well. Think Nerf ball. Invented by journalist-turned-toy-mogul, Reynolds Guyer, the Nerf was a literal game-changer, challenging the once unbreakable rule that “you can’t throw a ball in the house.”  The invention of the Nerf spawned an industry of fun, neon-colored, foam-based weaponry and continues to score millions in revenue every year.
• Context.  One man’s failure is another man’s innovation. Take the ubiquitous, highly innovative 3M product, the Post-it note. In the context of the 3M research department, inventor Spencer Sliver’s attempt to formulate a new super-sticky adhesive was a failure. Years later, however, colleague Arthur Fry conceived the application for Sliver’s easily removable glue compound that we celebrate today. 

The Take-Away: At the end of the day, innovation is as innovation does. If this week’s pull-out in The Economist, “The world turned upside down: A special report on innovation in emerging markets,” is any indication, we have not begun to exhaust the possibilities here, and, as it turns out, Mr. Buckley’s “tweak and snip” approach is spot on with global innovation trends. Woot!

NOTE: In recent efforts to “make the Post-it brand more relevant and ‘cool and hip’ with members of Gen X and Y, 3M marketers have released “Project Things We Forget” into the social media marketplace.  The project website has attracted 770,000 visitors; has 13,000 fans and 700 friends on Facebook; 1,500 followers on Twitter; 700 devotees on Stumbleupon (a website where you can collect and share neat stuff that you find online); reviews and features on over 674,000 sites; and a review on Singapore’s largest radio station.

Post-Note:  As for the challenge to 3M respirator researchers – consumers can breathe a sigh of relief; an ultra-low-cost respirator mask will be released into the marketplace this month.

Pre-Ramble: In the aftermath of the global finance fest in Davos, Switzerland, business and political leaders from around the world continue to wring their collective hands in search of policy level solutions to curb what is rapidly being identified as the most serious global recession since the 1930s. They’re asking themselves and each other where all this is going and what it will take to kick-start the growth needed to end it.

If American businesses and the new administration have anything to say about it, economic recovery will involve an elephant gun of bail-outs followed by a whole bunch of ”innovation.”  Intel recently ran a front-page ad in the WSJ headlined, “Today’s education. Tomorrow’s innovation,” proposing that education is the key to solving global challenges and tossing $120 million into the ring for science fairs and youth outreach. In the same issue, Shell (oil and gas) stressed the role of innovation in solving our most challenging problems stating, “In the new energy future, if it doesn’t exist, we’ll need to invent it.”  They go on to concede that “it won’t be easy; but innovative solutions rarely are.” …

Ok… sure, leaving the specifics of Shell’s renewable energy policy aside, there seems to be some kind of effort here to speak to the need for a new way of thinking. It’s one thing to invoke the “i-word”, quite another however to actually bring it about. If our political and business leadership is looking to innovation to drive economic recovery, they better take a closer look at the investments they’re making in education.

The Big Disconnect: Meanwhile, back in Minnesota… (Yes, yes, we’re still shuffling those disputed ballots around…) Governor Tim Pawlenty champions the state’s “world-class” public education system and competitive workforce, while delivering repeated body blows to state funding for the arts. Similarly, Massachusetts’ Brandeis University, proclaims art to be “the great legacy of human accomplishment, essential to interdisciplinary learning” as its curators prepare to sell off the entire collection from its esteemed Rose Art Museum — long regarded as an important teaching resource. If kids in the K-12 and higher education pipeline aren’t equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to think about things in new ways (creativity), how on earth are they supposed to merge into the workforce ready to innovate?

The Take-Away: If an innovative workforce is the goal, then step up policies and practices that foster creative thinking in the learning experience of kids. Gee,… there’s an innovative idea! 

One way we could do that is by teaching kids, beginning on the first day of pre-school, to explore ideas in different ways… maybe using shape, color, light, shadow, spacial relationships, connections, perceptions, dynamics, systems, motion, movement, tone, harmonics, intervals, blending, etc. … It could be embedded in the daily curriculum and an integral part of their everyday learning all the way up to grade 12. We could expose students to the work of great thinkers and craftsmen, and help them uncover the connections between societies and their forms of expression and invention. We could inspire children to think in new ways and prepare them to compete in a global economy. We could make this kind of creativity content a priority at the state and national levels …  We could call it art innovation education.

Pre-Ramble: Hi, it’s me Daisy… Mom asked me to write the blog today, since she’s busy working on the book. The door to her office closed, so I guess she means business. Frankly, it’s about time… I’ve been dogging her for weeks to get going on that. I’ll give her at least 20 minutes before I start barking and carrying on.

Today I’m going to bring some much-needed synchronicity to President Obama’s economic recovery plan. While he has called upon each one of us to step-up and do our part, I’m guessing that he and his new pack of advisors have inadvertently overlooked a huge untapped resource – the doggy demographic. Dogs basically lie around all day; why not put that boundless bundle of exuberance and potential energy to work?

Cut to a story that I heard on Science Friday (National Public Radio) last week about a little slice of heaven called the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Deep Sea Sample Repository. Founded by Maurice Ewing in 1949, this place collects and archives “sediment cores” - essentially, long tubes of dirt – taken from sites all around the world. A special oceanographic research vessel scopes down through 2 or 3 km of water and 30 to 40 feet into the ocean floor to extract the muddy time-capsules which reveal invaluable historical climate data dating back millions of years. There are currently over 18,000 of them on file in the refrigerated basement repository.

Dirt!!!…  Digging!!! … Barack!! … Hello!?! …We can totally help with that!!!  Personally, I don’t like to get my paws dirty, but my buddies, like Turbo at right, are all over it. Who wants to chew on shoes or rawhide (a seriously disgusting and misguided notion) when they can be digging on the beach and making a meaningful contribution to science?

The Take-Away: Innovation is the name of the game here. If we are going to unearth real solutions to our toughest problems, we need to be willing to think about things in new ways. Whether it’s bringing in the dogs to help with the dirty work, creating new alliances with AmeriCorps, or appointing a Chief Innovation Officer - in this “flat new world” we need a strategy that nurtures the core values of ingenuity and hard work that are the foundation of our heritage as a nation.  

Carpe caninae, Barack! … Seize the dogs!