One of the most solid findings in innovation research is that creativity happens in social networks–what I call group genius. When it comes to innovation, a social network doesn’t mean Facebook or Snapchat. It means the connections you have with other people in real life. People in your profession, of course, but it helps even… Read More Why You Should Attend This Year’s Conference in Person
To prepare for my keynote talk on Thursday at the Global Leaders Forum in Seoul, I did some research on innovation in Korea. I was impressed to learn that Korea tops many international indices of innovation. In 2013, Korea was first in the European Union ranking: And again in 2014, South Korea topped the EU… Read More Innovation in Korea
Creativity research* has shown that all companies benefit from very similar innovation strategies, whether they’re technology companies or not. We mostly hear about software and Internet-based startups these days; and most incubator spaces (sometimes called “innovation labs”) are filled with smartphone apps and web developers. Other industries are setting up innovation labs, and they almost… Read More Big Company Innovation Labs Won’t Work
In 2007, my book Group Genius made a radical claim: The discipline of psychology could never explain creativity, because creativity emerges from collaborative groups and networks. In 2007, this put me at odds with most of my creativity research colleagues; they studied solitary individuals. And it was a bit cutting edge for the business world,… Read More Group Genius: Radical in 2007, Conventional Wisdom Today
My research shows that innovation always emerges from collaborative groups and distributed social networks. My 2007 book Group Genius proves that the lone inventor is a myth. All creativity emerges from many contributions, from many different people, distributed through space and time. The most innovative teams, organizations, and economic systems are the ones that enable everyone’s… Read More What Political System Best Fosters Innovation?
I’ve been reading and re-reading an awesome article about San Francisco’s entrepreneurial culture, by Nathan Heller in the New Yorker magazine.* Heller spent some time shadowing Johnny Hwin, an entrepreneur and musician who he calls “one of the best-connected kids in San Francisco.” Heller’s article is driven by a puzzle he can’t figure out: Hwin… Read More The Secret of San Francisco’s Entrepreneurial Success
Have you ever modified something you bought, to make it work better, or to serve your own unique needs? Have you ever created something from scratch to solve a problem? This is what innovation researchers call “consumer innovation” or “household innovation,” and it turns out it’s surprisingly common. MIT Professor Eric von Hippel, long famous… Read More Everyday Innovation
Tonight, I’m giving the keynote talk at a big event at KANEKO, a creative space in the historic center of Omaha, created by artists Jun and Ree Kaneko. KANEKO is an “Open Space for Your Mind” that aims to foster creativity in the arts, sciences, and philosophy. As one of their brochures puts it, KANEKO… Read More KANEKO: Creativity in Omaha
This week I participated in a fascinating event here in St. Louis, a business creativity conference called “Play @ Work.” In this photo, I’m seated and two of the keynote speakers are with me: Peter Sims at the left (author of Little Bets) and Kevin Carroll (author of Rules of the Red Rubber Ball). The two days… Read More The Art of Business
I probably could have thought up a more exciting title for this blog post! It’s hard to make patent reform sound exciting (apologies to my law colleagues who study intellectual property!). But getting it right is absolutely critical to a country’s innovation. This past Monday (February 28, 2011) the U.S. Senate began debate on a… Read More U.S. Senate Debates Patent Reform
The Creativity Guru 