The Innovators Studio with Phil McKinney

No one can predict the future , but that doesn't mean we can't prepare for it. We'll explore the concept of black swan innovation and discuss how leaders can respond to these events when they occur. We will also look at some examples of black swan innovations that have profoundly impacted society. Leaders can minimize the negative consequences of these unpredictable occurrences by understanding wh...

Previously on the show, we discussed the failure of innovation journalism in the modern day. To combat the failure of innovation journalism, we are launching The Innovators Network (TIN). Founded upon the belief that innovation is essential to addressing the world's most pressing problems, The Innovators Network wants to empower readers and inspire them to become agents of change. We will provide...

You need to be known as an inventor to attract the industry and make money from your ideas. The more successful you are as an inventor, the more people want to do business with you. I've discovered that submitting ideas to competitions and sharing work on social media are the best ways to build your reputation.  Submitting your ideas to competitions  exposes you to a broad audience while showing t...

Procrastination is a thief of potential, time, happiness, and success. Innovators often don't realize they are procrastinating because of how many projects they start. While innovators start innovations, they fail to launch them. Failure to launch is one of the most insidious forms of procrastination. In innovation, you will get your next position or project based on your portfolio, not your resum...

Innovation journalism is one of the essential types of journalism in the modern world. Journalists must explain and communicate these changes when innovations and ideas emerge to the public. Innovation journalism is currently in a state of crisis, as science and technology reporters only make up a small percentage of reporters in American newspapers. Despite this fact, according to a  Pew Research...

Joy is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Many things can prevent us from enjoying our lives and our work. Finding ways to deal with these challenges is crucial, so they don't take away our happiness. Innovation is all about creating new things and  solving problems . Being a part of successful innovation adds joy to your life. That joy has motivated me for 40 years of my career in innovat...

Innovating with Nanobots - What You Need to Know S18 Ep21

Process innovation is the implementation of new or significantly improved processes to achieve tangible outcomes . There are two types of processes: operational and managerial. Operational processes seek to improve efficiency through streamlining activities and eliminating production waste. Managerial processes strive to enhance the effectiveness of a process by improving coordination and decision...

Chunka is passionate about changing the world by  thinking through future problems . He loves to ponder what is possible in the future, given the exponential growth we are experiencing now. As innovators, we forget to consider our innovations' unintended consequences.     Chunka says innovators also don't think enough about the intended consequences. His latest book,  A Brief History of a Perfect...

Outsourcing innovation is an exciting way to increase innovation competitiveness. Utilizing organizations like an  innovation agency  can allow firms to focus on other business areas. The results are increased efficiency, improved quality, faster innovation implementation, reduced innovation risk, and increased flexibility. Outsourcing innovation can be a powerful tool to help companies speed up t...

Design plays a vital role in our lives and is ever-evolving. In the past, it meant designing or planning something. In the early 1800s, the term was synonymous with art, and in the late 1900s, it referred to creating products or services. Over time, design has gone from being a specialized field tied to specific design movements to a more holistic approach. Now, it's a  way of thinking  that consi...

The science of creativity has many theories and ideas that seek to explain it. New approaches and models are constantly emerging, which provide some insight but are not exhaustive. One theory suggests that  creativity  combines cognitive processes, including knowledge, imagination, etc. However, proof shows that experts and those with fresh eyes can often be creative in the same area.   Creativity...

Chronic innovation critics are people and processes that kill new ideas before they can thrive. They prevent you from trying new things and learning from failures . The criticisms may result in your organization getting stuck in its current state. Innovation critics love to point out why an idea will fail. These people are often the ones who have been with the organization the longest and are the...

Innovation storytelling helps capture people's attention and connect with them on an emotional level. This connection is what allows you to get your message across in a way that is both memorable and meaningful, leading to lasting change. In an organization storytelling can help build an  innovation culture , inspiring people to ideate and take action. Additionally, it can help create a sense of c...

We are joined by Craig Leddy of Interactive TV Works to discuss innovation in the media industry.  Innovation in Media and Entertainment Most people don't think of the media industry as a driver for innovation. People tend to overlook the fact things like cable TV took decades to get to where it is today. In the media and cable industries, the process behind the technologies tends to get overlooke...

Today's show will be a commencement speech I virtually gave on the biggest barrier to innovation. What is the Biggest Barrier to Innovation? Fear  is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous and likely to cause pain or a threat. For humans, fear tends to build on itself. Fear stands for false evidence that appears. Our brains can take "false evid...

An innovation strategy  is a plan outlining how a business will create, develop, and bring new products or services to market to gain a competitive advantage. A strategy guides the efforts of individual employees or entire teams and tailored to the organization's unique needs. It also helps ensure the organizations' innovation initiatives remain competitive and relevant. Businesses without innovat...

 Today, we continue our series on innovation agencies and will explore why organizations hire them. Why Do Organizations Hire an Innovation Agency? To help with creative problem-solving. An innovation agency can help organizations find new solutions to their problems. These agencies bring new perspectives and stimulate creativity, allowing companies to overcome roadblocks and generate new ideas ....

Let us explore what an innovation agency is and how it can help bring you more success in the challenging innovation process.   Why Hire An Innovation Agency? Innovation Agency is a term created to distinguish agencies that specialize in innovation from the agencies such as advertising, design, marketing, and PR agencies. An innovation agency specializes in helping businesses create, market, and s...

Stephen Key joins us to discuss how inventors can successfully license their most valued ideas.  Stephen Key and Licensing Inventions Stephen has an extensive following on YouTube, where he coaches, mentors, and advises inventors. His channel focuses on those who have ideas but don't want to start a business. Creative people want to do what they are good at but don't always want to do the heavy li...

Greg Shepard of BOSS Capital Partners joins us to discuss  autism , neurodiversity, and entrepreneurship.  The School System and Learning Styles Growing up, Greg struggled with learning in school and communicating. He had a different style of learning that schools did not teach. He scored very high in some areas but struggled in others. Greg's kids go to the Winston School, which specialize in neu...

Rob Tiffany joins us to discuss innovations around digital twins and where the technology is making an impact. Rob Tiffany of Digital Insights on Digital Twins Rob is an industry analyst working around wireless communications , IoT, digital twins, etc. Digital twins are digital representations of a physical object. Digital twins arose with NASA when they used them as digital models of spacecraft....

Scott Crowder of IBM joins us to discuss quantum computing and its potential to change the world of technology. Quantum Computing and Its Impact Scott leads the quantum computing efforts at IBM . Quantum computing is an entirely different information science than what is considered classical computing. Quantum scales exponentially, whereas classical scales linearly. Data with structure, especially...

Alan Proithis of Capstone Partners joins us to discuss private 5G networks and the importance of innovation collaboration.  5G Innovation Allen and I have worked together at different companies since the mid-90s. He is currently focused on private  5G networks . There is an unprecedented amount of investment and interest in the mobile space. People want to apply 5G to some crazy areas. The consume...