Keeping Goals Simple for Crisis Planning

Keeping a business afloat in the present economic crisis is a bigger issue than new product development and innovation projects. Relieving dramatic cash-flow losses and the loss of key staff due to cost cutting initiatives can cause a crisis-management situation for businesses and business units.

How can the long range innovation goals of companies be met in such times? For some organizations plans are being shelved or put on hold indefinitely. For others, the resources dedicated to such projects have to be reduced or redirected.

For those organizations that do survive the short term, keeping an underlying focus on innovation will be a huge difference maker as situations improve. For the short term, projecting realistic, achievable and understandable short-term goals is needed. Above all these short-term goals need to be clear and simple. Achieving these goals, falling under the larger, high-level goals will get many organizations through the crisis period, and continue, or create a foundation for success as time goes on.

The innovators eyes must be kept on the long term, however the short term goals must be kept track of.

Adventure of Innovation Newsletter - Issue 01 – April 2009 -

Welcome to our First Newsletter
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We have been overwhelmed with the response to the Adventure of Innovation website (www.adventureofinnovation.com). The response to our articles and resources has been tremendous, and we hope to continue to provide these tools and more to innovators as we move forward. Thank you to all those that have registered with our site, and to all those that have passed the word on too.



Latest Article – INNVOATION ROAD MAPS
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For the manager of complex product development, business planning and other innovation activities, it is crucial to organize information efficiently not only as a communication tool for the project team, but to provide a path for the activity. By systematizing the information visually, the process can be simplified and the goals and allocation of resources can be efficiently defined. Of course, finding and creating visualizations that do this well can be a tremendous effort in itself, however the rewards of properly created innovation visualization tools can be well worth it.



One of the main visualization tools that will be discussed in this article are road maps...More...



Our Directory Continues to Grow
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The directory at the Adventure of Innovation site continues to expand. Take a visit to see the most innovative businesses and organizations on the planet.

To join our list of innovators, please send us an email with your information. We will feature an image of your choosing as well as a link and your chosen contact information. Please make images no larger than 600 x 150 pixels.

In return, we request a reciprocal link to the Adventure of Innovation website and that you tell your colleagues about us.
Accepting Article Submissions
Adventure of Innovation is accepting articles now. Click here to email us your article submissions. Adventure of Innovation will contact you regarding your submission status promptly upon receipt of an article submission.


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www.adventureofinnovation.com

Great Blog Article at Financial Post

Greg Murray has posted on the FP Blog about the importance of innovation in tough economic times entitled - Innovate, Innovate, Innovate

Here is an excerpt:

There has been much ink spilled recently on how times are tough right now for everyone. The converging events of decreasing consumer confidence, a low CAD and increasing inflation have left a lot of businesses struggling to keep their head above the rising recessionary tide.

While there is little that can be done to prevent these external threats, there is a great deal that companies and leaders can do to stay viable. At this point in time, the risk of omission is much greater than the risk of commission...in simple terms, do something, anything...INNOVATE!

I was at a session last week with John Torella, an internationally renowned marketing consultant for the JC Williams Group. Torella is an idealist; when asked by a student what to do to get hired in these tough times, he answered "get a job." While it was meant to be a joke, it bears some truth: refrain from falling into the dark hole of negative economic rhetoric, and instead focus energy on innovation.

Torella pointed to Apple as a prime example of an organization that embodies innovation. In these tough times, Apple is not discounting their products or bundling products; they are continuing to sell premium products at premium prices. How? Through obsessive and unrestrained innovation.

Innovation News Links

The following innovation links bring you all of the up-to-date goings on in the innovation world.


Innovation Tools News Links
Links from the Innovation Tools website, featuring business innovation, process innovation and product innovation.

MSNBC Innovation News Links
Latest news in innovation and technology.


TRIZ Journal
Links from the TRIZ Journal website, featuring business innovation, process innovation and product innovation.

ABC Australia
Science and technology innovation.

MIT News
News from the MIT campus.

Popular Science
Science and technology publication online.Popular Science has been a leading source of science and technology news since its inception way back in 1872.With up-to-the-minute tech news, insightful commentary on the new innovations, and even scientific takes on the hottest Hollywood stories, we aim to be your first stop for what's new and what's next.

Google Announces Venture Capital Fund

As an innovator and entrepreneur given the choice of any company to invest in your startup, which one would it be?

Chances are Google would be at or near the top of the list. And for good reason: Google is not only the 800-lb. gorilla of the internet and one of the most prominent companies in the world, it has been fairly aggressive over the years in acquiring young startups, from hot consumer plays like YouTube to enterprise ventures like Postini.

Thanks to Google's newly-announced VC fund, some lucky entrepreneurs will find themselves on the receiving end of a Google investment.

Google Ventures officially launched late last night (Google/California time) and according to the Wall Street Journal, Google will commit $100m to it in its first year.

What is Google looking for? It is open-minded to say the least. While many investors create their funds with a relatively narrow focus, Google's fund is pretty much open to any company with a great idea. Google lists "consumer Internet, software, clean-tech, bio-tech, health care" as areas that it's interested in, but its announcement also makes it clear that the Mountain View-based company is willing to make investments in "other areas we haven't thought of yet". That's an open invitation for wacky business plans if I've ever seen one.

Google Ventures is managed by former entrepreneur and portfolio manager Bill Maris and Rich Miner, a former Vice President at Orange who joined Google when it acquired mobile platform company Android.

Google says that the entire community of Googlers will play an important role in directing the fund to interesting opportunities and reiterated its belief that "the current downturn is an ideal time to invest in nascent companies that have the chance to be the 'next big thing'".

Certainly Google has cash to invest despite the economic downturn and it will have no shortage of entrepreneurs beating down its doors. After all, Google offers much more than cash. The prestige of having Google Ventures as an investor will have a lot of value for startups and if Google Ventures takes an active role as an investor, it could leverage some of its resources and knowledge to assist its portfolio companies. And of course, many entrepreneurs will believe/hope that an investment by Google Ventures makes a Google acquisition more likely if they're successful.

From the Official Google Blog: Google's newest venture:

Google's newest venture
3/30/2009 09:15:00 PM

Today we're excited to announce Google Ventures, Google's new venture capital fund. This is Google's effort to take advantage of our resources to support innovation and encourage promising new technology companies. By borrowing the best practices of top-tier, financially focused venture capital firms and bringing to bear Google's unique technical expertise and brand, we think we can find young companies with truly awesome potential and encourage their development into successful businesses.

At its core, Google Ventures is charged with finding and helping to develop exceptional start-ups. We'll be focusing on early stage investments across a diverse range of industries, including consumer Internet, software, clean-tech, bio-tech, health care and, no doubt, other areas we haven't thought of yet. Central to our effort will be our fellow Googlers, whom we view as a critically important resource to help educate us about potential investments areas and evaluate specific companies.

Economically, times are tough, but great ideas come when they will. If anything, we think the current downturn is an ideal time to invest in nascent companies that have the chance to be the "next big thing," and we'll be working hard to find them. If you think you have the next big idea, or if you just want to to learn more, please see our website at www.google.com/ventures.

Posted by Rich Miner and Bill Maris, Managing Partners, Google Ventures

Will the demise of GM and Chrysler lead to a new push for innovation?

It is impossible to calculate the long term effects of the present dramatic changes i the auto sector. In the short term, there will definately be a lot of pain. However, in the the long term a glut of unemployed/underutilized engineers and skilled technicians could lead to a new surge of entrepreneurial and innovative business and start-ups.




Laid-off engineers learning new skills



Engineers in the Workplace







Unemployment and technical innovation: A study of long waves and economic development :
It worked! Unemployed engineer who resorted to sandwich board advertisement by motorway lands a job

IBM Innovation Ads

IBM (Listed on the Adventure of Innovation Directory) has a great series of ads about innovation. They are hillarious! For more check out www.ibm.com/do

Alltop Innovation Site

Check out the Alltop site at http://innovation.alltop.com/

Alltop is an “online magazine rack” of popular topics. We update the stories every hour. Pick a topic by searching, news category, or name, and we’ll deliver it to you 24 x 7. All the topics, all the time.

Twittervision

Check out this visualization of the globalization of tweets:



http://twittervision.com/

Check out the 3D via site. It features a very novel approach to the interface that is fun and entertaining--and a little toungue-in-cheek.

http://www.3dvia.com/fast3d/?cpn=social

Brainstorming & Innovation

Nearly everyone engaged in innovative endeavors has come across the need for brainstorming. In precipitous economic times, businesses and organizations have to be very creative to survive and thrive as the business paradigm changes around them. For this reason, it is worth revisiting the value of brainstorming.

read more | digg story

Adventure of Innovation Directory Continues to Grow

The Adventure of Innovation directory continues to grow. We wish to thank all of our contributors and encourage everyone check out all of the listings.

To join our list of innovators, please send us an email with your information. We will feature an image of your choosing as well as a link and your chosen contact information. Please make images no larger than 600 x 150 pixels.

In return, we request a reciprocal link to the Adventure of Innovation website and that you tell your colleagues about us.

Follow Adventure of Innovation on Twitter

Join Twitter to keep up to date with Adventure of Innovation:

http://twitter.com/AoInnovation

Creative Mind Mapping

http://www.mindmeister.com/


Check out Online Mind Mapping at mindmeister.com.

Get creating and sharing mind maps online with our unlimited Premium account. Access your maps anytime and from anywhere and brainstorm with friends and colleagues in real time, just using a web browser.

Innovation Articles

Adventure of Innovation is currently accepting articles. To submit your article, visit: http://www.adventureofinnovation.com/articles.html.

AdventureofInnovation Kawasaki Sales Pitch Template

This video is a slide template based on Guy Kawasaki's Art of the Start. To download the template, please visit http://www.adventureofinnovation.com

Obama Inaguration Speech Hints at Innovative Change

Running on a campaign of CHANGE, Barack Obama has now completed the inauguration ceremony. This historic occasion may be a new turning point for innovators both in and outside of the United States. In the speech, President Obama states:

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Also, promoting an innovative creed, he challenges Americans:

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

With uncompromising rhetorical flair, Obama has put forth an agenda that will use innovation and the resourcefulness of the American people to bring them out of arguably the greatest economic turmoil since the Great Depression. Moreover, he lays out that he path will not yield results immediately and that hard work will be required to get the job done.

Welcome to the Adventure of Innovation Blog

ATTENTION INNOVATORS

Hard Economic Times and Innovation

We have all heard the news the economy is in a tailspin Is innovation the answer? Undoubtedly the most innovative companies and organizations will weather and eventually thrive when the present situation turns around. Businesses and individuals that push a pioneering agenda over the next year to 18 months will not only survive and continue to thrive during the recession, but will come out of it in a position to thrive.

Adventure in Innovation^TM can help you re-focus your corporate direction, modernize to cut long-term costs, re-focus on your core competency, or revisit your business plan to account for the new economic realities, we hope to contribute to your knowledge base and help you excel.