Every industry thinks it is unique and has little to learn from someone else. Ramon Vullings and Marc Heleven’s book, 'Not Invented Here: Cross-Industry Innovation', shows how you can learn from other industries
By Ramon Vullings and Marc Heleven
‘Not invented here’ is the phenomenon of people blocking out ideas from outside.
Organizations need more radical and game changing innovation to be able to meet the challenges they will be facing.
BMW’s iDrive system was inspired by the video game industry; Nike Shox was adapted from Formula 1 racing shock absorbers.
If I had an hour to solve a problem, and my life depended on it, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask.
In Germany, companies such as Daimler, Bayer, Siemens and SAP all have an entire department—a department of fundamental questions, and they see questioning as a strategic asset.
“No one lives long enough to learn everything by starting from scratch” – Brian Tracy
Spend time learning from other markets, other sectors. Apply the best ideas from one sector into another.
“We can only connect the dots that we collect” – Amanda Palmer
“We are preparing students for the jobs that do not exist” – Sir Ken Robinson
War and human conflict have always been a source of misery, at the same time, one cannot deny that they have been incredible drivers of innovation.
A 5 second pit stop in Formula 1 racing has lessons for: machine maintenance in factories, rehearsal for Broadway shows and fast food drive throughs.
Business synonyms is a great way of looking at other industries that treat the same word and experience differently. That’s a great place to start.
Customer = Client = Student = Patient = Shopper = Buyer = Purchaser = End user = Patron = Prospect = Supplier = Pain in the *ss = King = Queen = Employee = Stakeholder
Service = Help = Support = Listening = Aid = Life-support = Account = Advantage = Applicability = Benefit = Business = Check = Courtesy = Dispensation = Duty = Employ = Employment
1. From the beginning Lego was designed to be modular
2. It is unafraid to experiment with emerging new technologies
3. It gives its designers cost parameters
4. It is not just for children
5. It combines different types of innovation.
“Good artists copy, great artists steal” - Picasso
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
“No candle maker has become a bulb manufacturer, no carriage maker has become a car manufacturer and the post office did not invent e-mail” – Prof. Marc Giget
What can we learn from strange, uncommon businesses or even illegal businesses?
Try the following prefixes and see what happens to your innovation:
Many industries stay within their thinking silos and within the boundaries of present day rules and regulations.
By: Ramon Vullings and Marc Heleven
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Discipline and maverick ideas—both are necessary for dealing with rapid change and coming out ahead, say John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber in their book ‘That’s Not How We Do It Here’
Author
Discipline and maverick ideas—both are necessary for dealing with rapid change and coming out ahead, say John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber in their book ‘That’s Not How We Do It Here’
Author
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