Author Archives: Diego Rodriguez

Running with your innovation radar on

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I really dig this interview that Helen Walters recently conducted with Alan MacCormack.  In it, MacCormack uses the metaphor of a radar system to express a way of viewing the world that is quite consistent with behaviors I've seen expressed on a repeated basis by creative individuals and innovative organizations alike.

I particularly like his emphasis upon establishing "innovation radars" to tap in to high-variance information streams that will help you see and understand what is coming next.  For example, MacCormack talks about taking R&D funds and spending them on external
organizations via mechanisms such as research grants.  In that example, the notion of information streams comes to play not in the grants themselves, but in the array of grant applications you'll receive as a result of announcing that you're giving money away; the resulting stack of applications allows you to see future trend patterns emerge without having to leave the office.

In his book Weird Ideas that Work, Bob Sutton expresses a similar idea when he suggests using job interviews as a way to gain new information about how the world is working.  Imagine the difference between viewing a lineup of ten job interviews with prospective employees as a task to plow through and seeing each of them as an opportunity to learn something new from a (potentially) interesting person.  All of this is about finding creative ways to put Principle 1 in to action.

I was extremely fortunate to spend four semesters studying with Professor MacCormack at business school.  I learned a tremendous amount from him, and consider Alan a leading researcher in the world of bringing cool stuff to life.  He's a true guru of innovation, and I'm always inspired by his insights.

Leading from behind

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BusinessWeek just ran a good article about Mozilla's development process for Firefox.  As readers of metacool know, I'm a big fan of Mozilla, and look to them as a living example of many of the organizational trends that will become more widespread over the coming years.

I particularly like the idea of "leading from behind" mentioned in the article:

How Mozilla channels those efforts is a model for a growing number of
companies trying to tap into the collective talents of large pools of
software developers and other enthusiasts of a product, brand, or idea.
"There's structure in it," says Mike Beltzner, who runs Firefox. "But
at the same time you allow people to innovate and to explore and [give
them] the freedom to do what they want along those edges—that's where
innovation tends to happen in startling and unexpected ways."

At Firefox, Beltzer calls it "leading from behind." His team makes
only the highest, direction-setting decisions, such as the date each
new version of Firefox has to ship. It's up to Mozilla staff and
volunteers to meet those deadlines through a process of identifying
specific tasks that need to be done and accomplishing them. A system of
recognition has formed among volunteers, who can be designated as
"module owners" and given authority over certain areas, such as the
layout.

Mozilla is a wonderful example of Principle 12 in action.

Once, and the triumph of heuristics

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On a friend's suggestion, I just watched the DVD of the film Once.  I really liked it.

It's a musical.  A musical!  But not in a South Pacific kind of way, with big production values and mountains of dollars behind each scene.  Rather, the music is just there, and it is written and performed by the actors.  I found the result incredibly moving and poignant, and meaningful in a way that a slick, over-thought production could never be.  There's such value to be had in taking talented people and letting them do their thing, and taking what they do on the spot and accepting it for what it is.  Not perfect.  Not probably as good as it could have been on paper, but unique and meaningful in a way that would be impossible to replicate any other way.

Artful.  Authentic.  Inspiring.

For me this is important because I'm increasingly wary of the over-intellectualizing of things and processes where talent should in fact reign supreme.  If the results are good, why try and distill out an algorithm?  Heuristics rule, man. 

You know, at the end of the day, most good stuff happens because someone good and talented sat down and worked really hard and kept on trying even as things kept breaking.  Brilliant marketing schemes are the result of hard work.  Innovative business models just happen… by being in beta over and over and pounding away.  Heuristics rule.  And sometimes you just get lucky. 

I'll bet on luck and talent any day.

16: Grok the gestalt of teams

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If you're going to get innovative stuff done in the world, odds are you're going to do it with other people.    If you haven't looked out the window lately, we're living in an ever more connected and interdependent world.  If there ever was a time for lone inventors to thrive, this is not it:  smart, action-oriented, high-EQ, multidisciplinary, interdependent teams are uniquely positioned to take on the broad, systemic challenges so in need of innovative thinking today. 

So if you're going to do remarkable stuff, you've got to learn to grok the gestalt of teams.

There's an entire literature on effective team roles and dynamics that I won't go in to here, but based on all my years of battling on the front lines to bring new stuff in to the world, here are a few of my favorite insights in to behaviors that make for exceptional teams:

  • Build it out of T-shaped people:  an effective innovation team is composed of people who are really good at what they were put on earth to do, but also share a common way of getting things done in the world.  We want depth: an engineer needs to be an engineer's engineer, and we want the MBA to be capable of unlevering a beta in her sleep.  But we want breadth, too.  We need them both to not only get along, but to thrive in a symbiotic relationship centered on getting stuff done.  In my experience, what adds that breadth to a team is a group of individuals who are versed in the ways of design thinking. 
  • Know thyself, and let everyone else know, too: a high-performing team is no place for posturing or secrets.  If you're good at something, we want to know so that we can you let you be the lead on that.  And if you're not so good at something, we want to know that too so that we can help you get better, or keep you from wasting time on that front.  The way this happens is for individuals to be proactive about disclosing this information through the course of the life of a team.
  • Be friendly, because the networked world is your oyster:  imagine how powerful your small team could be if it were part of a vast network of experts and people wanting to contribute to your success, if only you'd ask.  Well, guess what?  Via the marvels of modern technology, you're already there.  Need someone to hack some code?  How about a coder in Bangladesh?  Need an expert on nanotubes?  Find her on Twitter.  Need some help with that marketing plan?  Why not befriend that VP that occasionally strolls by your team space?  The network your team needs to hit the remarkable zone is already there waiting to be asked.  Be friendly and invite those folks in.  Because they want to be on the team, too.

These are only a few points.  What matters to you when it comes to being part of an effective innovation team?  I'd love to hear.

As the cliched saying goes, "there's no 'I' in team"  (and you never want to be at the receiving end of the saying "there's no YOU in team", but I digress…), so get out there and grok the gestalt of teams.  Be the team, good things will happen.

This is number 16 in a series of 21 principles of innovation.  As always, your comments, thoughts, and ideas are most welcome.

The Twitter thing…

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I've started using Twitter again.  I first began using it about two years ago, but did not manage to make a habit of it.  But now I'm back on, and I'm really on.

I'm hoping that my Twitter stream acts as an extension of what already goes on here when things are running right at the metacool blog.  I promise I won't use it to update you on the type of breakfast my dog just ate (I don't have a dog).  I guarantee you I will focus on the art and science of bringing cool stuff to life, because at the end of the day all of this material has to come from somewhere, and I only have one brain to offer up (on a good day).  Compared to this blog, my Twitter stream will be more concise, more cryptic, less considered, and will arrive on a more frequent basis.  It will also be made up of a lot more questions than answers as I poke around for insights in an extroverted kind of way.

I hope you can come along.  On the right side of this screen you'll find a new readout of my Twitter activity. 

On Twitter you can find me under the name… metacool.

metacool Thought of the Day

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"What is it that confers the noblest delight? What is that which swells a
man's breast with pride above that which any other experience can bring
to him? Discovery! To know that you are walking where none others have
walked; that you are beholding what human eye has not seen before; that
you are breathing a virgin atmosphere. To give birth to an idea — to
discover a great thought — an intellectual nugget, right under the dust of
a field that many a brain — plow had gone over before. To find a new
planet, to invent a new hinge, to find the way to make the lightnings
carry your messages. To be the first — that is the idea. To do
something, say something, see something, before any body else — these are
the things that confer a pleasure compared with which other pleasures are
tame and commonplace, other ecstasies cheap and trivial."

– Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad

How will it look through time?

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I love this video because of the way it illustrates the necessity of considering the passage of time as we think about bringing new things in to the world. How will it look through the day? How will it look after 10 years? 20? 50? 200? How might future generations feel about the work we've done today?

As this video aptly shows us, Philip Johnson considered these questions in the design of his Glass House. For me, this is further validation of the importance of Innovation Principle No.3.

Once again, why having a point of view matters

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Metacool_neverbarefoot

For an wonderful example of why it is so important to have a distinct point of view when one is trying to bring something new to life, look no further than this: 

Never barefoot

It's a daily dose of chutzpah, wit, and inspiration.  The depth and breadth of expression to be found in the design of something as familiar as a pair of shoes provides this challenge to all of us:  couldn't that thing you're doing be made even just a little better or more meaningful?  Why keep doing the same thing without first asking why?  Why look like everything else on the market?

15: Celebrate errors of commission. Stamp out errors of omission.

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When we attempt to bring new things in to the world, we will make mistakes and screw things up.  That, along with death and taxes, is a certain thing.

So, for individuals trying to make a difference, or for organizations trying to be innovative on a routine basis, a fundamental question must be asked and answered:  do we want to reward smart thoughts in the absence of action, or do we decide to celebrate the act of trying, even when it takes us to places of failure?  I say that we need to err on the side of errors of commission.  Doing must be more weighty than thinking or talking.

In the words of Bob Lutz:

Errors of commission are less damaging to us that errors of omission… taking no risk is to accept the certainty of long-term failure.

Obviously we need balance, and not everything can be about charging in and apologizing later.  It's good to listen to what the world is telling you and course correct as you go.  But a bias for action, and ways of rewarding action and penalizing inaction, will lead to remarkable things happening over time.

We must celebrate (and learn from) errors of commission and stamp out out errors of omission. 

This is number 15 in a series of 21 principles of innovation.  Your feedback is most welcome.