Monday, November 7, 2011

ThinkInnovation - The Newsletter, Issue 4

In the fourth edition of ThinkInnovation, we will explore the methods, processes and systems of innovation. We will explore a method that helps us think about our thinking. Flowing from this, we will examine process of populating the collective wisdon of the crowd. Finally, we will look at a white paper that explains the system of making innovation happens in a 60,000-strong organisation.




Created by Bob Eberle in the 1970’s, SCAMPER, which comes in the form of a checklist of idea-spurring questions, helps you think outside-of-the-box when you encounter a challenge.

SCAMPER is based on the notion that everything new is a modification of something that has already existed. Each letter in the acronym – SCAMPER, represents a way the characteristics of the challenge are manipulated until new ideas are created.

The technique is easy to use and surprisingly.....

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The facilitator is first and foremost a consultant at heart even though he is to lead generative conversations by their processes rather than through their contents during the facilitated sessions. This means an effective facilitator has two roles to play. During the facilitated session, the facilitator uses the language of facilitation to mine the collective knowledge, experiences and wisdom of the gathered crowd.

The successful mining of the collective wisdom of the crowd depends on the accuracy of the questions we pose to them during the discussions. When we asked the wrong questions, the participants will focus their cognitive energies in the wrong things, and ultimately we get the wrong answers and.....

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The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Singapore has long been recognised as a forward looking agency that leads change in the public sector. In 2001, the Ministry decided to embark on her biggest transformation to meet the demands of the 3rd Generation Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) or the ‘3G SAF’. The Ministry had identified innovation as the key enabler in this transformation and aggressively pursuit its application to achieve her new goal.

The MINDEF Innovation and Transformation Office and the MINDEF Innovation Programme were conceived to realise this single objective.

In three phases, the programme uncovered the big picture, searched for the missing pieces, and.....



We know the value innovation brings to organisations. It could provide us the access to compete in traditionally unavailable markets. It could also create blue ocean markets that earn us supernormal profits.

Although the word 'innovation' has been widely used in our national discourse since 2000, this does not mean that its true meaning is fully appreciated and understood. It remains a jargon and big word even for the most educated person in our society. When asked about innovation, we typically hear people describing it as something new, unique and original. However, .....

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There are many reasons why innovation fails to take off after much of the fanfare introduced at its launch. One key reason is that the owners of the innovation do not think through their longer term strategies, and when conditions change, they either lack the disposition or resources to allow them to sustain the diffusion of the innovation to reach its critical tipping point, where the change could take place without further interference from the owners

Thinking strategically involves looking not just at the past and present, but also at the future. Only after the successful completion of this phase could we strategically plan for the future. In short, regardless of the innovation introduced, strategic thinking helps you anticipate changes in the environment, and plan for them so you are prepared and.....




The first time I have learnt about IDEO was in 2001. I was totally impressed. I told myself that I would like to work in such a company or transform my organisation to resemble what IDEO has to offer

Inspired by what I have seen, I had included the ‘Shopping Cart’ video into the programme for a 200-participant strong conference that celebrated the efforts we had made in continuous improvement.

Subsequently, I have researched, practised and written extensively on what becomes as the key success factors of innovative organisations.

In the 10th article on this subject, I have written about the importance of Tag Teams in innovation.

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Here are two self-assessment instruments which may help you uncover the health of your teams (sign into your facebook account first and then click on to each of these numbers)…

Complete this (1) & (2) >

The fourth edition of ThinkInnovation was created and produced on 15 Aug 2011

and launched by Anthony Mok on 7 Nov 2011.

Copyright 2011. Anthony Mok. All Rights Reserved.





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