Perspectives on Innovation

I was trained as a sensory psychologist and after a couple of academic positions lucked onto a career in R&D. I have spent most of the last 15 years working in sensory research and human factors in the medical device industry (SOLA International and Carl Zeiss Vision). I heard about InnoCentive when I was managing a product development area and we were looking to improve the product innovation process. In particular, I was impressed with the ideas Charles Leadbeater was promoting about new models for collaborative innovation in the future.

With this in mind, I believe the model set out by InnoCentive, combined with the ever increasing connectedness of the planet, is a major step in the right direction. It is clear to me that collaborative innovation and other forms of networking with customers are going to be the basis of some great innovations as we move forward.

I’m also excited to see many newer companies starting life with collaborative innovation built into the fabric of their organization. I currently work for Image-Line Software, an innovative Belgian company that makes music/audio production, DJ & web development software. Their business and product development model is how I think the smart, flexible, companies will organize themselves in an increasingly capricious marketplace. That is, they have a globally distributed workforce, many of whom work via the net from home, and tightly integrated customer relationships through social media networking and their own forums. Watching the to-and-fro of ideas between customers and the software developers on their forums and social media sites is to experience collaborative innovation in action every day.

I think the big challenge is for traditional and established companies to take on these values open innovation, as the processes usually fall under layers of confidentiality and trade secret provisions. I have noticed that it is particularly difficult for the IP department, who squirm at the thought of opening up the R&D process and the complexities of IP ownership. That’s where I see InnoCentive providing a valuable mediation role between the great mass of customers/thinkers and the internal R&D processes. But I digress, I am just passionate about the opportunities in this area and would love to see more of this type of collaboration.

Interestingly, my work background had little to do with the challenge I solved. It was more about keeping an eye on the challenges and then one day a problem appears that makes your heart race, you have an answer! There are millions of answers out there just waiting for a problem, all companies need to do is pose the challenge.

PS: If you want to know what I am doing in the bio pic, recording the sound of Bees, you can hear and download the recording from another wonderful collaborative site (Freesound) here…

http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=59451

Regards

Scott Fisher

Adriaan Mol was one of the winners of the “Water Problems Affecting People in Developing Countries” challenge

Having worked for over 10 years for international relief and development organizations in Africa and Asia, I co-founded the social-enterprise BushProof in 2005 as a result of growing dissatisfaction with the long-term sustainability of charitable initiatives. With few exceptions, the measurable long-term impact of donor-funded NGO projects is discouragingly low, and over time I became increasingly concerned about this.

My own ‘aha’ moment came a few years ago in Somalia, when I worked for a project responding to floods in the south of this law-less country. We built several community-managed village water systems that purified contaminated river water. Before construction was even finished, a conflict broke out between various clans over the ownership of the systems. Eventually, theft of taps, refusal of the community to pay for guards and unwillingness to carry out very simple maintenance ensured that all filters were out of order within months of installation.

Before construction on the village units started, I placed a simple filter made from a plastic drum near the river, in order to test the filter quality of locally available sand. A number of local militia men were guarding some boats, and I asked them to continuously pour water in the drum for testing purposes. Naturally, they quickly ‘adopted’ the filter as their own once they saw that dirty water came out clean and fresh. Not long afterwards we had to evacuate for security reasons. Frustrated by the project’s failure to unite a violent and historically split community for the purpose of ‘community’ sand filters, I went to the river to collect the small filters. One of the guards asked me a filter as a gift, but annoyed as I was with the whole situation I curtly told him to pay for it or move on. To my surprise, the gunman returned within minutes with the 10 dollars I had asked him for – a substantial amount in that context. When I passed his house a few hours later, I found that his wife had established a small business selling clean water to her neighbors. Within hours several other people asked to buy small filters, but no more plastic drums were available…

This experience really opened my eyes. A gunfight breaks out in town over a free donor-funded village water system – but these same people gladly paid serious money for a privately owned solution. Thus was born the idea of applying entrepreneurship to solve some of the world’s most pressing needs: access to basic social services, such as drinking water or energy, which I and a partner eventually turned into reality with social-enterprise BushProof, and more recently ToughStuff, which sells affordable solar products to low-income consumers.

The opportunity to work towards poverty reduction through a business rather than a charity is very challenging but immensely motivating. Besides delivering true change, the most motivating aspect is the changed relationship with those we serve. Instead of passive beneficiaries, they are now my customers. This puts us on an equal footing, whilst forcing me to deliver true value they need most – otherwise they won’t buy it.

When I found out about the InnoCentive “Water Problems Affecting People in Developing Countries” challenge, I couldn’t resist sharing these insights and experiences: I truly hope they can be put to work and cause true chance in an environment which sorely needs more and lasting positive impact!

Best,

Adriaan

Giorgia Sgargetta is the winner of the Challenge of turning dishwater blue when more soap was needed, featured on CNBC.

I was born in Cannara, a small town in Umbria (center Italy). I lived with my mom Carla, my dad Giorgio and my brother Federico. Federico is 2 years older than me and like all brothers and sisters we fought like cats and dogs; now we are very united. I now live in Moscufo, Abruzzo (a little bit more in the south of Italy). I live with my partially-fantastic husband, Alessandro (45) and my super-fantastic daughter Daiane (12). I am now 37 years old (birth on April 28, 1972).

My working life
After high school (Liceo Scientifico Convitto Principe di Napoli) I chose to study chemistry at Perugia University where I got my PHD in 1997. I discussed a thesis concerning the use of lipase enzymes in organic synthesis. I remember that day also because my car broken during the in-travel to the university and I also lost my driving license. My first work as chemist was at Scala S.p.A., an Italian laundry detergent manufacturer. The company was located near Rome. These years have been very interesting for me as I had occasion to work on QA, R&D and also answering at the phone Consumer’s complains (sometimes for formulas I developed!). This experience was very important for me. Then I moved to Abruzzo with my family and I joined Agriformula, an Italian manufacturer of agrochemicals (but we are located almost worldwide). Initially I was located at Bazzano plant (that is very close to the recent hearth quake that struck the city of L’Aquila). Now we have moved 20 Km far. I work both in the lab. and taking care of safety. Some years ago I tried to answer to an Innocentive challenge to challenge myself and for curiosity. Result was not positive but I am used to work hard and I tried again and again. I did not have particular suggestion to offer but you should try to improve a little bit each time, learning from experience. Even if I know InnoCentive people only by e-mail I am very grateful to people like Eugene Ivanov for their support.

What life means to me
Life to me means family and friends who you can trust and who trust you. My relatives and friends say that sometimes I work too hard. I really love to travel, in particular by ship and airplane. I consider myself lucky because until now I had the opportunity to visit a good portion of Europe and America. I hope to travel much more in future. Some years ago, with the family, I was involved as a volunteer in a project concerning support for child in the Brazilian Amazonia. It has been a strong experience. I like to live in a sort of farm and I have a lot of space for my beloved cats (number tends to increase….). We have also a little dog, Lilli. I love gardening and I am proud of my flowers. We have also olive oil threes (20) and we produce enough olive oil for the family.

John Michael Zervoulei was the winner of  “InnoCentive’s Choice” for the InnoCentive 2008 Video Challenge.

I have been working in the film and video industry for the better part of 10 years.   A native New Yorker, I was born and raised in the multicultural and artistic surroundings of Lower Manhattan.  With 40 Acres & A Mule Prod. across the street from my Brooklyn high school, I landed my first job as a PA on the set of Spike Lee’s Clockers when I was 16.  It was a great introduction to the NYC film community that laid the foundation for an enduring relationship and the career that followed.

Relying on my skills as a writer, photographer, director, and editor, I try to make each piece an emotionally engaging experience for the viewer.  There is always a beautiful story waiting to be unearthed whether one is selling a product or company, expressing a piece of music in the visual, or documenting a life.  Thriving in collaborative environments, I make it a point to work closely with clients throughout the creative process in order to deliver the best work possible and achieve their goals beyond the utmost level of professionalism.

I discovered the InnoCentive Solver video Challenge while doing corporate video work for Spencer Trask & Co., a venture capital firm in NYC who helped in the raising of its start-up capital.  During one of the investor update videos I produced for them I had the chance to meet with Dwayne Spradlin, Innocentive’s President & CEO.  He mentioned the Solver Video Promo challenge and suggested I check it out.  Thought it might be something right up my alley.   My interests were peaked, but I ended up sitting on it for about a month.  I wrestled with what I would do or whether I would do anything at all.  I can be pretty tough on myself when it comes to creative work and originality is very important for me.  I needed something that would stand out.

Then one day while riding home on the subway inspiration hit.  The words started flowing through my head that would later become the voice over used in the spot.  It was a perfect match for some stock video I’d been licensing and working with at the time to get that global, we-can-change-the-world feel.  I recorded the music with an artist and composer friend, Norville Parchment, and had another, Ron Cole, lay the voice over.  I almost didn’t make the deadline after all my initial hesitation, but, as fate would have it, something caused the boys at InnoCentive to push back the final entry date.  Many late nights later I had it done and now, to my surprise and satisfaction, here we are.

It was a great experience and a fantastic addition to my reel that has impressed many a potential client and employer since.  I’m forever grateful that a place like InnoCentive exists where creative minds can find the opportunity to roam free and make wonderful things happen.

If you’d like to learn more about me, see more samples of my work, or are looking for a talented individual to produce a great video for you, check out my website, www.jmzproductions.com.

Thomas Stowe is a Solver from Texas who recently won the InnoCentive “Send A Solver” Contest. In addition, Thomas won the Challenge seeking “High Refractive Index Polycarbonate”

I’m a twenty-something year old Texan with heavy interests in science and engineering. My favorite educational past-time as of late is studying statistics relating to various markets and economic trends. My favorite hobbies are researching historical sites and scouting for artifacts with my metal detectors and spending time with my wife at parks and on other outings, enjoying rural and natural environments. I try to keep abreast of the technology trends, science news and keep informed on matters relevant to my interests.

I stumbled upon InnoCentive while looking for knowledge markets. I’ve been successful selling my skills and expertise and once I found knowledge markets, and I found that what I had to contribute was very appreciated. I’m nothing if not obsessed with information and knowledge — I’ve become quite savvy when it comes to informatics and data mining because of these passions.

I decided to work on the Send-A-Solver project because of the interest I’d had from my colleagues at work in “water cooler talk” I’ve initiated about Innocentive.   The idea of winning the amount paid for most solutions on InnoCentive’s site makes the geeky people I work with drool.  I like to help people find opportunities based upon the benefits of my experiences.  Whether it’s a sure-fire telecommuting job to supplement savings in between employers  or a cheap small business project they can undertake with little money in their spare time, I like the response I get when I present 110% real, concrete concepts that have been tested by myself and others.

I’m spending a little more than half ($600) of the $1,000 award on IT certifications that I’ve been wanting for a while. I’m going to use that part of the money to gain my Cisco CCNA and Microsoft MCITP: Server Administrator credentials so that I am able to find a better paying position.  I’m spending the rest of the money augmenting my swing trading account. I’ve been trading stocks for the past month and I’m up 300%.  This new capital will hopefully enable me to turn that $400 into $2,000 in one month. I have been averaging 30% gain per trade, three times per 10 day rolling period.

I donated the $1000 Global Giving gift certificate to a cause that is local to me and near to my heart, “Born to Read” which is run by an organization in Bexar County, Texas.   Per the Global Giving web site, “Born to Read provides 25,000 bilingual literacy kits, one to every baby born in Bexar County. Kits include 2 books (1 bilingual), a library card application and helpful tips on how to raise a reader.” I donated on behalf of my mother and sent this personalized note on behalf of my brother and myself. “Mom – you managed to give my brother and I joy and later hope to read, learn, gain skills and stand on our own. I hope that we achieve more than you prayed for. With Love, On behalf of Jerome and I”.

Without my mother and her passion for reading and learning, not to mention supplying us with books and educational tools (computers, art supplies, typewriters), my brother and I would be educationally bereft.  My mother enabled me to pursue any subject that interested me and teach myself.  Luckily I’ve found a wife that’s as encouraging as well. They both definitely approve of my donation.

I’ve recently started plans for creating and owning a small business, following in the footsteps of my mother and grandmother.  As I’ll be providing my services and products from my home office, I feel I’m also following in most of my past employer’s footsteps by giving life to my ideas, drawing from my experiences working in the fields of e-commerce and providing services, whether it’s software of skilled work.  Lately I’ve been working on projects for my businesses, Stowe Consulting, and Unified Informatics. I have achieved great progress recently and my life keeps getting better and better but more importantly, my long term goals are becoming closer and closer.  I’d love to hear from others who would like to hear more about my business – if you’re interested, send me an email and I’ll respond as quickly as possible.

Thomas