Shake up your Thinking with Dr Ken Hudson

Just read about James Dyson who invented the revolutionary (and expensive) dyson vacuum cleaner. He is very proud of the fact that it took him over 5000 prototypes to get it right! Imagine the vision and dedication of the man.
There is a lesson in this for all would be inventors and innovators. You have to […]

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Spent yesterday with client and a group of creative people (members of our creative panel) in trying to develop new names for the clients business.   Trying to develop new names is always an interesting process.
This is how we went about it. First we asked people to bring along three ideas to the workshop. With […]

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The next time you are faced with a problem try thinking faster. In my workshops i ask people to create at least nine different responses in two minutes. By doing so people do not filter their ideas nor do they care what others think of their ideas.
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My wife and i attended our daughters school prize giving ceremony last night and it was an inspiring night. Not only for the poise and confidence of the school kids but for a funny and thought-provoking address from an astronomer.   Astronomy, Dr. Watson argued was concerned with answering the big questions. Are we alone? […]

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I came across thsi formula when i was reading Gary Hamels new book called The Future of Management (2007). In it he suggests that leaders should adopt a 70/20/10 view of innovation. By this he means that 70% of the resources should be allocated to projects that can make a difference today, 20% on projects […]

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In a recent article in Strategy & Business (the link is as follows http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews112907 ) is a wonderful story of how important it is to see for yourself rather than just relying on reports.
In my experience there is nothing like being out in the field talking to and observing customers using your product or your […]

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What is the most widely used tool and process in management today? I would argue that it is brainstorming yet it has the worst track record. It makes people feel good but rarely produces breakthrough ideas. I was reminded of this when I was working with an insurance company during the week. I gave them the challenge of […]

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One of the most redeeming features of the culture of Amazon according to its CEO Jeff Bezos is the fact that it values experimentation. He says ‘we are willing to plant seeds and wait a long time for them to turn into trees.’  His criteria for these seeds is that they have to be meaningful […]

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I just read a conversation with Gary Hamel and Lowell Bryon published in the latest McKinsey newsletter and they have both reached the same conclusion that i have reached–organisations are built for specialisation, certainty,analysis but not built for creativity or innovation. This has a number of implications because the need for innovation is greater than ever […]

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My latest research interest is in how organisations can better harness the ideas and passion of Generation Y. Currently with much of the research to date, there is an emphasis on everything that is wrong with Generation Y from a business point of view.  
They are described as impatient, informal, questioning, independent and so on. […]

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