Monday, December 10, 2012

Growing the Organization by Breaking the Rules

From time to time, I write about innovation. When I do, I hear the cries of the masses tell me that the fire service doesn't innovate. Well, according to Carl Bass, those naysayers may be right. The fire service as a whole may not innovate, but the individuals it employs do. Check out the video and reflect upon how you as a member of the wildland fire service can be the movement of innovation to better the whole.

(Besides, Bass shares a lot of cool stuff that will change our world in the very near future..)



Here are some highlights from the video:

Innovation is Not...
  • Invention
  • Scientific Discovery
  • Mathematical Proof
Innovation is...
  • Innovation is the process by which we change the world.
  • Innovation is about making things better in significant and meaningful ways.
  • Innovation is the practical application of ideas and technologies to make new and better things.
  • Innovation is hard.
  • Innovation requires taking chances.
  • Innovation requires challenging those things we think we know with certainty.
  • Innovation is about taking risk and breaking the rules.
Bass's Reflections
  • Nearly every company he knows wants to be innovative
  • Innovation is fundamentally not a corporate phenomenon.
    • Companies aren't particularly good at taking risk and breaking rules. They are good at making rules and minimizing risk.
  • Innovation is done primarily by individuals.
    • Companies need to hire the right people.
  • We need innovation to solve the grand challenges of our civilization.
Five Trends Affecting Innovation:
  1. The Age of Access and Experience
  2. Business Un-usual
  3. Digital Fabrication
  4. The Rise of Information
  5. Infinite Computing

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