Dr. Allan G. Brown, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of CAMP, Inc.,  authored a terrific article summarizing some of today's key discussion points on innovation. In it, he urges both large and small companies to treat innovation as they would any other management process by developing an Innovation Strategy with its resulting business process...

"Like all management processes, it requires defining objectives, metrics and incentives for those involved in the innovative activities within the company."

... and utilizing Open Innovation, which he neatly defines as "the process of searching for and adopting new ideas, technologies and solutions outside of an organization". By becoming more adept at innovation, Brown says, companies can increase profit by developing new products and services at a faster and more efficient rate - a critical need in today's globally competitive marketplace.

Dr. Brown is Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of CAMP, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Cleveland, OH that helps manufacturing and emerging technology-based companies understand, adopt and implement innovative methods and technologies.

See the full article: Defining innovation in manufacturing by Dr. Allan G. Brown (Crain's Cleveland Business, Sept. 26, 2005).

8:28:02 AM    

I'm blogging again after a well-deserved sabbatical. As an employee, my work life took precedence in June and July. During these months I analyzed the options I'd been tossing around for the past year (much longer, actually!), and decided the time was right to explore new directions, including working for myself.

I worked for myself once before, almost 18 years ago, and while I could make a go at it, I still had a lot to learn (about business, marketing, collecting, etc.) to make it comfortable for myself and my family. "Practical Solutions" was incorporated in Maryland in 1986, but activities tailed off dramatically after the birth of my twins. If you're a working parent, I don't have to explain that one! Once they were off to elementary school, I returned to the working world as an employee.

Fast forward to this August: I took a true, family-focused time out - which included shipping my twins off to their respective colleges. In late August I started consulting for my former employer. My goal for September was to choose my next step: either seriously explore independent consulting as a permanent option, or begin the search to find my next employee gig. Yes, it's possible to do both at once, but one or the other must take precedence. And the winner is... independent consulting! Three days ahead of schedule, it's full steam ahead. I'll take stock again in early January.

Looking back, I couldn't have made a better move. I'm happy to be working on some interesting tasks and helping in general at SSCI - a collection of really smart and wonderfully opinionated people that I've had the pleasure of working with for nearly 5 years. And I'm thrilled to be my own boss, setting my own hours, working from home (a.k.a. my "global headquarters") and delving into all the challenges of starting and running my own business. One of the most pleasant surprises has been meeting fellow entrepreneurs - other folks who are (or were or will be) consulting that have been incredibly helpful by listening, exchanging ideas, offering advice and encouragement. My deepest appreciation to Carolyn, Rich, Peter, Kim, and a few others!

So back to blogging - a few days ahead of schedule. If you can swing it financially, I highly recommend taking a sabbatical! Look for some interesting changes between now and 2006.

7:42:55 AM