Idea to Value

JULY 12, 2023

How is it possible that so many companies fail to react while they are being disrupted ? It may come down to a cognitive bias called the Normalcy bias. The normalcy bias is the tendency of people to ignore the probability of a large negative event or a disaster happening to them, just because it has not happened to them before. This results in people and companies refusing to plan for things which could impact them negatively, such as another company disrupting them, even after they have been wa

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Company Disruption Change 178

Idea to Value

JULY 6, 2023

Don’t fall victim to confirmation bias. If you set up your innovation experiments to just prove or confirm what you hope to find, you will miss out on the sort of valuable information and insights you can use to actually make your solution better. Instead, focus on continuously improving. Improve. Don’t prove.

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Innovation 178

Idea to Value

JULY 5, 2023

Sometimes, having more information will not make your decisions any better. Yet many people panic before making any decision, and want to keep gathering more data and information before they feel “ready” to make the correct choices. This is often referred to as analysis paralysis. And one of the cognitive biases which may underpin it is called the Information Bias.

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Idea to Value

JUNE 20, 2023

You hear me talk about cognitive biases a lot. They affect everything from what sort of information be believe , what we like , who we hang out with and what we look for. However, as intelligent readers of this blog, surely you are more aware of your biases and less biased than other people… Right? Well, unfortunately there is a bias we also suffer from, called the Bias Blind Spot, also known as the “Bias Bias” This bias shows that while we are often quick to recognise the bias

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Study 176

Idea to Value

JUNE 12, 2023

Have you ever wondered why sometimes after seeing or experiencing something for the first time, you end up seeing it happening everywhere? Or when you get interested in something, you end up noticing that everyone seems to be talking about it? This may be down to the Baader-Meinhoff phenomenon , or Frequency Illusion , a cognitive bias we all suffer from.

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Trends Groups Creativity Examples 190

Idea to Value

JUNE 9, 2023

Have you ever wondered why some artists can work their whole lives while never getting any recognition, while others seem to be selling their works for millions of dollars? What is the difference between them? Well, according to this informative video , it may all come down to the connections you have, which galleries are showcasing your work, and what connections those galleries have to each other.

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Video 201

Idea to Value

MAY 14, 2023

Would you ever hurt someone intentionally? What about if someone you respected told you to do it? In some cases, people will believe almost anything someone tells them, if the person telling them appears to have the authority to do so. One of the most dangerous biases in the world might be the Authority Bias. This is the tendency to attribute greater accuracy to the opinion of an authority figure ( unrelated to its content ) and be more influenced by that opinion.

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Groups Study Creativity Idea Generation 198

Idea to Value

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

When you are about to negotiate, is it better to go first, or is it better to wait for the other person to show their hand and you then are able to adjust with more information? Well, according to the research, whoever provides the first piece of information has a major advantage, as the final agreed number tends to be closer to their initial suggestion.

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Study Project Examples Strategy 266

Idea to Value

JANUARY 23, 2023

A few months ago, I saw a piece of research which has stuck with me. Research by Microsoft was looking into how Hybrid Work was working , and found out the following shocking statistic: 87% of employees feel like they are just as productive working remotely as they are in the office But 88% of managers feel like their team members are not as productive remotely That means only 12% of managers feel like their team is being productive in an environment where they are not visible to the managers.

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Management Underperforming Technical Team Technical Review Leadership 292

Idea to Value

DECEMBER 9, 2022

In today’s world, there are so many things which are constantly distracting us. And we know that being distracted can be detrimental to our creativity. As a result, many people are trying to build up their internal ability to ignore distractions and be able to focus better in order to live a happier life. One of the fastest growing ways to do this is meditation.

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Creativity Training Report Culture 235

Idea to Value

DECEMBER 5, 2022

When faced with a significantly challenging innovation project, is it worth doing the easy tasks first to get some quick wins on the board, or should you tackle the hardest part of the project? I have been listening to some podcasts with Annie Duke recently, who has a great new book out about when it is the right time to quit. One of the metaphors she uses is trying to teach a monkey to juggle flaming torches while standing on a pedestal.

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Project Resources Examples Management 224

Idea to Value

OCTOBER 25, 2022

As companies grow, it is inevitable that more hierarchies will be created. This is because after a certain size, it is essentially impossible to keep track of the relationships between everyone and what everyone is working on. Contrary to popular belief, hierarchy is not always a negative. In fact, as Start-ups grow, they will eventually need to develop layers of management to stay productive and efficient.

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Resources Project Management Culture 250

Idea to Value

OCTOBER 17, 2022

Do you know what disruptive innovation is? No, I am not talking about every start-up trying to disrupt their industry. I am talking about the original theory of disruptive innovation, as outlined by Professor Clayton Christensen in his groundbreaking Harvard Business Review article in 1995. This was the theory which described how small upstart companies can take market share away from the large incumbent companies in a market, by delivering a new offering which may be inferior to that of the inc

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Disruption Technical Review Innovation Marketing 213

Idea to Value

OCTOBER 11, 2022

If you have felt like being locked inside during the last 2+ years of the pandemic has made you less creative, you might just be right. New research from September 2022 has looked at how the Big 5 Personality traits of more than 7,109 people in the USA have changed over time, comparing their results before the pandemic to 2022. Just as a reminder, the Big 5 Personality traits are the most commonly used ways to assess people’s personality which are used by scientists, and include: Openness

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Change Study Creativity Disruption 273

Idea to Value

SEPTEMBER 5, 2022

It is common to hear Start-ups talk about the desire to keep hierarchies “flat” This means they do not want multiple layers of management, bureaucracy and red tape getting in the way of people actually doing their most innovative work. Instead, in a flat organisation everyone is more or less on the same level and can therefore organise themselves and prioritise their own work.

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Project Creativity Innovation Ideation 307

Idea to Value

JUNE 10, 2022

What is worse? A colleague who steals money? Or a colleague who steals other people’s ideas and pretends they came up with them? According to new research by Lilien Ellis just published in June 2022, it seems like stealing other people’s ideas is seen as being much worse. Through a series of experiments, Ellis investigated how someone would be perceived by others if they found out that they had stolen either an idea from someone else, or had stolen money.

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Creativity 213

Idea to Value

JUNE 9, 2022

Developing a practice of consistently creating requires dedication and grit. After all, professional creatives get on with the act of creating. But if you are just starting out, this can seem overwhelming. Going from not creating and publishing anything, to feeling the pressure of doing this consistently can scare many people off. Especially if they think that what they are about to produce is not good enough.

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Creativity Examples 218

Idea to Value

JUNE 6, 2022

Nostalgia can be a powerful force preventing innovation in companies. After all, people often would rather keep the status quo than run the risk of changing something while being unsure that the change will make things better. It also seems to imply that people often think of the past more fondly than the present, as if things were always better in the “good old days” Now, scientists have uncovered an unconscious bias that might explain this phenomenon.

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Trends Change Groups Company 238

Idea to Value

MAY 23, 2022

So you want to be an artist. Why? It might seem like a simple question, yet can uncover a surprising truth if you dig deep enough. Because for many people, actually creating art is not as important as being seen as being an artist. In many art schools, the idea of being an artist is just as important as making art – Creativity Researcher Prof Keith Sawyer.

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Creativity Project 238

Idea to Value

MAY 16, 2022

What happens when you win a contest which is meant to reward skill and talent, but people say you didn’t deserve to win? Over the weekend, like millions of other people, I watched the Eurovision song contest 2022. The clear winner was the Ukraine, with 631 points, ahead of the UK on 466 points. Both were entertaining, with the UK having a more talented vocalist, and the Ukraine putting on more of a show.

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Groups Innovation 201

Idea to Value

MAY 11, 2022

If you want to improve your creativity , what is more likely to make you better in the long run: Creating a large volume of average-quality work, or focusing on a single piece and working tirelessly to try and make it perfect? A large number of creatives think that in order to make anything worthwhile, you need to strive for perfection. In that case, they work on a single piece for a long amount of time, constantly trying to improve it before they finally feel like it is “done”, and

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Groups Creativity Creative Thinking Learning 216

Idea to Value

MAY 10, 2022

They aren’t. People think that any small mistake or embarrassment is going to be noticed and judged by everyone around them. Yet in reality this is not what happens. Even if you do something embarrassing, like falling over, forgetting a word while speaking, spilling coffee on your shirt or snorting while you laugh, and you feel like everyone in the world noticed, in reality that is just you suffering from the spotlight effect.

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Groups Study Creativity 221

Idea to Value

MAY 9, 2022

What makes successful people succeed? A number of factors they come up with if you ask them may include: Hard work. Grit and being willing to keep going through challenging times. Having the resources to develop what you are thinking of. Focusing on quality, delighting the customer, being the best. A supportive network around you. etc. But one aspect which is often forgotten is also one of the most important: luck.

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Creativity Underperforming Technical Team Examples Training 243

Idea to Value

MAY 3, 2022

If there is one myth about creativity that I wish would just stop, it is that some people are “right brained” and creative, whereas others are “left brained” and analytical. This lie has caused millions of people to doubt their own creative ability, or for people to consider themselves more creative than other people they see as more logical.

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Creativity Learning Examples Study 191

Idea to Value

MAY 2, 2022

Humans are a forgetful species. While we have an amazing ability to remember complex information and patterns, our brains can be given so much information that if we remembered everything, it would be a jumbled mess and impossible to remember any specific fact. Imagine that remembering something is like finding a pair of socks to wear. For most of us, that should be easy enough as we have a few pairs to choose from, already paired together in the drawer.

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Exercises Creativity Learning 233

Idea to Value

APRIL 28, 2022

In today’s episode of the Idea to Value podcast , we speak with Dr Margaret Webb from the University of Melbourne. Together with her co-author Dr Simon Cropper and Jay Olson, they created and released the Divergent Association Task , a new method to estimate the divergent creative potential of someone based simply on them entering a few words into an online form.

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Creativity Data 238

Idea to Value

APRIL 27, 2022

The most successful creative people are the ones who put in the time and effort. They have the grit to work and practice for years, in order to build up the skills to produce highly creative work. However, investing this amount of time and effort over many years requires the motivation to keep going. The motivation to do each task over time will determine how much you will want to do it.

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Creativity Underperforming Technical Team Exercises Analysis 275

Idea to Value

APRIL 20, 2022

When you are trying something new, you are likely to fail on your way. Repeatedly. In fact, one thing which separates highly productive creative people from others is just how willing they are to push through the hard times and keep going. It requires perseverance. And one of the best ways to explain what it takes to show perseverance is through a mindset known as Grit.

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Creativity Survey Engagement Learning 241

Idea to Value

APRIL 14, 2022

In today’s episode of the Idea to Value podcast , we speak with Paul Ruppert. Paul is a veteran of the Telecommunications industry, and his companies have helped bring breakthrough technologies like worldwide mobile calling and SMS to the masses. In this interview, we speak about what it takes for companies to innovate in new markets, the challenges with new technology and whether you are better off being a first mover or fast follower.

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Industry Innovation Technology Company 261

Idea to Value

APRIL 7, 2022

In today’s episode of the Idea to Value Podcast , we speak with Andy Binns, Co-Founder of Change Logic and author of Corporate Explorer: How corporations can beat startups at the innovation game. Andy has worked as a strategic advisor to Leaders for decades, with experience at McKinsey, IBM and now Change Logic. We speak about the myth of only startups being able to innovate, and what it takes for large corporations to be able to execute disruptive innovations.

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Case Study Disruption Innovation Study 333

Idea to Value

APRIL 6, 2022

If I just spend another week in the editing room, I can get the colour levels just right. If I just do another month worth of focus group testing, maybe I will get that killer insight. If I just have another branding workshop, I will finally be happy with our company logo and then we can start working on the product. When it comes to working on anything creative or innovative, it can be tempting to just spend that little bit more time and effort taking what you have and polishing it until you fe

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Groups Creativity Company Innovation 214

Idea to Value

APRIL 1, 2022

I have long talked about how the human brain aims to be as efficient as possible. One of the ways it achieves this is by linking together networks that often work together and strengthening the connections between those neurons , as well as making those networks faster at working together. However, a new series of brain imaging studies by UCLA researchers has found that the brains of highly creative Big-C people may be wired differently.

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Creativity Exercises Study Resources 258

Idea to Value

MARCH 25, 2022

Yesterday , I wrote about the 5 reasons you should regularly review your previous work. I was so inspired that today I recorded a mini-podcast episode of the Idea to Value podcast all about it. The 5 reasons are: See the evolution of your creative output. Be inspired to generate new ideas. Overcome previous challenges. Evaluate your creative productivity.

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Trends Creativity 230

Idea to Value

MARCH 21, 2022

Some innovation teams and creatives seem to never want to let go of their favorite ideas, even after they have proven that they are not going anywhere. Yet there are also individuals and teams who have the opposite problem. They may start on one idea, yet before they can make meaningful progress, or especially when things begin to get challenging, they quickly find another idea and shift all their focus towards the new thing.

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Project Creativity Technology Innovation 241

Idea to Value

MARCH 14, 2022

People often forget that in order for an innovation to be successful, it needs more than just to be created. Inventing something is hardly ever enough. Instead, it needs to reach scale. You can think of the creation, invention or discover of the innovation as the first step, starting at zero. After all, even the very best ideas start out ugly and need time, effort and resources to be iterated and molded into something with value.

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Resources Creativity Marketing Innovation 197

Idea to Value

MARCH 7, 2022

I spoke to 11 of the world’s leading female innovation experts to get their definition of “innovation” The variety in their responses may surprise you. Content. Introduction. Rita McGrath. Tiffani Bov a. Natalie Nixon. Whitney Johnson. Fabienne Jacquet. Gaia Grant. Diana Kander. Esther Gons. Karin Hurt. Robyn Bolton. Janet Sernack.

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Innovation Technical Review Creativity Leadership 246

Idea to Value

MARCH 7, 2022

According to some new research, being highly religious or even just thinking about god can make you less creative. In a study entitled Divine inhibition: Does thinking about God make monotheistic believers less creative? , researchers conducted five experiments to see the impact which thinking about one’s belief in god had on the creative performance of individuals.

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Creativity Exercises Groups Training 48