Innovation Flow

Linear thinking, based on the fundamental premise that there are limited resources available, confines us to a world of incremental innovation. The emergence of disruptive technologies is fast changing the tech landscape – a 2013 report by McKinsey showed how twelve technologies — including the mobile Internet, autonomous vehicles, and advanced genomics—have the potential to truly reshape the world in which we live and work ( https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/disruptive-technologies ).  Convergence of such disruptive technologies allows us to conceive of exponential innovations that are not constrained by the availability of resources.  Non-linear thinking, inspired by the belief that resource constraints can be overcome through technology innovations, allows us to create abundance in a resource-constrained world. Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler, in their book Abundance,  document how progress in artificial intelligence,...

   New Inventions, Discoveries and Business Models have flourished during Crises. The famous physicist, Isaac Newton, was in his early 20s when the Great Plague of London hit. Cambridge University sent their students home. Newton used the time to work on his theories that revolutionized physics - he introduced calculus into physics, developed the principles of optics and proposed a theory of gravity. Newton returned to Cambridge in 1667, theories in hand. Within six months, he was made a fellow; two years later, a professor. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2020/03/12/during-pandemic-isaac-newton-had-work-home-too-he-used-time-wisely/ Versatile inventions like blood banks, sanitary pads, zippers, stainless steel etc were invented during the first world war. And it was during the second world war that  innovations like ATM, Superglue, Instant Coffee (Nescafe), Ball point pen etc were created. https://www.history.com/news/world-war-i-inventions-pi...

Paul Romer, a co- recipient  of the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics  (shared with William Nordhaus) said , “ a crisis is a terrible thing to waste ”. During a crisis like the COVID – 19 pandemic,  it is natural that we tend to focus our efforts on the immediate challenges inherent in the crisis. But this is also the time for us to look for the opportunities. Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Indian Conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra, advised his employees to use the time available to come up with new ideas and innovations; and taking advantage of the crisis "to dream bigger dreams about the future and raising ambitions once the crisis has passed". How to use the downtime to reboot, reinvent and reignite through introspection and innovation. Can we reboot our personal and professional way of life along two dimensions – (a) Sustainability and (b) Balance. Can we reinvent our business processes so that we halve the time we...

Venu has been on a long flight from Boston to New Delhi and he did not like the idea of having to wait  for more hours at the airport. He cursed the Corona Virus for the (n+1)th time and proceeded to the lounge and wait for his chance to be tested and cleared. All that he could think was getting back to Chennai and lay his hands on his favorite thayir saadam ( ts - rice and curds). By force of habit, he checked his mailbox and found an email from a sender he could not recognize – it was quite cryptic – dg-csir – whatever it means! He has to represent his company in a meeting called by the Director General of CSIR – which means one more day at Delhi and away from his home-made ts. The meeting was about brainstorming on how to create social impact through scientific research in India and build a roadmap. He was eager to share his industry insights and was also excited about meeting other experts on the Committee. He saw that he was not alone – there were a few other tir...

AI & ML are fundamental new technologies that can create immense value to humankind. It is very important for us to learn AI & ML and apply this knowledge in our work.  If you are somebody like me without prior exposure to computers, you may wonder where to begin the journey – I did some homework and found an easy step-by-step using online resources . It takes only 6 easy steps to gain mastery in AI & ML. I will start with sharing with you the talk that Risto Siilasmaa (Chairman, Nokia) gave in Nov, 2017 – “Why you should study AI and Machine Learning and how I did it”. Step # 1 - Risto Siilasmaa started his journey into AI & ML by asking, “Where could I find good material explaining how machine learning works in terms that would speak to an engineer who loves to understand how things work?” Step # 2 - “ Why not study machine learning myself and then explain what I learned to others who are struggling with the same questions. Perhaps I could mo...

Innovative Solutions for COVID-19 Virus Problem - Application of TRIZ We have directed the attention of a powerful group of people - hashtag # Tech hashtag # Innovators & hashtag # TRIZ hashtag # Experts - to solve the most important and immediate problems associated with managing the current hashtag # crisis of COVID-19. It is important that we start attacking the problem right away instead of waiting a miracle to happen. Since the problem is a complex one, we need to bring our Minds & Resources together to create innovative solutions. Most of us are working from home ( hashtag # WFH ) now - there are some of us who have to be physically present at work to manage certain essential services. We have analyzed various problems faced at us Home and at Work-place during this time of crisis. The primary objective is to minimize exposure and risk and at the same time get our jobs done. Let us first look at three problems that we may face while at home for these 21 day...