December, 2023 | Paul4innovating Innovation Views

Closing out the year by transforming into innovation ecosystems

As we close out the year, I have been looking back and recognizing the transformation concept for innovation, which has been central to my work and, more importantly, moving forward in where I go in my innovating focus in 2024.

Here is the story as I look back at 2023……..

Once upon a time, in a world driven by innovation, there was a transformative concept known as the Integrated Framework for Innovation Ecosystems. This framework was not just a set of ideas but a guiding light for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers seeking to unlock the potential of innovation in various corners of the globe.

“At the heart of this story lies the understanding that innovation is NEVER a solitary endeavour; it thrives really well within ecosystems. Just imagine these ecosystems as intricate and interconnected sets of networks, bustling with activity, with thinkers and doers, where individuals, organizations, and institutions converged with a shared goal – to innovate and create value.

Embracing the power of dynamic ecosystems.

Innovation’s power lies in the ability to adapt, evolve, and collaborate, and our need is to make this as much of a dynamic ecosystem as possible to tackle the growing complexity and challenges we are facing today and in the future.

In recent weeks, I have been deepening my thinking on innovation ecosystems and the dynamics within these that can make them different by giving them this “dynamic focus.”

So, it is time to embrace the power of dynamic ecosystems – where innovation excellence isn’t just a goal; it’s the very fabric of sustained success.

Dynamic ecosystems are not just about collaboration and innovation. They are also about adaptation and resilience. In today’s business landscape, where change is the only constant, businesses that can adapt quickly and effectively will be the ones that thrive. Dynamic ecosystems provide a framework for businesses to do just that.

Dynamic ecosystems are not just about individual businesses; they are about creating value for the entire ecosystem that businesses participate in.

Innovators need to heighten sensory intelligence and cognitive abilities.

Understanding the sensory and cognitive abilities of innovators

Following on from my first post on building an Innovator’s Sensory profile, the combination of various cognitive, emotional and environmental factors heightens our awareness, so I needed to explore this further in this post.

I wanted to build out some thinking based on the question, “Can we unlock the innovator’s potential through understanding their sensory and cognitive abilities?”

It is our ability to develop the capacities to learn, absorb and interpret information and how this all interacts becomes the essential interplay that can give us a continuous feedback loop, shaping perceptions, thoughts and actions. This shapes what we do and how we can respond to navigate an increasingly dynamic and ever-changing world.

The recognized simpler view of innovators having essential cognitive skills is made up of generally needing to associate, question, observe, network and experiment and should be part of the innovator’s DNA. I would argue we need to go deeper to build out innovators’ skills and abilities to provide distinctive value; value gives us worth!

So, what contributes to having enhanced innovation capabilities to gain a potential competitive advantage?

Discover your unique innovator’s Sensory Profile.

I had a most enjoyable and rewarding conversation last week on Innovation and Ecosystem design. It was partly through this conversation with Margot Nijkamp-Diesfeld and Rick Wielens of the Eco System Thinking Institute (ESTI), based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, that we got into the subject of creating different workshop concepts to stimulate those attending and draw out their greater awareness.

The idea of using all our sensory experiences came up, and I started to think, is there such a thing as having an innovator’s sensory profile? Would they be unique and help to unleash your inner innovator?

Should innovators be more attuned to details, nuances and changes in their environment, potentially allowing them to gather and process information uniquely to generate new insights and make more significant connections?

Over two posts, firstly here, I want to outline what might be in the attributes of an innovator’s sensory profile and in the second post following, the dynamics between sensory awareness and cognitive functions to realize the interconnected nature in seeing the shaping of our worlds in new and potentially radically different ways.