Посты с тэгом: training

Academic Focus: The Live Well Collaborative

Published date: January 3, 2011 в 3:00 am

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The Live Well Collaborative at the University of Cincinnati is an academic-industry innovation incubator for regionally, nationally and internationally prominent firms.  The focus of LWC is the aging population.  Firms partner with UC to address product or service needs for the 50+ market. The UC students and faculty conduct research and develop ideas incorporating expertise from fields including design, business, engineering, medicine and anthropology.

From the Live Well website:

The Live Well Collaborative is an invaluable resource of up-to-date, ever-growing information about the 50+ market. As a member of the LWC, your organization will have access to unique research and consumer insights on the Baby Boomer population. We work with industry leaders, experts in the fields of design, engineering, marketing, nursing, and medicine, and utilize a host of young creative talent. LWC is perfecting this new model, harnessing the vast potential of interdisciplinary problem solving and innovation.
Working with the University of Cincinnati (UC), a major research university, the Live Well Collaborative taps the talent of the top-ranked College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, College of Business, College of Medicine and Nursing and College of Engineering, each with a long track-record of successful industry-sponsored research and studio projects.
The Live Well Collaborative presents innovation and problem-solving workshops to meet the needs of industry partners as well as interested organizations. The LWC also provides yearly collaborative events focused on the 50+ consumer.

Img-process_model LWC uses a structured innovation and design process.  The process begins with the sponsoring company identifying an opportunity to be explored. This could be a product or a service solution. Next, the interdisciplinary faculty and staff team is created. During the 10-12 week studio project, the sponsoring company provides background information and reviews progress. Based on qualitative research, consumer insights, and company feedback, the teams then design innovative products or services which can include prototypes, technology solutions, and business models.

Craig Vogel, President of LWC and Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at the College of Design Architecture Art and Planning at the University of Cincinnati said that the over-50 consumer of today wants to continue their current quality of life as they age.  “Younger consumers look for the latest technology breakthrough while 50 plus consumers look for comprehensive innovation. A new product for over-50 consumers must be technologically advanced but also easy to adopt into and support the needs of aging consumers’ diverse and active lifestyles.”

To get your company involved with the Live Well Collaborative, contact info@livewellcollaborative.org.

Academic Focus: Aalto University

Published date: September 13, 2010 в 3:00 am

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The convergence of three worlds…commercial, technical, and design…creates the optimal conditions for innovation.  Now a new university in Finland has done just that.  Aalto University is a newly created university from the merger of the Helsinki School of Economics, the University of Art and Design Helsinki and Helsinki University of Technology – all leading and renowned institutions in their respective fields and in their own right.
From the Alto website:

Proposed Certificate Program in Innovation

Published date: January 4, 2010 в 1:53 pm

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Certificate programs are a way for universities and colleges to offer training that is less intensive and less expensive than traditional degree programs (baccalaureate, masters, doctoral).  They are ideal for working professionals who want advanced training in highly focused areas.  They are ideal for corporations as they are less expensive and a better value than many executive education (one week) programs.

The world of innovation could benefit from such programs.  While many institutions offer courses in creativity and innovation, very few have full degree or certificate programs in this field.  Most of those tend to be technology/venture start-up oriented.  Here are some examples:

Innovation vs. Leadership

Published date: January 19, 2008 в 4:50 pm

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Which is easier to learn: innovation or leadership?   That is one of my favorite questions to ask during  keynotes and workshops, especially to groups of accomplished leaders.  What amazes me is the answer I get back:  overwhelmingly, groups of executives say that leadership is easier to learn than innovation.
I could not disagree more.  I’ve experienced some of the best leadership training in the world starting with the U.S. Air Force Academy and all the way through to Johnson & Johnson’s many leadership training programs.  These programs were complex, psychologically-based, and multi-dimensional.  Leadership training is big business.  The demand is high, and the task is tall.  Executives flood to these programs to learn new insights and nuances of this highly people-based activity.  It is tough to learn leadership.
I learned innovation in a matter of minutes.  The process is clear, rules-based, and rigorous.  Anyone can do it.  When facilitated appropriately, you cannot NOT innovate.  The process forces original, novel, and highly creative ideas to come out of your head.
So why do executives feel that leadership is easier to learn than innovation?  My sense is that many have not been exposed to a bona fide innovation method.  These executives want organic innovation more than anything to drive growth.  Yet many are missing a simple insight what it takes…to invest themselves in learning innovation.  Once executives feel what it’s like to innovate on demand, they get it.  They start thinking about execution, scalability, culture aspects, resources needs, measurement, accountability, strategy, alignment….all the traditional things leaders think about…to move an initiative forward.
GE is perhaps the best example of a company that invests in innovation as much as it does leadership with its Imagination at Work program.  For GE, the question of which is easier to train…innovation or leadership…is moot.  They avoid the “leadership bias,” and they invest appropriately in core innovation skills to drive growth.

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