For most of us, when we think about innovation, we think about companies like Apple, Microsoft, or Google. We think about breakthrough, disruptive technologies like the GraphicalUser Interface which took access to the Worldwide Web from the hands of a few geeks who could write computer code and gave it to the masses. In other words, we think about totally new, never-seen-before products or services.\u00a0 But what about taking an existing product or service and making it better.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that innovation too?\u00a0 Or what about taking a bunch of ideas from a variety of unrelated sources and cobbling them into something new and unique.\u00a0 Isn\u2019t that yet another form of innovation?\u00a0 The fact is, various forms of innovation are all around us and all of us need to participate in innovation.\u00a0 Even if you\u2019re a low-tech company that\u2019s been churning out commodity-type products for many years, you better be an innovator or your years will soon come to an end.\u00a0 For more about innovation and how you need to be thinking about it for your company, please continue reading below.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not believe you can do today\u2019s job with yesterday\u2019s methods and be in business tomorrow.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ~Nelson Jackson<\/em><\/p>\n For most of us, innovation is not about rolling out the next high tech whiz bang product. It\u2019s simply looking for ways to do what we do better\/faster\/cheaper.\u00a0 Companies that have Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) programs in place might just as easily call them Continuous Innovation programs.\u00a0 \u201cLean manufacturing\u201d (**) is really just a highly structured CPI program. Companies that are engaged in \u201clean manufacturing\u201d concepts are committed to finding ways to reduce waste . . . wasted time, wasted effort, wasted materials, and wasted money.\u00a0 And the only way they can do that is through finding new, innovative ways of doing things.<\/p>\n (**)\u00a0 As you may know \u201clean\u201d started out as a way to streamline manufacturing processes, but \u201clean\u201d concepts are applicable to any identifiable, discreet process within your business . . . HR, Administration, Sales, Marketing . . . all can benefit from the application of \u201clean\u201d principles.<\/p>\n Simon Sinek, a business writer and keynote speaker, has an interesting take on all of this. He talks about \u201cinfinite players\u201d vs. \u201cfinite players.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cFinite players,\u201d he says, \u201cplay to beat the players around them.\u00a0 Infinite players play to beat themselves.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, infinite players ask, \u201cHow can we make our company a better company today than it was yesterday?\u201d\u00a0 And we ask ourselves the same question the following day, and the day after that, and the day after that, forever.\u00a0 That\u2019s the \u201ccontinuous\u201d part of Continuous Process Improvement.\u00a0 It\u2019s a circle and it never ends.\u00a0 And it all depends on innovation.<\/p>\n The good news is, \u201cbetter\u201d is a very general, non-specific term that can be applied in a lot of different areas. How can we make our company a better place to work?\u00a0 How can we achieve better financial results?\u00a0 How can we achieve better operational results?\u00a0 How can we compete better in our marketplace?<\/p>\n As you begin your day, you probably have a noisy cacophony of \u201cstuff I gotta do\u201d banging around in your head . . . reports that have to be written, deadlines that have to be met, customer problems that have to be solved, sales goals that have to be achieved, and on and on and on. Those are all important things that need to be addressed, but they shouldn\u2019t get in the way of asking, \u201cWhat\u2019s the one thing we can do today that will make this a better company tomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n Simon Sinek challenges us to \u201cOutdo yourself\u201d everyday . . . to be an \u201cinfinite player,\u201d a continuous innovator.\u00a0 Are you up to the challenge?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For most of us, when we think about innovation, we think about companies like Apple, Microsoft, or Google. We think about breakthrough, disruptive technologies like the GraphicalUser Interface which took access to the Worldwide Web from the hands of a few geeks who could write computer code and gave it to the masses. In other<\/p>\n