part0003

The following section will give you insight to why we do what we do when we teach innovation . As authors of an innovation textbook, and professors of innovation, we have dedicated ourselves to understanding the process of students learning innovation. We have learned that innovation is not innovation until it is implemented. An unimplemented innovation is an idea that does not actually belong to you. Only an implemented innovation belongs to you. This misunderstanding is the largest obstacle for our students to understand.

We have used the principles of this textbook in one form or another for over a decade. Through all our experiences and surprises we know that every student can innovate with success. Of course the success is related to the student’s effort.

This book was written with the principle that innovation is occurring all the time, within us and around us. Even the smallest change is innovation. Innovation is not necessarily invention, but has more to do with changes to existing products and services.

What makes this innovation textbook unique? The process of innovation phases presented in this textbook are not specific to any academic or professional discipline. This textbook focuses on the student’s unique interests and background knowledge rather than content from his/her academic major. We believe this personalized and open-ended model of learning is the best way to foster innovation in students.

Similarly, this textbook is not designed to increase knowledge in a content major, but to apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills through exercises and activities that produce innovation. The corresponding course is an application-based class, with much less emphasis on content, and much more emphasis on your interests and abilities. The phases of innovation focus on the problem-solving process for innovation. This problem-solving approach directs you to think deliberately and divergently, and to gain the skills required to innovate. Innovation terms are included in this textbook to help you build your knowledge of how and when the innovation process occurs.

All examples in this textbook are student-tested exercises and activities which engage the student’s interest to innovate. The included exercises interest and engage students at various levels. This aligns with the process of innovation – no two people are the same and innovation does not occur at a steady pace. The exercises are meant for the student to build upon, and to support the development of an innovation through intrinsic motivation, not just for getting a good grade.

Above all, it is critical that the student choose his/her own identified problem to bring to the innovation process, and it does not need to be connected to her/his major. Research shows that intrinsically motivated individuals have the highest percentage of successful innovation. However, the process of innovative thinking can also be applied to an academic major/discipline to produce a discipline-related innovation.

However, current college curriculum which emphasizes innovation implementation is based upon the student’s field of study or major. Although, the student is interested in that field of study, or major, not everyone in that field of study is interested in the same problems or topics. Therefore, major-specific innovation tends to be individualistic and/or be a task for a grade, not for the betterment of self and others. Intrinsic motivation rules a successful innovation.

There are some very basic phases of innovation – identification , ideation , and implementation . You will learn how these three phases work to produce innovation. This textbook is not intended to help you design and build the “flying car.” This textbook is designed to direct you to develop the basic skills of innovation. An idea might come to you in a burst of excitement, or you may have already asked yourself several “What if. . . .?” questions, but it is the process of developing the ideas to implementation that results in innovation.

The exercises within the three phases are based on student-tested experiences. Examples given throughout the textbook are actual student outcomes. The innovation phases can be changed to accommodate your innovation, but it is not recommended that you omit any phase in the process since you may lose direct or indirect insights for developing your innovation.

There are several activities in this textbook that will help you narrow your focus so you can innovate to your fullest potential. In the Appendix of this textbook are basic examples of each exercise or activity. Each exercise or activity example is a recent student example.

Our society celebrates fresh ideas . We do not profess this to be undeserving. However, an idea is not an innovation or problem-solving. All ideas are just ideas. We believe that idea generation is important in the innovation process, but ideas are not innovations.

Innovation derives from a need. We encourage you to disengage from invention for invention’s sake, and to think about change . In our classes, we illustrate this point by saying, “Don’t try to invent the flying car,” but to incrementally change your way of thinking. Also, try not to impress people with something novel in order to be celebrated, but try to change lives by helping people in new ways.

During the first part of this course you are given a framework of innovation: identification, ideation, and implementation. Identification and ideation tend to go rather smoothly; however, implementation is not as easy. Do not choose the most attractive or impressive idea, but instead pick an idea that you have intrinsic motivation to work on and that you can implement in real-time. Manageability is key. Along the innovation journey you will learn crisis-management, time-management, communications, and collaboration.

This textbook was designed to help you produce two different innovations. These innovations will be produced consecutively. The first innovation is created with little direction – do not be alarmed. The first innovation is known as the $5 Innovation . The $5 innovation , with the hands-off approach, is to help you and your professor gauge your understanding of innovation. The second innovation, or The Active Innovation , encompasses several exercises and activities to advance your innovation. The exercises and activities engage many resources that were not required in the $5 Innovation .

The skills developed through The Active Innovation will help you as you move from education to professional life. Many students implemented innovations that were simple in execution, but they created a base of knowledge to cultivate a new way of thinking. This new way of thinking will be your go-to approach as problem/needs/issues surface in your professional life.