Shreyas Bakshi

  "The world is a lab" is a popular concept.  Here is my take on what it means for innovation . Many organisations invest in innovation labs, centres and similar facilities to support innovation. This is often a sensible investment because innovation can require specialised equipment, technologies, expertise and infrastructure. However, every innovation lab is designed around today's understanding of tomorrow. The technologies selected, the equipment installed and the expertise assembled are all based on assumptions regarding what future innovations might require. Yet truly innovative concepts often challenge those assumptions. A breakthrough idea may depend on technologies that did not exist when the lab was designed. It may require expertise that sits outside the organisation.  It may involve capabilities that have never previously been combined. It may even demand an entirely new ecosystem of partners, suppliers and technologies. As a result, the infrastructure created...

  Many organisations invest in innovation labs, centres and similar facilities to support innovation. This is often a sensible investment because innovation can require specialised equipment, technologies, expertise and infrastructure. However, every innovation lab is designed around today's understanding of tomorrow. The technologies selected, the equipment installed and the expertise assembled are all based on assumptions regarding what future innovations might require. Yet truly innovative concepts often challenge those assumptions. A breakthrough idea may depend on technologies that did not exist when the lab was designed. It may require expertise that sits outside the organisation. It may involve capabilities that have never previously been combined. It may even demand an entirely new ecosystem of partners, suppliers and technologies. As a result, the infrastructure created to enable innovation can sometimes become a limitation to innovation. The challenge is not o...

  Many organisations expect innovative ideas to arrive as complete solutions. But most meaningful innovation does not begin with precision. It begins with direction. Innovative ideas are often better understood as “direct-ions” — signals that point toward possibilities rather than ready-made answers. In innovation discussions, organisations often reach a stage where practical questions begin to surface: Which idea(s) should we take forward? What kind of cross-functional team (CFT) would this require? Should this move toward a pilot, proof-of-concept, or implementation? These are important questions. However, they can sometimes create an unintended expectation that innovative ideas should already resemble solutions before they are explored further. In reality, many innovative ideas do not initially emerge as solutions at all. They may begin simply as thought starters, triggers, observations, or directional signals. Some may not even directly addr...

  Idenifying the Problem can also be a Problem! It is commonly said that identifying the problem means it is half-solved - well, may not literally, but figuratively, for sure! Consider scenarios where people were content with: Using landline phones before the advent of mobile phones. Hailing cabs prior to the emergence of Uber®. Shopping in stores before the convenience of Amazon®. Paying with cash or cheques before the rise of electronic payments and digital wallets. Travelling by rail or road before the accessibility of low-cost airlines. There are many more examples across almost all industries. In each case, a handful of individuals were not satisfied with the current ways of doing things and believed there could be other, possibly better, ways – be these radical or incremental. This ‘dissatisfaction’ is the first step toward innovation – recognising that the current method is not the only way and identifying the 'problem' to be solved. This shift in mindset f...