New York: February 28 – March 1
Barcelona: March 16 – 17

More information and registration here.

Any idiot can learn from a wise man, but it takes a wise man to learn from an idiot. Learning the latter is useful, because while wise men are rare, you will never run out of idiots.

On our recent Innovation Architect course in New York, we shared three book recommendations for people with an interest in innovation:

Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
A great book on what is perhaps the most fundamental problem in management: how do you change behavior? The Heath brothers present a useful three-part framework for achieving this, focusing on logic, emotions, and the environment.

Game Changing Strategies by Constantinos C. Markides
Markides show how companies can get better at executing radical or game-changing ideas, providing alternatives to the now-classical ‘divide and conquer’ model introduced by Clayton Christensen. Great read for those with an interest in innovation strategy.

The Medici Effect by Frans Johansson
Johansson explains how breakthrough ideas originate in what he calls ‘intersections’, i.e. meeting places for different ideas, fields and ways of thinking. Very relevant for Innovation Architects who struggle to get fresh thinking into their companies.

One of our collaborators, Henrik Werdelin, was just listed by Fast Company as one of the 10 most creative people on Twitter, along with Evan Williams (Twitter founder), Neil Gaiman (author and artist) and others:

http://www.fastcompany.com/1650139/the-most-creative-people-on-twitter

Our pfizerWorks case study with Jordan Cohen is featured on Gary Hamel’s new website for management innovators – an interesting initiative called MIX which seeks to create a community around the issues of Management Innovation. Recently launched, still in alpha version but looks promising.

Here is the link to the pfizerWorks feature on MIX.

Definition: Stealthstorming (STELTH-ˈsto:rming) 1. verb: to surreptitiously attack or assault  2. noun: covert decisions and actions in an organization aimed at ensuring the implementation of an innovation.

Read more about StealthStorming on our innovation blog.

Our Research Associate Azra Brankovic just interviewed Jeff Jarvis, author of What Would Google Do, about the changing nature of the media landscape. Full video and transcripts on our Creative Cultures blog below:

http://millerwedell.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/video-interview-with-jeff-jarvis-author-of-what-would-google-do/

On May 5-6 2010 in New York, Paddy Miller and I are running the next edition of our intensive Innovation Architect program for executives, taking place at IESE Business School’s new campus on Manhattan (just below Central Park).

Above is a 2 minute video introduction of the program – for more information, see the program page on IESE’s Executive Education website.

The ‘big insight’ model of creativity is wrong; creativity comes from the outside, and you can increase your chances of getting good ideas by immersing yourself in new environments. Paddy Miller and I have published a short article on the subject in IESE Business School’s alumni magazine – a special edition with focus on IESE’s new campus in New York.

You can get the article in PDF or get the Spanish-language version (full magazine).

Our new case study on pfizerWorks, an innovative service that allows Pfizer’s employees to outsource the boring parts of their jobs, has just been published and is now available for purchase via IESE Publishing.

About the case
The case follows Jordan Cohen, the architect behind pfizerWorks, through the five years it took him to build the service from a loose idea into a large-scale, highly innovative service offering, all while working inside the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. Through the work of Cohen and his team, the case highlights the special demands faced by innovators in large companies, including the need for trust-building, the ability to navigate internal politics, and the process of selling your ideas to internal stakeholders.

The case also yields unique insights into the challenges and opportunities of using global sourcing from countries such as India, as well as the possibility of using technology to radically enhance the productivity of knowledge workers.

Where to get it
The case study, authored by Paddy Miller and me, can be found here: Jordan Cohen at pfizerWorks: Building the Office of the Future

This posting is also shared on our Innovation blog.

UPDATE:
The pfizerWorks case has now also been picked up by Gary Hamel (in his MIX initiative) and by Ron Ashkenas on HBR’s blog.