Join us for an update on BIF's Nursing Home of the Future

When the Business Innovation Factory set out to create a real-world laboratory for developing and testing new solutions for improving elderly care, we knew it would be an exciting and challenging endeavor. What we didn't know was how deeply personal and inspiring the process of building the Nursing Home of the Future (NHoF) would be.

I invite you to join us on Wednesday, September 10, 3pm-5pm for a special community update on the NHoF initiative. The update will be held at BIF’s offices in the American Locomotive Works Development on Valley Street in Providence (directions below).

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Posted September 04, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

David Rockwell Joins BIF-4 Lineup

The greatest innovators never rest on what they know – instead, they’re driven by what they don’t know. David Rockwell is more than just an architect extraordinaire – he’s a rich composer of dramatic, high-impact spectacles that get people to connect. From the elegant interiors of Nobu and the W Hotels to the culturally textured Mohegan Sun Casino, from a children’s hospital in the Bronx to the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, from the sets for the Broadway musical Hairspray to the viewing platform overlooking Ground Zero in New York, each of Rockwell’s diverse compositions shine a light on the power of shared human experiences.

Join us at the BIF--4 Summit on October 15th and 16th when David Rockwell takes the stage with co-host Bruce Nussbaum for a conversation about design, architecture and opening windows that connect people in real time and real space.

Posted by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

Meet MIT Tech Review's Innovator of the Year: David Berry

I first met BIF-4 storyteller David Berry last fall during a ‘Green Design’ symposium at the offices of Continuum in Boston. David is a principle at Flagship Ventures, a company well known for funding clean and environmentally sound technologies and he shared some mind boggling possibilities for the future. His firm is looking at everything from carbon nanotubes to solar quantum dots to synthetic biology. David is more than just a venture capitalist – he’s also an innovator with 44 patents under his belt. His talk highlighted some of the many untapped possibilities in the future of living green.

He’s one of the brightest guys I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. BIF sat down recently with David and here’s his game-changer story…

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Posted August 19, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

Meet BIF-4 Storyteller Cat Lainé: Disruptive Innovator in the Social Sector

When I first spoke with Cat Lainé a few months ago I was so impressed with her passion and conviction. She doesn’t shy away from the underside of life, a personality trait that led to her decision to leave academia, where she was studying infectious disease epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. A self-described “autodidact,” she prefers to be in the field, analyzing problems and creating solutions from the ground up. Today, she’s trying to solve some of our world’s most pressing problems. We knew she had to be a BIF-4 storyteller.

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Posted June 11, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

Register now for BIF-4: Meet Mark Ecko, Jason Fried, Tony Hsieh, Bruce Nussbaum, David Yaun and many more

Last year's sold out BIF-3 Summit hosted 300 participants from 174 organizations for an intimate 2-day conversation about collaborative innovation. This year, we will meet again for our fourth annual Summit taking place on October 15th and 16th in Providence, Rhode Island.

I am so excited about this year's lineup. We're bringing together many of today’s most compelling innovators, business model renegades and true transformers who will reveal their secrets of success through personal storytelling.

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Posted June 09, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thanks to the Men and Women Who Serve

Memorial Day is an important day of reflection for me. Baseball and barbecues aren’t bad either. I am grateful that so many American men and women choose to serve our country by serving in the military. We owe each of them our gratitude, respect, and support. I recently had the opportunity to see the amazing dedication and heart of our U.S military up close and personal. I was asked to participate in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC 75). It was an experience I will never forget.

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Posted May 26, 2008 by Saul Kaplan | Permalink | Comments (0)

Changing Business Models: Clay Shirky on why media is a triathlon

Last weekend I was watching Costas NOW on HBO and heard a tirade against blogging like no other. Buzz Bissinger, author of Friday Night Lights unleashed a fury against Will Leitch, editor of the popular sports news site DeadSpin.com. From bloggers' writing skills, to their ethics deficiencies to their lack of credentials, Bissinger believes our moral fiber is in jeopardy because of the dearth of consumer-produced sports media. “I think blogs are dedicated to cruelty, they’re dedicated to dishonesty, they’re dedicated to speed,” Bissinger said.

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Posted May 20, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

Report from the Field: Designing Networks for Innovation

A study last year conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership found that nearly 92 percent of the executives surveyed believe the challenges their organizations face are more complex than they were just five years ago. How do you innovate within such a dynamic, unstable and unpredictable environment? “Innovate together,” says BIF research advisor and UC-Davis professor Andrew Hargadon.

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Posted April 29, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIF Research Advisor Andrew Hargadon on the Design of New Ventures

In anticipation of our workshop on the design of networked innovation, bestselling author Andrew Hargadon passed along an article he wrote a while back called Leading with Vision: The Design of New Ventures. Great primer before our hands-on workshop next Thursday, April 24th.

Most innovators today readily acknowledge that design is essential to the enterprise. In this article, Andy argues that as designers, we must go beyond the making of individual products or brands to cut across the traditional boundaries within firms to creative innovative business ventures. Advocating a new profile of design leadership, he explains how design principles and practices are uniquely suited to this multidimensional task.

Get the article Leading with Vision by Andrew Hargadon

If you're interested in attending next week's workshop - there's still limited seating available. Registration is free - learn more here.

Posted April 18, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 24th Event Reminder: Leading with Vision: The Design of Networked Innovation with Andrew Hargadon

While social networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn are grabbing all the limelight, something more profound is occuring in the Web 2.0 space: new economics are taking shape through the networking of not just people, but institutions as well. Andrew Hargadon, associate professor at UC-Davis Graduate School of Management, wrote one of the best books on innovation a couple of years ago called How Breakthroughs Happen. I'm thrilled that Andy will be in the house next week on Thursday, April 24th for a half-day workshop called Leading with Vision: The Design of Networked Innovation.

Leading with Vision: The Design of Networked Innovation with Andrew Hargadon

April 24, 2008, 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m.

Location: BIF headquarters in Providence, Rhode Island

Moving between historic and modern example and plenty of interactive experiences, Andy will offer a framework for driving the adoption and evolution of new ventures through networked innovation. Lots of companies have prospered by effectively embracing new networks. This workshop will show you how to do it.

Registration is free - and space is limited - so sign up now

Posted April 15, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

Report from the Field: Thoughts on Design Thinking

Some 40 attendees participated in last week's experiential workshop Design Thinking: Beyond the Buzz Words hosted by Dan Buchner, Vice President of Innovation and Design at renowned design consultancy Continuum. A lively and engaging workshop from beginning to end, Dan and his team of designers presented a day-long deep dive into the world of design thinking. Turns out that you can indeed use design thinking to solve business objectives - all you need is an open mind and a few tools.

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Posted April 07, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

BIF Research Advisor Harry West on The Cross-Discipline Design Imperative

This week we're hosting a sold-out workshop on design thinking with Dan Buchner, Vice President of Innovation and Design and his team of designers from Continuum. In preparation for Thursday's event, Dan wanted to share an article on Design Thinking written by BIF Research Advisor Harry West, Continuum's VP of Strategy and Innovation.

It's a good, quick overview on design thinking and its power to marry creative right-brain thinking and analytical left-brain thinking. This talent is at a premium today because innovation so often happens in the space between disciplines. Design thinking can get you into those spaces - it's a strategic methodology, long used by industrial design firms but now it's being used for business process too. I'll share more from the workshop next week but in the meantime, head over to BusinessWeek for the article.

Related: Continuum also created this video to bring to people's attention the growing importance of design thinking in business, and to advocate for a corresponding evolution in design education. Check it out here.

(Image courtesy of InnovateForum)

Posted March 25, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)

Event Reminder: Design Thinking, Beyond the Buzz Words

This is an event reminder that next week, leading design firm Continuum will be in the house. Join us on Thursday, March 27th, when Dan Buchner, Vice President of Innovation and Design and designers from Continuum will take us on an interactive journey into the world of design thinking.

We've all heard about it's power to create rewarding consumer experiences. And in recent years, design thinking has been taken out of its small industrial design context and applied to overall business and social processes. Today, it's fast morphing into a management methodology too. So what exactly is design-thinking? When is it most powerful? How is it best done? And most importantly, how can you capitalize on it? Through short lectures and quick moving, interactive work sessions, Continuum’s designers will take us through the process from concept to realization.

Registration details are here. Hope to see you there!

Posted March 19, 2008 by Chris Flanagan | Permalink | Comments (0)