"If you are a small entrepreneur who likes to network, a spill-over benefit can be better innovation in your enterprise. “The role of networks in small and medium-sized enterprise innovation and firm performance’’ by Sarel Gronum, Martie-Louise Verreynne, and Tim Kastelle (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com) uses longitudinal data from 1,435 Australian SMEs and shows that strong, heterogeneous ties improve innovation in SMEs." Learn More
"Innovation projects can be executed (double meaning not intended) in
such silo-based companies either through a series of formal handovers,
for example from research to development to manufacturing to sales; or
through multi-functional teams operating to varying levels of intensity
throughout the project. It is rare to see innovation successfully
delivered to market by only one corporate function." Learn more
"With its adjustable-height heel technology, CAMiLEON Heels re-introduces
the most important innovation in the history of women’s footwear—a high
tech solution that promises to revolutionize the women’s dress footwear
industry, just in time for fall 2012 and at incredible prices." Learn more
"From a practical standpoint, sustainable brand innovation requires
companies to do everything from reduce resource risks in supply chains
to improve efficiencies in workflows to increase transparency in
corporate structures. And all of this is predicated on the idea of
connectedness. ... BBMG offers five principles of sustainable brand innovation that
companies can use to create “new ways to do much more with less.” Learn more
"400 people from 49 countries gathered in Silicon Valley for an ambitious vision. The Global Innovation Summit
yielded tons of new insights, and it’s impossible to list them all.
Here are 10 key lessons on growing innovation for the modern era." Learn more
"Lego had created an innovative culture that seemingly would have been
the envy of any firm. “Lego followed all the advice of the experts,”
said David Robertson. “And yet it almost went bankrupt. ... The Lego story, according to Robertson, lies at the heart of why
companies should not blindly follow the typical mantras of innovation.” Read more
"New York has historically been known as the center for industries like
finance, publishing, and fashion, and has always been a powerhouse of
innovation when it comes to these sectors. However, in the last decade,
NYC-based tech startups have ushered in a new wave of innovation. 4 NYC Startups are reshaping small business innovation" Learn more
Bottomline:
Are small businesses and startups trying out new ways to be more innovative, survive and grow? What do you think?