Recent news at Pi Innovation LLC
Brad Barbera to Speak at Chicago Innovation Conference
Brad Barbera of Pi Innovation LLC will be presenting at the “Managing Your Complex Portfolio: Lessons in Simplicity” conference, to be held at the University of Chicago Cleacher Center, Thursday, November 12. The presentation will be “Keep Innovation Simple,” which will demonstrate the importance of simplicity to innovation, and leave you with tools you can immediately take to work to make innovation simpler, easier, and more effective.
The conference will also include best practice sessions led by Stage-Gate International and the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA), an innovation software discussion from Planisware, and an interactive workshop by Integrated Project Management Company, Inc.
All attendees will receive a free copy of the soon-to-be published eBook, Keep Innovation Simple: Stop Playing Catch-up and Start Leading Innovation in a World of Constant Change.
Brad Barbera Addresses Booth School of Business Innovation Roundtable
On Thursday, October 8, Brad Barbera shares research on what makes teams creative, how to manage your best innovators, and how to structure organizations to encourage innovation.
Innovators are a unique breed, creative and imaginative on one hand, yet firmly grounded in reality on the other. They present a challenge in many organizations, vital to the flow of new products and services that are the lifeblood of business, yet notoriously difficult to manage. Some of the best innovators, who have been responsible for billions of dollars in new product and service sales, have almost been fired from the organizations they served due to this difficulty. But the challenge is not insurmountable. You can encourage creativity and innovation and still manage your organization for successful long-term returns. A mix of psychological, economic and business research has been assembled to provide an evidence-based approach to successfully manage innovators and drive profitable new products and services to market.
University of Chciago Booth School of Business Gleacher Center, Room 203
450 N Cityfront Plaza Dr., Chicago, Illinois Networking at 6:00PM, Presentaiton at 6:30PM
Brad Barbera Addresses Ann Arbor Innovation Summit
Effective, engaged teams are critical to the success of innovation projects, but not all projects can be successful, even when the team performs well. Recent research in behavioral/cognitive science sheds light on what motivates people to work creatively and collaboratively, and on the demotivating impact of project failure or cancellation. That research can help guide managers in engaging development teams, not just project-by-project, but over the long run. There are many tools available to help teams work effectively.
The After Action Review (AAR) is one with many such benefits, especially for maximizing organizational learning and addressing post-failure motivation. Yet outside of the military, it is rarely used. In this session, Brad shares the key tenets of the AAR, along with tips to guide such reviews.
Brad Barbera Talks Innovation on Business Radio
Brad Barbera of Pi Innovation LLC was invited to share his views on innovation with Mark Imperial, host of the business radio program "Remarkable Radio," the place where listeners meet noteworthy Leading Experts, Professionals, Businesses, and Experiences from around the globe. The show aired on Chicago's AM560, "The Answer."
In this brief interview, Mark asks Brad about everything from what innovation really is, to
where to start when helping an organization to innovate, to whether there can really be
"best practices" in innovation. Click on the link to listen to a recording of the interview.
Winner!
Pi Innovation LLC won the "Most Impactful Solution" award from Down to Earth Labs, and SME in Alberta, Canada, specializing in agricultural technology. In selecting the analysis and recommendations offered by Pi Innovation, Angela Quinton, owner of Down to Earth Labs, said "Wow! Just wow! Your analysis is absolutely amazing! You touched on a lot of areas that I’ve wondered about or have been concerned about ... I can’t wait to share it with my team."
Pi Innovation is dedicated to helping Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and non-profits structure their innovation practices to build a sustainable innovation engine, that will give them a more successful and consistent pipeline of new products and services.
Launch!
Pi Innovation LLC has been officially launched in January 2014. To mix metaphors, the blueprints are drafted, the concrete foundation has been poured, and the framework erected. There is much to do, of course, to fulfill the vision for the organization, but the gauntlet has been thrown, the horse is out of the gate, the wrapping is off the package, the ball is rolling, the starting gun has sounded, the green flag has been waved, the ship has set sail...you get the picture. We're excited to help organizations manage their innovation processes effectively!
PS -- if you have any more "get started" idioms, let us know!