Psychological safety forms innovative teams Psychological safety seems to be a hot topic these days. Is it worth the hype? Whhat does it mean for innovation management? Imagine a team where every idea ca be openly discussed – even if it seems absurd at first glance. An environment where, instead of "No, but...", it's more likely to be "Yes, and...". Where a brief thought is seen as an invitation to develop something greater from it. Where mistakes are analyzed objectively tog

This blog post is not about impulses from the Japanese universe, but about a strategic treasure made in China. I was familiar with stratagems as ancient Chinese wisdom when I repeatedly encountered them while working on a German-Chinese M&A project. At first, it was just a feeling that certain behaviors or reactions of our Chinese partners seemed somehow familiar. But then I recognized clear parallels to the Chinese stratagems. From deception to relationship building—in my op

Tradition for innovation After many positve reactions to my blog post Ethics and Innovation: Big in Japan, I am happy to respond to some readers' requests for more inspiration from Japan. Thank you for your feedback! Today I am asking the following questions: Which traditional approaches are characteristic of Japanese culture? Can they be combined to provide new inputs for innovation management? Efficiency and innovation are undeniably two of the driving forces that have made

Innovation made in Japan Ethics and innovation - there is a lot to learn about innovation management from Japan! Japanese culture and society have always fascinated me and exerted a strong attraction with their spirit of common good, respect and mutual goodwill. For over 30 years, I have been intensively involved with the country, people and economy of Japan, both privately and professionally. I use my passion and knowledge to take a deep dive into Japanese corporate culture

The right balance for idea management It's a dream situation when the thought pops into our heads: "That's a brilliant idea! This can work!". This feels so good. And the first description of the idea just flows onto the concept sheet. But then the big question for successfull idea management arises: How much do I have to clarify, research, answer, describe, analyze and calculate before I can talk to a decision-maker about my idea? How "mature" must be my idea be to be success

Motivation through innovation Why is it important for companies to run innovation activities? Of course, they need to be technologically competitive. To be successful on the markets. So that they can generate sales and build or keep a strong brand. But in my opinion that's not all: Active innovation management promotes corporate culture as well as the motivation and retention of employees! It is very diffucult these times to find skilled professional staff. The search for the

Innovation projects - and classic projects - similar and yet different Can innovation projects be managed with classic project management? If so, all you have to do is copy the company's standard project management process and apply it to the innovation projects. My question already suggests that I don't think it's that easy. Special characteristic of innovation projects Mostly, the above process refers to classic projects where the delivery item, the deliverable, and the pro

A clear understanding of innovation is important for success There are different definitions of the term "innovation". Do we want/need something completely new? Or do we build on what already exists? Do we focus on our products or on new services? These questions clearly show that there are worlds between the respective characteristics. If the term "innovation" is not clearly defined and communicated in a company, there is a lack of orientation as to which ideas should be pu