Innovation Big and Small Squirrel and Jim

What metrics work for measuring innovation progress? It turns out the measurements are very different for small and large companies.

SHOW LINKS:
- Burn down charts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn_down_chart
- Burn up charts: https://www.modernanalyst.com/Careers/InterviewQuestions/tabid/128/ID/3433/What-is-a-Burn-Up-Chart-and-how-does-it-differ-from-a-Burn-Down-Chart.aspx

Find us at http://jimeuchner.com/ and http://douglassquirrel.com

We take two different views of AI: first, that it's here and ready to go, and second, that we're going to need humans in the loop—"centaurs" that combine humans and computer—for a long time to come.

SHOW LINKS:
https://jimeuchner.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Little-ai-Big-AI-Good-AI-Bad-AI.pdf

Find us at http://jimeuchner.com/ and http://douglassquirrel.com

Jim and Squirrel reflect on a recent panel discussion led by Jim on how big (and small!) companies can either destroy engagement or create it through automation.

See Jim's article at https://verisei.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Automation-Manifesto-Verisei.pdf

Find us at http://jimeuchner.com/ and http://douglassquirrel.com

We observe that companies with a long time horizon—like privately held family businesses—are better able to take on the risks of innovation. And we think startups and large businesses have something to learn from these organisations.

Find us at http://jimeuchner.com/ and http://douglassquirrel.com

We reflect on Schumacher's Small is Beautiful and how it applies to startups - a small minority aim for profitable, slow growth - and large firms, who may create small autonomous units to reap the benefits of small organisations.

SHOW LINKS:
- Small is Beautiful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful

Find us at http://jimeuchner.com/ and http://douglassquirrel.com.

After considering open innovation at large companies last week, we now look at open *source* innovation, a pattern that has led to huge advances for startups, as they begin with a huge array of software infrastructure freely available to them and therefore can in most cases focus on their business idea rather than technical invention. We also note the trend toward open-source hardware which is even helping patients innovate in their own treatment.

SHOW LINKS:
- Dexcom: https://www.dexcom.com/
- MIT Innovation Lab: https://innovation.mit.edu/
- Coloplast: https://www.coloplast.co.uk/

Find us at http://jimeuchner.com/ and http://douglassquirrel.com