Inc writes about Stefan Thomke’s new book. “there is a vast store of potential innovation in new technologies. To help companies unlock that potential, he writes that they must tap the power of experimentation and new technologies while changing their processes, organization and management of innovation. He explains that computer modeling and simulation have made experimentation less expensive than ever before, and research and development (R&D) teams now have tools at their disposal that can be used to create new value for customers.” The book suggests six principles for managing experimentation and explaining how they can be used to drive innovative product development:
1. Anticipate and exploit early information through “front-loaded” innovation processes.
2. Experiment frequently but do not overload your organization.
3. Integrate new and traditional technologies to unlock performance.
4. Organize for rapid experimentation.
5. Fail early and often but avoid “mistakes.”
6. Manage projects as experiments.
Personally, experimentation is the way I have seen one can make progress with ideas. Try out a few things, and some will work, others don’t. It is how many of the things that we are doing today have emerged. More bottom-up than through a top-down approach.
