IDEO, whose philosophy centres on building on the ideas of others for optimum impact, has collaborated with the Gates Foundation to create the human-centred design toolkit, an open source innovation toolkit for social impact in developing countries. To date the toolkit has been used on agricultural, medical and sanitation projects and continues to be modified and enhanced by users.

To make sense of the world around us and to react quickly and appropriately to situations we filter the multitude of information available to us. And as we spot patterns in behaviours or information we react accordingly. Sometimes, however, to be creative we need to break the familiar connection and make something new and different.

Sir Ken Robinson’s excellent TED talk on Schools Kill Creativity contends that all children have tremendous creative talent and the educational system squanders that talent by educating children to become good workers rather than creative thinkers. Ken Wantanabe, a former management consultant with McKinsey Consulting, has come up with an innovative response to this problem. His book Problem Solving 101 was written to support Japan’s children in learning how to problem solve and think critically. The book has been been a best seller for adults in Japan and internationally.

TED came to Dublin last Friday 12th June as part of the TEDx series of independent spin-off events. TEDx continues the same spirit of spreading exciting and inspirational ideas. The Science Gallery was the venue for Friday’s TEDx talk and only the fourth such event in Europe so far.

I posted on the 5th May about the collaboration of Guinness with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland .www.socialentrepreneurs.ie You may also have seen recent billboards around Dublin declaring that Everyone can be a change maker.
This is the tagline of Ashoka www.ashoka.org a global non-profit organization of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs focused on implementing solutions to the [...]

A landmark survey indicated that young children are amazingly creative; by the time they are adults this natural innate creativity is almost gone. How can we take some of that innate creativity and playfulness of the child’s world back to the adult world to elegantly uncover innovative solutions to challenges?

Last minute tickets meant we got to see the Irish screening of Gary Hustwit’s Objectified documentary film in the IFI, Dublin on the 2nd June. Screened as part of the IFI’s Stranger than Fiction festival James Kelly, artistic director of the festival introduced the film and director, Gary Hustwit, spoke briefly about his reasons for [...]

I took a shortcut yesterday that made my journey two hours longer. The irony of leaving work early “to get on the road and  beat the traffic” wasn’t lost on me.  Somehow, I missed the sign and my turn off and ended up lost, confused and unsure what direction to take.
Then I had an [...]

Photo of Brainstorming at IDEO (www.ideo.com)
Innovation in products, services and business models is cited as the only way out of the recession. Within organisations, innovating how we come up with new ideas to existing problems (or opportunities and challenges) can produce great results and ultimately create competitive advantage.
Applying the elements of creative brainstorming set out [...]

Infectious: Stay Away is the tag line for this innovative exhibition now showing in The Science Gallery, TCD. Ignore the health warning, it’s fantastic-Go!
Opened since 17th April, 14,000 people have already visited the “containment zone” on Pearse Street.