Why Innovation Matters Even More Today - Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation - page 32

Talent Creation - for the individual innovator, the talent will generally
begin with you. However, you will need to acquire talent that goes beyond
you to see the idea fully realized. Individuals to consider include marketing
professionals, legal support, and other technical individuals.

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Technology Transfer - the transfer of the idea from your personal labora-
tory, garage, or personal computer is the point at which you will begin to
see (hopefully) the concept move into a value-added innovation. This is
rarely done as an individual due to the various skills required at this point.
Thus, it's often useful (once your idea has been protected) to seek addi-
tional collaborators at this point.

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The next step for you, if you are truly seeking to be an innovator, is to carry out
your mission. As I've said before, Please, write your idea down - seeing it on paper
will be a powerful motivator. Next, write down at least a four-step plan to move
toward the development of the idea. Create a schedule and then - take the first step
in your plan. Perhaps you don't have the necessary skill or it will take years to fully
develop your idea - don't despair - in this case you might find someone who does
or who can help you. Then you can start the product innovation process, and plan
for technology transfer or commercialization of your innovation. As an alternative
to creating an idea on your own, your process may involve becoming an intrapre-
neur - a person that innovates within an organization . Many companies are now
encouraging employees to create products and develop them in-house with certain
appropriations. The last stage is to seek funding or support for your innovation,
so you can transition the product into the hands of the users or those who value it.
As much as we tend to “love” our ideas love alone will not lead to innova-
tion. If an idea is to mature into an innovation, it will require other people to
recognize the value and be willing to support it in the development process.
The “Tests of a New Product or Service” table, developed by Samson, can be a
useful resource to begin the evaluation. For your idea or concept, consider sum-
marizing a response to each of the areas identified in Table 2.2 .
Once you have completed a similar table for your idea, you can begin to
honestly look at the potential associated with your concept. As you look to
refine your concept, consider assessing the areas the test did not produce strong
or favorable outcomes in. For these areas, determine how you can refine the
concept to achieve more positive results in the test. The evaluation of your idea
will be an iterative process that should take place numerous times in order for
you to have a comprehensive understanding of the potential role associated with
your idea as well as the most appropriate strategy for developing the innovation.

SUMMARY
The collaborative and connective nature of innovation today can be fostered
greatly with the use of technology. Gaining an understanding of the importance,
impact, and process for innovation can be valuable in moving you forward toward
the realization of your innovations. The time to innovate is now - whether you