Probably the best known ideation technique of all is brainstorming. In this, a group of around 6-12 people get together to develop new ideas, guided by a facilitator and a few basic rules. These rules can be summarised as
The world can seem an uncertain, dangerous place at the moment. As I write, the consequences of the Brexit vote are still uncertain in a wide range of fields. The Labour party is in turmoil, Syria is in rather worse turmoil, terrorism continues, climate change continues, and we look with incredulity at the prospect of a Trump presidency. Continue reading Voyaging into an uncertain future.
I often wonder how much energy is wasted in the UK for no benefit whatsoever.
About a month ago, after we’d had a few plumbing jobs done, we noticed that our Combie boiler was turning itself on every time we used a cold tap. Or more precisely, the boiler turned itself on briefly, a few seconds after we turned a cold tap off. Continue reading Fixing combie boilers that fire up when the cold tap is used.
Given the recent political turmoil, with Brexit, terrorist outrages and leadership elections all over the place, it’s easy to feel unsettled. This sense of unease can have knock-on consequences on our ability to be creative and come up with new ideas, even in the nominally separate world of R&D. Continue reading Creativity in times of uncertainty
Whatever happens as a result of the current political turmoil, we’ll have to work together and be creative if we’re to solve the problems ahead of us.
I believe that an underlying problem is that over the last few decades, particularly in the English-speaking world, we’ve developed a box ticking culture in many of our institutions which involves a cycle of lack of trust, fear, risk aversion and micromanagement. This plays out in our political systems, our education system, our healthcare systems, our banks and many corporations. It is damaging creativity, and making it increasingly impossible for leaders to lead. Continue reading Breaking the cycle of distrust
The vote to leave the EU is disappointing, but it’s the clear democratic voice of the UK, so we’ll have to do it. The next few years are going to be a time of huge turmoil, and there will be major changes.
However it’s clear that for many, the vote is a cry of pain, rather than something that has been carefully thought through. This means we need to look at how to ensure that Brexit is done in a way that addresses the root causes of the distress, rather than making it worse.
I believe that those of us that care about peace, justice and a healthy environment should urgently articulate an inspiring progressive vision for an independent Britain. Continue reading Building a better Britain
Ask who invented the light bulb, and most people will say “Edison”
He didn’t of course, but I always think the story of the multiple inventors of the light bulb sheds some interesting light on the distributed way that innovation really happens: The person that gets the credit is very seldom the sole contributor, and it all takes a lot longer than people think. Continue reading Invent a better light bulb
This is a summary of my longer article, first published by Friends of the Earth, and available here
It’s very clear that the next generation will need to do better than us if they’re to resolve the huge environmental and economic challenges ahead of us, build a better society and provide wellbeing for 8-10 billion people while using less resources than at present. They will need innovators, but educational systems in many countries – not least the UK – are killing rather than fostering creativity. Continue reading Breaking the Cycle of Distrust: developing creativity and empathy in a challenging world.
The other day, I was at an event on climate change and joined a discussion between a lawyer, a scientist and the CEO of a thinktank, who were debating whether it is fear, optimism or scientific evidence that will make people change. Continue reading Motivating change
Much of my work is about the transition to a low carbon economy. This gave me the perfect opportunity to persuade my husband (he needed little persuading) that we should spend a five days in Paris at the time of the UN climate negotiations in December. Continue reading How the deal was done