Innovative Edge Inc

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Perhaps the first company to formally study the relationship between diversity and creativity was Synectics, Inc., founded in 1960 and still in existence today. Synectics was the first consultancy dedicated to promoting corporate creativity and innovation in its client organizations, which have included such Fortune 500 icons as Coca-Cola, Unilever, Citigroup and 3M, as well as hundreds of smaller companies and non-profits.

Jeff developed and refined his capabilities in this area as a former principal at Synectics, Inc., an international consulting firm recognized as the pioneer in the field of business innovation. Since 1990, he has worked with client teams from many industries inventing new technologies, re-designing manufacturing operations, creating new product and marketing concepts, identifying fresh applications for existing technologies, naming new products and businesses, and planning strategies for the future.

In a news item that appeared on the front page of the New York Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, and probably most of the nation's newspapers this past February 9, we learned that a team of 80 scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, NY had made a startling discovery. They announced the results of an experiment in which the movement of muons, which are subatomic particles similar to electrons, deviated from what would have been predicted under the so-called Standard Model of particle physics, when sent through a particle accelerator.

Here is an example of how diversifying the mix of thinkers in an ideation session can increase the creative output of the team. Several years ago we assisted a manufacturer of operating room equipment and supplies by conducting a new product invention session. They wanted to invent a new concept for a particular apparatus used in laparoscopic surgery. For this project, they had put together a team consisting of four individuals from R&D, and four from marketing. To their credit, they also included on the team an operating room nurse to get an "insider's" perspective.

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