Innovation – Where Does It Come From

It is easy to become complacent and forget to innovate. We tend to look at solutions to problems that are common to us instead of redefining the problem and/or the solution. A great example of re-defining the solution is the invention of ‘Pringles’ potato chips. A group of college students were asked to come up with a better way to package potato chips. Instead of re-designing the package, they re-designed the product inside the package. The next time you are challenged with a problem at work, don’t think ‘this is impossible’, instead think, ‘what can I change in the equation that will make the solution easier to accomplish’. A stop sign does not have to be octagonal and red, but it does need to catch the attention of the viewer and make them stop. What other visual items would result in the same effect? Does the audience determine the reaction to the visual item? Ask these and a lot of other questions before determining the course of action you will take in solving your next problem. Make innovation a habit as opposed to an exception. The author, Marge Bonura, is the Director of Sales & Marketing for New England Machinery, Inc. (NEM). NEM is a leading packaging machinery manufacturer of bottle unscramblers, cappers, orienters, retorquers, lidders, pluggers, pump sorter/placers, scoop feeders, hopper elevators and much more. The company has been in business since 1974 selling to the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, personal care, chemical, household products, automotive and other industries. For more information on NEM, visit their website at www.neminc.com.