Each week I scour articles, wading through the dogs, and bringing you the best insights to help product managers, developers, and innovators be heroes.
HBR study – team members, not leaders, more responsible for innovation. While innovation continues to score highly in importance, most organizations are underperforming, and the respondents to an HBR survey indicates the issue is not leadership. Instead, it is how team members interact and their accomplishments that drive innovation. Use these tips for building or improving a product innovation team… https://hbr.org/2016/08/leadership-may-not-be-the-problem-with-your-innovation-team
Use themes to organize product roadmaps and set direction. Product developers and customers will be more excited about incremental enhancements to a product if they are organized and communicated as a theme. Read details at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-de-haaff/how-product-managers-use-_1_b_11595610.html?
How diversity influences innovation – interview with PayPal leader. Hisham Abdulhalim, senior product manager in Risk at PayPal, shares his experiences with diversity and innovation. Read about them at http://www.geektime.com/2016/08/22/want-to-create-a-diverse-team-according-to-paypal-product-manager-a-tv-show-could-be-one-way-in-israel/
R&D spending not related to innovation. For 12 years now the Top 1000 Most Innovative Companies report has found not relationship between R&D spending and level of innovation. The most innovative companies are rarely the largest spenders. The article also offers a formula: innovation = invention + customer value + business model. Read more at http://www.forbes.com/sites/tendayiviki/2016/08/21/why-rd-spending-is-not-a-measure-of-innovation
Examples of inspiring innovation at Boeing, Adobe, Google, and Microsoft. Empowering and motivating employees along with co-creating with customers are some success factors. Read more at http://fortune.com/2016/08/24/employee-trust-managment/
Fast Company’s list of the most innovation companies in 2016. Taco Bell at #10 – I’m feeling the need to run to the Bell! Find the list of the top-50 companies at https://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies
The primary responsibilities for an organization are product management and innovation. They deliver value to customers. They're also exciting responsibilities for those properly equipped. That is my job - equipping product managers and innovators. 
