Edges have always been interesting places. And I think they are becoming increasingly so.
In The Power Of Pull, Hagel, Brown and Davison talk about innovation happening at the edges of organisations. About the value of individuals who are connected to the interesting ideas being shared and who bring new thinking into a company.
At the #Firestarters 2 event at Google, Tom Hulme of IDEO talked about how great insight can come from looking to the extremes of how people use a product or a service.
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I think it’s perfectly valid to focus on core customers and making your product or service as good as it possibly can be for them. But I also think that an endless cycle of driving efficiencies leaves little room for the kind of ideas that really challenge existing ways of doing things. So next time you want a big idea, look to the edges. It’s a little raw and nervy out there, but it’s where all the interesting stuff is.
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Original Post: http://neilperkin.typepad.com/only_dead_fish/2011/09/at-the-edge.html
