We continue our countdown from 30 down to 21 where we see some very modern inventions starting to appear in the list.

The 50 Greatest Inventions of all Time – Countdown 30 to 21

30. Bluetooth (1989)

There is some confusion on who actually invented the concept of Bluetooth.

In 1989 Nils Rydbeck, CTO at Ericsson Mobile in Lund, Sweden initiated the development of the “short-link” radio technology which later became known as “Bluetooth”. His objective was to create wireless headsets.

However, it is Jaap Haartsen in 1994 who lay the foundations for “Bluetooth Wireless Technology” on mobile phones to create new sales.

Today, most tech devices come with Bluetooth as standard and come with incredible stability and distance (up to 400m with Bluetooth 5.0).

Bluetooth is definitely a modern-day great invention that makes our lives much easier and helps us to stay connected.

Quick Quiz: Do you know how and why Bluetooth got its name?

Interested reading: The Story Behind How Bluetooth Technology Got Its Name by Bluetooth

29. The Binary System (1679)

Here is another contentious argument as to who invented the Binary System (i.e. system containing only 0’s and 1’s).

Gottfried Leibniz, a German polymath active as a mathematician, philosopher, scientist, and diplomat, is credited with the invention in 1679.

However, an English mathematician and scientist named Thomas Harriot had already been theorising with the binary, ternary, quaternary, and quinternary systems in the late 1500s.

However, he did not see any practical application at that time.

A quarter-century later, the 1940s saw the first practical use of the Binary System in making computer’s possible.

The Binary System is undoubtedly a great invention, and the “unsung hero” of the computer era, that has dramatically changed our lives today.

Interesting reading: The Binary System Was Created Long Before Leibniz by Herbert Bruderer

28. The Wheel (3500 B.C.)

Wheels have been around for most of humanity’s reign, and it is easy to see that we are still pretty attached to them.

Though wheels have changed substantially throughout the years, this is one invention that humanity just would not be the same without.

Making it possible to take things from here to there, the wheel dates back to 3500 B.C. where it was first harnessed by the Sumerians, who inserted rotating axles into solid discs of wood.

Today the modern wheel makes for a much smoother ride.

Interesting reading: A Salute To The Wheel by Megan Gambino

27. The Practical Modern Greenhouse (1800…)

Most of us love fresh veggies and a nice collection of houseplants, and the greenhouse allows us to harness this power on a much bigger level.

The concept of greenhouses goes back as far as AD 14 – 37 when the Roman emperor Tiberius was particularly partial to a daily cucumber-like vegetable. Constructed of beds on wheels, people moved them around daily to capture the sun.

Charles Lucian Bonaparte introduced the first practical modern greenhouse in the 1800s designed to grow tropical and medicinal plants.

Today, greenhouses help us to grow plants and food when the conditions to do so are not ideal.

Interesting reading: The History of Greenhouses by Growlink

26. Refrigeration (1834)

Humanity has had its fair share of food needs and preserving food has been a fairly consistent problem throughout history.

Historically, we would keep items in natural cold spaces or even coat meats and other products in salt to keep them preserved.

While these methods did serve as a decent stand-in, the world changed forever when Jacob Perkins introduced the first working vapour-compression refrigeration system in 1834.

But it wasn’t until 1913 that refrigerators started to appear in the home.

Today, we buy more than 200 million refrigerators worldwide every year, making this not only a great invention but clearly a necessary one.

Interesting reading: History of Refrigeration and Refrigerators by History Of Refrigeration

25. The Email (1965 or 1971 or 1977)

This invention is one that by now, some of us regret — but it wasn’t always that way.

Whilst our inboxes today are full of advertisements from obscure online stores and urgent messages from the boss, email is clearly a game-changer in modern communication.

The invention of email though is actually a point of controversy.

Depending on who you ask, the inventor’s name can change.

In 1965, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) university developed a system that allowed users to share files and messages via a centralised disk by logging in from remote terminals. Some say this was the first email invention.

Six years later in 1971, an American computer programmer named Ray Tomlinson introduced the “@” symbol allowing messages to target individuals on certain machines.

It wasn’t until 1977 when Arpanet introduced the first email standard (including To: and From: fields).

Though we may not agree on who deserves the credit for this one, the fact remains that emails allow us to quickly convey information around the world in an instant.

Interesting reading: The History of Email: Major Milestones from 50 Years by Emailonacid

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24. Google (1998)

If you grew up with Google, you probably recognise that the Google of today is not what was first introduced by Larry Page and Sergey Brin back in 1995.

The original version of Google was more of a dream than anything, and it didn’t always work all that well.

It also wasn’t named Google. The first search engine was actually called Backrub!

In August 1998, Sun co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim wrote Larry and Sergey a check for $100,000, and Google Inc. was officially born.

Now, Google is such an effective tool that the average person uses it several times a day.

Whether you want to know who that one actor is, or you just want to look up a recipe for dinner, Google has your back.

This system has fundamentally changed how we use and access the internet today.

For a lot of us, Google is the internet, so it is pretty easy to see why it is so notable and clearly why it must be included as one of the greatest inventions of all time.

Interesting reading: From the Garage to the Googleplex by Google.

23. Car Airbags (1951)

For as long as cars have been on the road, there have been dangerous accidents.

Older cars might not have packed that much of a punch, but with today’s acceleration and maximum speeds, getting in a car is always a risk.

Two dentists from Birmingham in 1920, Arthur Parrott & Harold Round, actually own the patent for airbags.

However, the introduction of air-filled bags in cars was much later, in 1951.

The American John W. Hetrick and German engineer Walter Linderer filed separate patents just a couple of months apart and therefore the invention of the airbag in cars is credited to both of them.

This is one invention that literally saves lives, but you might not believe how long it took for airbags to catch on.

By 1998 most vehicles had airbags as standard.

Interesting reading: A Detailed Look at the History of Airbags by Hotcars

22. Wood Burning Stoves (1500…)

Unless you live in a college dorm, you would probably be surprised to walk into a living space that doesn’t have a stove, but this invention actually took quite a while to truly catch on.

Introduced in Europe during the 16th century, wood-burning stoves paved the way for modern stove use as we know it.

These stoves could heat up space and cook food so it wouldn’t kill you. However, it was the mid-1700s before many households had one.

Like many inventions, the credit for the first wood-burning stove is again a contentious issue. However, many consider Benjamin Franklin as the true inventor in 1751, which he aptly named the “Franklin Stove”.

Most of us have stepped away from traditional wood-burning stoves today, but it is hard to imagine a world without them.

Interesting reading: Who Invented the Wood-Burning Stove by Gr8fires

21. The Microphone (1878)

The microphone is another one of those great inventions that have a fair bit of controversy around its origin.

Some people believe that Alexander Graham Bell invented the microphone back in 1876.

However, people generally credit David Edward Hughes, Emile Berliner and Thomas Edison as the real inventors of the first true microphone in 1878. This microphone enabled proper voice telephony was the (loose-contact) carbon microphone.

Receiving credit for an original invention isn’t always easy, but there is no arguing the long-lasting impact of the microphone on our society.

Without it, we would never get to enjoy a concert or listen to all of those fun podcasts.

Interesting reading: Mic History – Who Invented Each Type of Microphone and When by MyNewMicrophone

Conclusion

There are some incredible inventions on this list that have changed our lives forever.

From the wheel to Google.

Inventions drive change, mostly for the better (with the exception of email of course).

We are down to the top 20 of greatest inventions of all time which is coming soon.

Check out the complete series

• 50 to 41: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (50 to 41)
• 40 to 31: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (40 to 31)
• 30 to 21: This article
• 20 to 11: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (20 to 11) – coming soon
• 10 to 01: Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (10 to 1) – coming soon

The post The 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – (30 to 21) appeared first on Wide Ideas.

The 50 Greatest Inventions of all Time – Countdown (40 to 31)

40. The Logitech Adaptive Gaming Kit (2019)

The video game industry worldwide is worth billions — and the market is still growing.

And I guess it would have been an obvious choice to include video gaming in the list of the greatest inventions of all time right?

But in a world that is striving to be fairer and more inclusive, we decided the Logitech Adaptive Gaming Kit was the right choice for today’s society to make it on our list.

Logitech G worked with the Microsoft Inclusive Tech Lab and leading accessibility groups to develop a set of configurable controls that enables people with varying levels of disabilities to play games more effectively.

These adaptive and engaging devices have made the world of gaming a little bigger, which is a big step towards better inclusivity.

Interesting reading: Press Release

39. The Printing Press (1436)

Wang Chen is the first pioneer when we talk about written books.

Wang created a piece of written work on agriculture and farming practices called Nung Shu back in 1297, using a revolving table for typesetters to help organise with more efficiency.

This method produced greater printing speeds.

However, it was a German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg in 1436, that created the first printing press in Europe which has redefined the way that we share information and tell stories.

This incredible device made it easy to distribute information, bringing a lot of people into a world that was previously out of reach.

Though our approach to printing has changed quite a bit, the fact remains that the printing press is what we have to thank for today’s information-sharing society.

It had to make it on our list of greatest inventions of all time.

Interesting reading: 7 Ways the Printing Press Changed the World by History.com

38. The Mobile / CELL Phone (1984)

Back in 1973, Martin Cooper and John F. Mitchell of Motorola proved the concept of a wireless conversation over the Bell Labs network and quickly patented the idea in the same year.

However, it wasn’t until 1984 that the first mobile phone was launched called the DynaTAC (nicknamed “the brick”).

It weighed over a kilogram but quickly became a must-have accessory for wealthy business people.

The DynaTAC that used to commonly drop calls, has since been replaced with mobile phones that have more processing power than the average computer.

Though Motorola isn’t quite as prominent today due to stiff competition, the fact remains that they changed how we communicate forever.

Interesting read: The Invention of Mobile Phones by The Science Museum

37. The Pacemaker (1960)

In 1958 Dr. William Chardack, Dr. Andrew Gage, and an engineer by the name of Wilson Greatbatch implanted an electrode in a dog attached to a pulse generator.

Two years later, the first cardiac pacemaker was implanted in a 77-year-old man.

Today, cardiac pacemakers are a common medical practice with over 3 million recipients.

They help people who have arrhythmia (i.e. heart beats too fast, too slow or has an irregular rhythm), by sending electrical pulses to the heart to produce a steady rhythm to pump blood around the body efficiently.

Its lifesaving capabilities make it one of the greatest inventions in our history.

Interesting reading: Pacemakers by NHLBI

36. The Camera (1825)

Though most of us don’t go a day without snapping a picture of our pets while they sleep or our brunch out with friends, this wasn’t always the case.

Whilst photography has been around for centuries, there wasn’t a way to preserve the image the cameras produced until the discovery of silver chloride.

It was this chemical compound that was found to be especially susceptible to darkening from light exposure in 1777 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele.

The first permanent photograph of an image with a camera didn’t happen until 1825 when Nicephore Niepce used a sliding box camera made by Charles and Vincent Chevalier from Paris, France.

Today, all mobile phones come with a camera and are able to produce images with remarkable details and completely perfect colour too.

It is pretty amazing to see how far this invention has come and why it’s one of the greatest inventions of all time.

Interesting reading: Fascinating History Of Cameras Since The First Camera by Photoblog

35. The MRI (1977)

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a specific medical technique that is available within the world of radiology.

It allows us to take fairly detailed images of the anatomy and the physiological happenings that occur throughout our bodies.

This diagnostic tool can uncover disease, check on recovery, and identify physical damage.

First proposed in 1969, this incredible scientific breakthrough is the work of Raymond Vahan Damadian.

This American physician and inventor discovered that tumours and normal tissue could be seen with nuclear magnetic resonance.

This was the starting ground for the first scan to diagnose cancer in 1977.

Today, there are over 20,000 MRI scanners around the world performing over 50 million scans every year.

Interesting reading: The Fascinating History of the MRI Machine by Start Imaging and Research Centre

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34. Penicillin (1928)

It isn’t surprising that Penicillin made it onto our 50 greatest inventions of all time list.

However, it may be surprising that it is only at No. 44.

It was back in 1928 that researcher Alexander Fleming first discovered this lifesaving group of antibiotics.

However, some would say that his approach was fairly questionable.

At the time, diseases were running rampant — and we had very few ways to treat them.

The hospitals were full, and doctors wanted a solution.

One day, Alexander Fleming noticed that several of his Petri dishes were covered with bacterial colonies that mirrored what they were exposed to, but something strange happened.

In one area, there was mould — and wherever the mould was, bacteria wasn’t.

He created a mould juice after further study, and in the end, he changed medicine forever.

Interesting reading: Penicillin – The Accidental Discovery by The Science Museum

33. The Apple iPod (2001)

For as long as humans have roamed the earth, we have found beauty in music and rhythm.

This led to countless devices being made so we could enjoy music on the go — and none of them has been quite as game-changing as the iPod.

First invented back in 2001, the iPod could hold up to 1,000 songs and paved the way for all future music devices.

Giving us the power to carry a collection of our favourite albums was certainly an advancement — and now, we see this technology reflected in every phone and tablet on the market.

Interesting reading: 20 years ago the iPod was born via NPR

32. DNA Testing (1984)

True crime fans know that Deoxyribonucleic acid testing (or DNA) plays a huge role in the world of crime, helping us to solve cold cases every single day.

It was Jeffrey Glassberg in 1983 who submitted the first patent covering the direct use of DNA variation for forensics.

However, it was the geneticist, Sir Alec Jeffreys in 1984, who is credited with developing a DNA process for profiling fingerprints that we still use today.

DNA testing not only helps us solve crimes but also checks for medical conditions and helps us to better understand the origins of our families.

This development allows us to understand animals, including humans, like never before making it one of the greatest inventions in the modern era.

Interesting reading: The History of Genetic Fingerprinting by the University of Leicester.

31. The Compass (202 BC – 220 AD )

In today’s world, most of us don’t go anywhere without GPS.

However, until the full constellation of 24 satellites became operational in 1993, GPS wasn’t the tool used for navigation.

It was the compass and it goes so far back in history that it might actually shock you.

Early records show that the compass was first invented over 2000 years ago during the Han Dynasty in China, roughly between 202 BC – 220 AD.

These compasses were originally made of lodestone, a naturally magnetized stone of iron and were actually called “South Pointing Fish”.

Today, compasses are made with steel and cobalt playing an active role in navigation around the world.

Interesting reading: The History of the Compass by Dalvey

Conclusion

For some inventions, it is easy to see the impact whilst for others, it may not be quite so obvious.

But as long as we keep inventing, we will continue to improve our world.

Check out the complete series

• 50 to 41: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (50 to 41)
• 40 to 31: This article
• 30 to 21: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (30 to 21)
• 20 to 11: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (20 to 11) – coming soon
• 10 to 01: Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (10 to 1) – coming soon

The post The 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – (40 to 31) appeared first on Wide Ideas.

And I guess it is impossible to categorically say that these are the greatest inventions of all time when time actually still exists.

However, it is important to highlight all the great inventions of our era and reflect on how they impact our lives today.

Some of the inventions in this list saved lives. Others redefined how our society operates. And there are some that appear to be just plain fun.

However, all the inventions in this list have had a compound impact on our lives in some way.

We expect you will find our list “interesting” and somewhat controversial, but we hope it will inspire young inventors to shape our future.

The 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown 50 to 41

50. The Life Vest (1854)

Boats have changed significantly throughout history, but they all come with the same risk: drowning.

Being out on the water can be exceptionally dangerous, which is why Captain John Ross Ward, a man who would go on to be the Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy, created the first modern-day personal floatation device in 1854, now known as the “life vest”.

The design has changed throughout history, but its lasting impact still saves lives today, which is why it has to make it on our greatest inventions of all time list.

Interesting reading 1854: First Lifejackets by the RNLI.

49. The Text Message (1984)

Most of us remember the dark ages when we had to make phone calls in order to be in contact with a loved one.

Fortunately, the creation of the text message changed communication forever.

Now, most of us use these easy messages every single day to communicate important information, share funny stories, and talk with loved ones.

First created in 1984 by Friedhelm Hillebrand and Bernard Ghillebaert, text messages now come in many different forms today.

And they help us all to stay away from awkward phone calls!

Interesting reading – A Brief History of Text Messaging by Mobivity.

48. The Barcode (1948)

First invented in 1948 by two Drexel University students named Norman J Woodland and Bernard Silver, the barcode actually wasn’t popular until its first use in 1974.

Did you know that it was originally used on a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit gum?

From individual products to online purchases, barcodes are everywhere today.

It is hard to imagine shopping without these handy logos that make it easy to manage inventory, identify product information, and improve the entire purchasing process.

It is hard to imagine a world without them.

Interesting reading – Barcodes: A Brief History by Trackabout.

47. The Air Purifier (1963)

Created for the first time in 1963, by Manfred and Klaus Hammes, home air purification systems have had a huge impact on society.

Modern versions can wipe out bacteria and viruses right from the air — but this isn’t their only use.

Air purifiers have a place of significance in the medical community as well, by removing any allergens from the air that can possibly irritate people’s lungs.

Some of them can even create negative ions, which, unlike their name, are actually very good and have been proven to assist with depression and anxiety.

Interesting reading – A Brief History of Air Purifiers

46. The Kindle (2007)

It might be a surprise to many that this made it on our 50 greatest inventions of all time list

However, Amazon’s Kindle (first introduced to the world in 2007), has been creating controversy in book spaces since its launch.

While some readers do love the smell of a good book, the Kindle offers the ability to carry up to 3000 books with the right configurations.

This monumental change has lowered the need for paper copies, ultimately helping to reduce waste around the world.

Adding in the convenience of being able to download any book at any time, you will find that the Kindle changed one of the world’s most treasured pastimes on a fundamental level.

Interesting reading – Amazon Kindle: A Brief History from the Original Kindle Onwards by Pocket-lint.

45. The Abacus (2,400 B.C.)

Not only one of the greatest inventions of all time but also one of the oldest on our list.

This ancient counting tool was first thought to have been used by the Babylonians as early as 2,400 B.C.

It is constantly shown in older movies, and its huge impact on mathematics is why.

Used to manage calculations that would have otherwise been much more difficult, the abacus moved us along in mathematics and helped us to teach mathematics to children too.

Though this simple frame and beads might not seem like much, they can still help with addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, and even square roots!

There is quite a bit of power behind these ancient calculators.

Interesting reading – Abacus: Complete History of the Abacus by History Computer.

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44. Coffee (15th Century)

Throughout hundreds of years’ worth of history, you can find references to coffee drinking. And now, it is more prominent than ever.

Many of us are well acquainted with the need for coffee first thing in the morning. But do you know how far back this practice actually goes?

Original references to coffee reach back as far as the 15th century by a goat herder in Ethiopia. Historians say that this goat herder discovered coffee after he noticed that after eating the berries from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic that they did not want to sleep at night. 

Still a favourite drink for many, it is not surprising that this invention changed the world.

To some, coffee is what really keeps the world spinning.

Interesting reading – The History of Coffee by NCA.

43. The Battery (1800)

Originally created by Alessandro Volta in 1800, the first battery was a steppingstone to a new future for humanity.

Able to store and use energy only when needed, the battery has made all subsequent technological advancements possible.

Today’s batteries are quite different from classic batteries, but this initial development paved the way for a brighter future with energy when we need it.

These days, we live our lives surrounded by batteries.

As well as electric cars, homes are now using huge Tesla wall batteries to store excess solar power.

Batteries are going to have a profound impact on tackling climate change by developing more efficient and greener batteries with greater storage capacity.

This is not only one of the greatest inventions of all time, but it’s also going to be an invention for the future.

Interesting reading – The History and Development of Batteries by Phys Org.

42. The Nail (3,400 B.C.)

The nail is an invention as old as time, but the world as we know it wouldn’t exist without this one.

Originating back to around 3,400 B.C., the nail is one invention that has more or less stayed the same throughout the years because the original design was that good.

In modern times, we have a lot more variety, but the nails from history sure look a lot like the nails that we have today—and we still use them for absolutely everything.

Interesting reading – Nailed It: The History of Nails by Monroe Engineering.

41. The Microwave (1947)

The microwave was first discovered accidentally by Percy Spencer and he filed for the first patent in 1945.

However, the first commercial microwave oven wasn’t tested until 1947 in a Boston restaurant.

But it looked a little different than the ones we use today!

These once-large systems have now been shrunk down into a smaller package so everyone can benefit from them.

They are so popular that almost all modern homes and apartments come with them as a standard.

The microwave brought a special convenience to cooking that few other things ever have, and most people still use one daily.

Interesting reading – The Amazing True Story of How the Microwave Was Invented by Accident by Popular Mechanics.

Conclusion

Some inventions change the world, and some inventions just change the world for certain people.

At the end of the day, even the smallest invention can redefine life as we know it.

These greatest inventions of all time have changed lives—and history—and we are just getting started.

Check out the complete series

• 50 to 41: This article
• 40 to 31: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (40 to 31)
• 30 to 21: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (30 to 21)
• 20 to 11: 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (20 to 11) – coming soon
• 10 to 01: Greatest Inventions of All Time – Countdown (10 to 1) – coming soon

The post The 50 Greatest Inventions of All Time – (50 to 41) appeared first on Wide Ideas.

When you think about a big idea, what does it mean for you?

Is it an innovative product or a brand-new service? Is it a company that changes the world or solves some key problem?

Big ideas mean something a little different to all of us. However, most of us can spot them when we see one.

Too often, we believe that these big ideas come from that one genius who knows everything — like a flash of brilliance that just changes the world all at once.

In reality, that generally isn’t true.

All of the best ideas come from people who have failed in different ways before finding success.

In this article, we will explore what we mean by “big idea” and how your failures can often contribute to your biggest ideas.

What is a Big Idea and how do we identify them?

A big idea is an idea that can start surprisingly small, and at the early stages is often incredibly difficult to identify.

The truth behind big ideas is that you can’t really identify them until you see them in action — and some of the biggest ideas are actually the fourth or fifteenth rendition of an initial idea too.

What makes a big idea is the potential that it offers.

Big ideas cannot stand alone.

They are ideas that require work and effort to bring to fruition, but when they do, they can be game-changing.

These ideas are ideas that redefine industries, forge new businesses, or help change the world in a big way.

Sometimes big ideas only succeed in impacting a certain group, but for those individuals, these ideas can be life-changing.

So what are the big ideas and how does failure play a role?

Are you looking for the next Big Idea?

Our Idea Management Software has helped many customers find and implement the Big Idea.

Interested?

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What it Means When We Fail

Failure is a word that so many people spend their lives fearing when they should be embracing it.

While failing isn’t always fun, particularly when you expected success, it isn’t always all that bad either.

What matters when it comes to failure is your mindset.

Big ideas are often identified by trailblazers, even if the person doesn’t have much experience.

Some ideas really do start out as a dream — but it isn’t always sustainable.

It is easy to have a ground-breaking idea that just doesn’t execute well simply because you didn’t know enough. However, failure gives us an opportunity to learn more.

When we fail, we have a couple of potential outcomes.

Either we can pack it up and quit, or we can learn from it and grow.

Making the decision to keep growing is exactly how we can come up with our biggest ideas yet.

With over 582 million entrepreneurs in the world, a new big idea is born every day.

How Embracing Failure can Help to Identify Bigger and Better Ideas

Identifying big ideas is only the first step, you still need to implement and drive change.

But big ideas more often than not fail at the early stage.

It is easy to focus on failure for its negative attributes, but failure actually teaches us quite a bit about what we were trying to do.

As long as you are happy to look at the situation and plan to learn from it, you will find that your failure was actually just a setback — and we can always grow from setbacks.

So how does failure create the biggest ideas?

1. It Inspires Innovative Thinking

Removing the ego from failure can help us to get a wonderful burst of innovative thinking.

Our failures show us what didn’t work.

They can also help us to think more about the potential applications of our ideas.

An excellent example of this is Bubble Wrap.

Most of us think of Bubble Wrap as something fun that we played with as children, but did you know that it was originally created as wallpaper?

We might laugh to think of this now, and it is fairly easy to see why Bubble Wrap failed while being marketed in that way. However, rather than simply throwing out the entire product, the creator got a little more creative.

Following an epic fail, Bubble Wrap was used to wrap IBM computers — and the rest is history.

2. It Highlights Potential Problems

A lot of the time when we fail with an idea, we identify and focus on what caused our idea to fail.

While this is important, there is more to it.

Running through a failure can give us a lot of information about potential problems for our product or services that go well beyond what caused the initial failure.

Learning from this information is invaluable.

3. It Provides Insights from the Trial

In the same way that we can learn about potential problems, we also learn about the reality of our work or ideas when they fail.

A failed launch is still a launch, and we can learn a lot from running the trial at all.

We might realise that there are small pain points that can be resolved, or that some specific part didn’t resonate with our audience.

This information can be very helpful.

Conclusion

The big idea is an idea that has the potential to make big changes, and it isn’t always so easy to quickly identify. However, it is something that we should all keep an eye out for.

Remember, while you might find inspiration following a failure with an earlier version of an idea, that isn’t your only opportunity.

Sometimes our biggest failures inspire us to come up with big ideas in a completely different direction, so remember to always learn what you can!

The post How to Identify Big Ideas that Drive Change appeared first on Wide Ideas.

Understanding Innovation in Business

Innovative thinking is not just a collection of ideas, and it isn’t just a series of fleeting thoughts.

When innovation is truly adopted in the company culture, it becomes a part of the culture.

It becomes a mindset that employees and leaders alike can share, and it drives businesses forward in powerful ways.

The way that innovation presents itself can vary from one industry to the next.

For some businesses, it might be coming up with a ground-breaking new product. For others, it might be switching to a new kind of system or embracing another similar industry.

Regardless, the end goal is to find a better way to do business and make products.

How Innovation Impacts Businesses for the Better

To understand why innovation is so important for modern businesses, you need to understand what innovation offers.

There are several ways that innovation improves businesses and industries alike, particularly when the right people embrace it.

Small businesses can see huge boosts from innovation, and bigger businesses can outpace their competitors in a big way.

Let’s explore what innovation can offer.

1. It Looks to the Future

A big benefit of focusing on innovation is the fact that it creates a business model where you are always looking to the future.

Innovative companies make innovative teams, which train innovative employees.

This mindset can spread and will leave every person in your company ready to look for opportunities.

Forward-thinking groups do a great job of taking their company to the next level.

2. It Encourages Teamwork

In a lot of ways, innovation is contagious.

When this mindset is embraced by the people in your business, they will be more likely to come together over it.

While one innovative person can greatly benefit their company, innovation thrives on teamwork.

It creates a space where you can encourage innovation in a more dynamic way, like with meetings, brainstorming sessions, and idea-sharing services.

3. It Creates Opportunities

Every time that a company embraces innovation, it creates opportunities.

When innovative ideas are implemented, companies need individuals who can carry these projects forward.

This creates opportunities where employees can truly thrive and grow in new and exciting ways.

Adding opportunities in different areas is a great way to incentivise employees to perform.

As Elon Musk once said:

starting and growing a business is as much about the innovation, drive, and determination of the people behind it as the product they sell

The opportunities presented by innovation are not only available to employees. It also presents unique opportunities for businesses.

When innovative practices are on the table, it becomes easy to find opportunities for your business as a whole.

An entire door is opened that makes it possible for anything to happen with a company in a positive way.

By embracing the concept of innovation, there is this incredible opportunity where you can think about your business and industry in ways that you might have missed before.

New Business Opportunities are Created through Innovation

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4. It Changes Industries

There are countless examples of innovation redefining entire industries, including Netflix’s streaming service and Amazon’s entire business model.

People often look to these innovators as if they reinvented the wheel, but the truth is that they just embraced innovation.

They looked at the opportunities presented — even if no one else saw them.

These daring decisions led to huge changes in their respective industries, and now, they are on top.

5. It Generates Excitement

A lot of businesses struggle to generate excitement, even though it is a crucial part of any business.

You want employees that are excited about working for your business, but you also want customers and clients that are equally as excited to invest in your products or services.

Innovation does an amazing job of generating excitement for both employees and customers.

It’s the reason that so many people clamour to work at Google, with its modern office spaces—and it is why people invest thousands of dollars a year to buy the new line of Apple products.

Innovation makes things new and interesting, and that fact alone can create a lot of excitement.

Conclusion

Companies that embrace innovation have nothing but potential in front of them.

They are more likely to have employees that believe in their vision of the future, and they are more likely to catch the interest of customers.

When companies embrace innovation, everyone wins.

Before you decide to keep doing the same because it has always worked, consider opting for a new and exciting innovative opportunity instead.

Your employees, your customers, and your stakeholders will thank you.

The post Why Innovation is so Important in Business appeared first on Wide Ideas.

So what are the benefits of open innovation and should your company fear it or embrace it?

What is Open Innovation?

When open innovation was first introduced as a concept in 2011, a fairly high-level Forbes article came with it.

In his own words, Henry Chesbrough, the man who first coined this term, defined it as:

a more distributed, more participatory, more decentralized approach to innovation.

Since then, we have simplified a few components.

At its core, modern open innovation is all about the inclusivity of ideas and creativity from external sources. While traditional innovation efforts are often limited to one company alone or even teams within a company, open innovation is all about learning more from external sources to find the best innovative ideas.

Common Benefits Associated with Embracing Open Innovation in a Company

Companies that utilise open innovation are also opening themselves up to a long list of benefits.

When you think about it, the sheer act of opening up your idea pool can bring a lot of really beneficial gains that will help you to find the best new idea rather than just a new idea.

1. Greater Access to New Ideas

Given its open nature, open innovation automatically helps companies to gain immediate access to more ideas.

Since companies that embrace open innovation are not immediately limiting themselves to a select few people, they are able to receive more ideas from people who otherwise would not have given their input.

When we keep idea sharing in-house, we ultimate limit ourselves to the few people that are working on innovation efforts.

Opening this up allows us to learn a lot more and really improve our pool of potential ideas.

Sometimes the best idea is not from someone in the room, and that is okay.

2. Better Overall Understanding of a Problem

Another of the key benefits to embracing open innovation is the fact that companies generally gain a broader understanding of the problems that they are trying to tackle.

With external input, companies are able to learn more about the problem outside of their limited scope of view.

Working with individuals who know about the industry — especially those who work in it — can help you to gain a better understanding of the problem on a much larger scale.

This helps you to understand the problem in a more open and versatile fashion.

And it can actually lead to more effective innovation.

3. Higher Levels of Creativity

Creativity is at the root of all innovation efforts, and the world is full of creative people.

Most companies know that not every single person they employ is the best or the most creative. And when you are brainstorming for new ideas, you don’t just want a room full of creative people. You need a mix of different styles and viewpoints to broaden the discussion and achieve your goal.

Sometimes the most creative ideas come from other people who have seen the need for innovation from a different angle.

4. Break from Internal Thinking

Internal thinking is both a benefit and a problem for innovation efforts.

It is always good to have people working on innovations that are familiar with how you do business.

However, this can also be limiting.

People who have all seen the same problem the same way have a higher chance of zeroing in on specific details that might not be the best point of focus.

Including external sources in the innovation process can help to challenge “the norm” of how things are done.

When you challenge the “norm” this is where change can happen. Often for the better.

Bring diversity and creativity to the brainstorming process with Open Innovation.

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5. Increases Knowledge Sharing

There are a lot of talented and educated people in the world who know things that you might not, which is why embracing them is so beneficial.

When we consciously make the decision to work with others, we learn.

People often know things that we don’t and have different points of view. Choosing to include them is a great way to gain access to what they know.

While most of us like to think that we know what we need to in order to help our businesses thrive, we can’t really know everything.

Some information only becomes available from experience, which is why using external parties who do know the industry can be so helpful.

It allows us to learn from others instead of just sticking with what we know.

72% of companies have admitted to missing opportunities that would have contributed to growth, and a lot of the time, this comes down to knowledge.

The more we know, the better we can compete.

Conclusion

Open innovation is a process that more companies are opening up to because they see that it offers them a chance for the best solutions available.

Collaborative efforts allow us to really focus on what is available everywhere, not just where we are.

When we allow ourselves to embrace the creativity and information that is available outside of our walls, we empower ourselves to find innovation efforts that are better and designed to offer more.

The post The Benefits of Embracing Open Innovation appeared first on Wide Ideas.

There are times where the meetings, schedules, and dedicated project time all seem to come together.

This can cause problems when you begin to allocate your time.

However, providing feedback is a crucial part of leadership and is known to offer countless benefits for teams.

Unfortunately, it is something that tends to fall by the wayside when leaders find their calendars full.

If you fall into this category then this article will help you to make changes to make time.

The Importance of Feedback

While most of us receive feedback from our peers one way or another, remarks from leadership is a very different occurrence.

Employees rely on input from their leaders to gauge their own efforts.

When employees don’t receive any, it can cause problems for the team and undermine your success as their leader.

Studies show that managers who are known for giving great feedback generally show higher profitability.

When an employee receives feedback from a manager, it gives them an opportunity to celebrate their success. It also enables them to improve their work process.

With good feedback, employees can feel more confident in their own abilities and feel motivated.

It also enables them to expand upon what they already know.

An employee that receives positive feedback on their ideas is more likely to work hard and seek out new opportunities and challenges.

On the other hand, when an employee receives constructive feedback from their leader, it can help them to learn and grow.

Constructive feedback is a useful form of feedback for new ideas that may benefit the company.

How Failing to Give Feedback Impacts Teams

Employees that don’t receive feedback can feel like they are in limbo.

Without your input as a leader, they will be more likely to wonder where they fall.

They also won’t be able to gauge if their idea is good or not.

Employees also won’t trust the opinions of their peers if a leader doesn’t share their own.

Unfortunately, this is incredibly common.

In fact, when asked, 32% of interviewed employees reported that they had to wait several months to receive feedback from their managers on average.

Not only is a lack of feedback confusing for teams, but it can also be discouraging.

It can cause teams to be wary of sharing new ideas.

This is because the average person will take this as a sign that their efforts are not what their leadership was looking for.

In some cases, it may stop employees from sharing ideas altogether.

Encourage employees to share ideas

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3 Tips to Make Time for Idea Feedback

Making time for idea feedback can feel impossible when you look at a calendar that is filled with overlapping meetings.

But it doesn’t need to be.

Like any other aspect of work, you can learn to give more idea feedback and plan accordingly so there is time for it.

This will help your team to see that you are committed to their success.

1. Take Notes

One of the best ways to make sure that you have time for feedback is simply just to take good notes.

By taking good notes, you can have a few talking points when you give feedback.

You can use this in a way that suits your needs.

Jotting down a few notes when ideas are being shared means that you can highlight key points after the meeting, on the fly, or even in an email when you are ready to elaborate.

2. Schedule Regular 1×1 Meetings

Leaders should be in consistent communication with everyone on their team about their performance, and this is a wonderful place to offer idea feedback.

Scheduling regular 1×1 meetings can make it easy for you to dedicate time to giving feedback on a variety of topics, and it offers a great way to connect with your team on a more personal level.

3. Discuss New Ideas with Your Team

Your team is likely full of ideas, and if you want to make them a priority, you need to treat these spaces as a priority.

Committing dedicated time to talk with your team about ideas is a wonderful way to make sure that you always have the time to give that feedback when they need it.

Openly discussing ideas is a great opportunity for you to give feedback in real-time. This helps your team to start thinking in the right direction.

Conclusion

Powerful leaders empower their teams to always keep an eye out for opportunities — and these opportunities can turn into ideas.

Providing clear and consistent feedback to your team is a wonderful way to keep them engaged.

It also encourages them to keep coming up with new ideas when the opportunity presents itself.

A little feedback can go a long way in helping you to help your team perform better.

Remember to keep the dialogue flowing so your team knows that they are always welcome to share their inspirations!

The post Why Providing Idea Feedback is Critical for Leaders appeared first on Wide Ideas.

In this article, we will explore how you can better understand the wants and needs of your customers for their benefit and yours.

What it Means to Understand the Customers’ Needs

Understanding the customers’ needs should be a key point of focus for companies of all sizes.

Whether your business is just starting to gain traction, or you are a leader in your industry, your top priority should always be anticipating your customers’ needs so that you can meet and exceed them.

This is how you can create lasting customer relationships that are guaranteed to keep them coming back for more.

When you understand the needs of customers, it means that you understand the ways that your industry and your business, in particular, are serving or failing them. There is a reason that your customer is interacting with your business in the first place.

Your job is to understand how you are assisting them and what you can do to enhance their experience with your company and your industry.

Are you looking to obtain better customer insights?

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Ways to Learn the Wants of your Customers

Learning what your customer wants can seem incredibly difficult at first glance.

As much as business owners wish that they could, the majority of them can’t read the minds of their customers.

Truthfully, this might not actually be the case. There are ways to learn exactly what your customer wants if you know how to look for them — and when you do this, your customers will love you for it.

86% of customers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience

Price Waterhouse Coopers

Even if you can’t offer the best deal, your customers will still choose you if you offer a positive experience.

Obtaining Feedback

One of the best ways to better understand the needs of your customers is to look at feedback directly.

In the digital age, we have an endless list of easy ways for customers to tell us how they feel. We can always add to that list with a little effort.

Choosing the right feedback channels can help you to hear what they want directly from your customers.

To effectively obtain feedback, consider the following feedback channels:

• Polls and Questionnaires
• Social Media (direct messages, comments, etc.)
• Anonymous Surveys

Making sure your customers can easily connect with you is one of the best ways to learn more about them.

While every business will deal with its fair share of unhelpful feedback, true gems can be hidden with that feedback. Look for opportunities in every message or survey that you receive.

Market Research

Every customer that you have is an individual, but when you put enough individuals together, you start to see groups.

A group might be as simple as a specific age bracket or as complex as people visiting a specific website. However, understanding these groups is very important.

Market research is the study of behaviour and economics as they affect certain groups. This information exists everywhere if you know exactly where and how to look for it.

Free tools and paid services can help better understand how specific groups of customers feel about brands like yours.

Competitive Analysis

Many business owners think of competitive analysis and believe that it is all about their competitors.

However, that really isn’t true. Even though competitive analysis can help you to gain an advantage over your competitors, it is still all about the customer.

At the very least, it should be.

When using competitive analysis, your primary goal is to learn what your competitors in the industry are doing and how it impacts the customers.

The primary objective is to better understand what your customers do and do not like about your competition.

This form of analysis can help you to learn when your competition presents an opportunity that appeals to customers, like an exciting new product, or when they lose sales over something, like a specific marketing choice.

These details enhance your understanding of your customer and empower you to serve them more effectively.

Data Mining

With the introduction of artificial intelligence and machine learning, data mining has become a popular practice for businesses of all kinds.

Amazon is an excellent example of this.

Their systems collect data on customer purchases, allowing them to better understand the needs of customers as they interact with a wide range of industries.

As a business, this information can be highly beneficial for you. Every customer leaves a digital trail that tells you more about who they are and what they are interested in.

If you have access to this kind of information, you can really impress them with future business decisions.

the best vision is insight

Malcolm Forbes

Conclusion

Every business understands that their customers make their growth possible, and that is likely never going to change.

Recognising the needs of your customers can help you to provide better products, services, and customer service.

Understanding these needs and providing for them is a sure-fire way to keep your customers coming back — and they just might bring their friends too!

The post How to Better Understand Your Customers Needs appeared first on Wide Ideas.

By now, most of us understand that ideas are an important driving force in society.

A powerful idea can improve a company, create a new product, or even change the way that we live.

Given the power associated with ideas, so many of us are looking for opportunities to be the person who comes up with the next big idea.

While we love to glamorise the person who comes up with a great idea and sees it through, the reality is that ideas often have many different contributors.

Being the person who comes up with an idea is not the only way to bring an idea to life.

In this article, we will explore the different characteristics of people who influence innovation — and what makes each one so special and why they are essential.

Bringing an Idea to Life

An idea can grow with time but turning it into a solution isn’t a solo job.

Even the best ideas need different characteristics of people to see them turn into an innovation. While it is certainly possible for someone to have an idea and bring it to life on their own, it isn’t all that common.

The majority of good ideas are a team effort.

This is because an idea will often have different parts, which can require different skills and areas of expertise.

Consider this a good thing.

A lot of the time, the more people that are involved with an idea, the more likely it is that the idea will be refined and executed correctly.

You might not be the person who came up with the idea, but you can be one of the many people who make it all possible!

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The 4 Characteristics of Innovation

Teamwork is responsible for bringing an idea into the real world, and most good ideas have a dedicated team.

Each team member will bring their skills and contributions to make the idea possible.

When combined, the different kinds of individuals can help bring an idea to light in a way that surpasses what one person ever could have done alone. However, to deliver innovation successfully you need to include these four different characteristics of people into the process.

1. The Thinker

The Thinker is likely the most identifiable of the four characteristics of innovation that you will find.

This is the individual that will have that sudden and powerful flash of inspiration.

We often see this individual as the true “idea person”. This is because they are the ones who can come up with ideas and solutions on the fly.

Before an idea can be brought to life, someone has to come up with it.

More often than not, The Thinker is that person.

While The Thinker can come up with brilliant and powerful ideas, they tend to work as more of an inspiration machine.

This person will see an opportunity and run with it.

This leads them to come up with compelling solutions and or changes that can have effective long-term results. However, these individuals also tend to live in the moment.

They also might not have what it takes to bring the idea to life.

The Thinker is someone who can come up with an idea, but in many cases lack the depth needed to turn it into a practical solution.

A good example of this is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson during his recent reach into the energy drink market. He knew he wanted to create a healthy energy drink, but he partnered with others to make it a reality.

How do you determine the true value of an idea is a useful supplement article.

2. The Contributor

While The Thinker will often have the flash of inspiration, they generally need a little extra help.

This is where the second of the four characteristics of innovation comes in – The Contributor.

The Contributor is the type of person who can help to refine an idea and add depth to it.

These powerful team members can do some of the heavy liftings to make an idea better—and possible.

They might not have the idea, but they have the skills and practical knowledge to grow an idea into something that will translate well to the real world.

A good example of this is a Systems Analyst. These individuals’ partner with business departments and technology departments to find the middle ground between business needs and what technology makes possible to ensure the best possible outcome.

3. The Influencer

Most of us consider an influencer in a social media capacity. However, in business, this is slightly different but highly critical.

The Influencer is the third of the four characteristics of innovation.

They are very well connected and respected individuals and can bring together people with different areas of expertise to contribute to an idea.

Their primary role is to identify the right people and encourage them to contribute in some capacity.

6 Easy Ways to Boost Employee Engagement Ideas is a useful supplement article.

4. The Deliverer

The last of the four characteristics of innovation is The Deliverer.

This is a person who is responsible for turning the idea into a real business solution.

This can be an individual, but generally, they will lead a team to make the idea a reality.

A Project Manager might play this role as they oversee the team responsible for making an idea possible.

Conclusion

Ideas create companies, opportunities, and they can be a powerful force for change.

Even if you are not the person who comes up with an idea, do not convince yourself that your role is not important.

They often say that it takes a village to raise a child, and the same is true here.

It takes different characteristics of people with different talents to turn a good idea into an innovation, and that is how true change happens.

The post The 4 Characteristics of Innovation that are Essential appeared first on Wide Ideas.

This article will explore how the employee suggestion box has evolved in modern times and what it can offer to the companies that embrace it.

What is an Employee Suggestion Box?

In the past, the employee suggestion box would be a literal box left to sit out in a room.

At this box, employees could slide in a note or fill out a form to give their feedback. It allowed employees to reach out and share their opinions without the fear of repercussions.

In more recent years, the employee box has changed in many ways, but the sentiment remains the same.

The primary difference is that now most suggestion boxes are made available in digital spaces. Therefore, making it easier for employees to give discreet feedback.

Though these modern equivalents might not have the charm of a custom-designed box, they are also less likely to wind up with chewing gum or trash shoved inside of them, so there are some benefits to this change too!

See how our Employee Suggestion Box captures ideas not chewing gum

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How Employee Suggestion Boxes Help Companies

The employee suggestion box has always been a tool that can yield incredible results when used correctly.

It gives employees a chance to be heard, which is good for morale. However, the benefits extend well beyond this.

These suggestion boxes give employees a voice, and when leaders listen, something amazing happens.

Employees have higher morale when they feel their company listens to them and are looking out for their general well-being.

Suggestion boxes are great for helping businesses to receive creative and valuable suggestions.

A team that feels listened to will work harder and enjoy their work more.

A good example of this is in a study where Western Electric sought to improve workplace conditions by changing the lighting. No matter what change they made, employee output always improved.

The study eventually showed that employees were likely performing better simply because their bosses care about their needs.

How to Create an Employee Suggestion Box

Creating an employee suggestion box is a simple process that most employers can set up in a manner of minutes.

With the right tools and protections, employees can fearlessly share their opinions and ideas for improvement.

Offer a Space

The modern suggestion box has many faces, making it easy to choose one that works for any team.

Creating a space is always the first step, but there is no right or wrong way to do this.

Businesses can stick with the classics and make a literal box or use an online portal instead. Alternatively, using third-party companies can remove the headache of idea management but ensure to use a company that protects your sensitive data.

Make Anonymity Possible

A big contributing factor to the success of a suggestion box is anonymity.

Some people are afraid to speak against a company, and others are afraid their ideas may have no value. However, by making it possible for your employees to remain anonymous, you will receive more honest feedback—and most employees will be more open to using this tool.

How to Generate the Best Results

An employee suggestion box is only as useful as the feedback that is placed within it.

To create a space to generate helpful feedback and start driving change, there are a few easy tips to follow.

Widen Your Reach

Employee suggestion boxes are evolving because companies know the value of different opinions.

Offering suggestion spaces for employees at all levels, customers, partners, and suppliers can really improve a workplace.

Receiving feedback from everyone who influences a business will always offer better results.

Make it Easy to Find

A suggestion box is only valuable if it receives input. Therefore the box has to be visible and clearly communicated to those you want feedback from.

Create a Feedback Loop

In business, a feedback loop is a system to gather feedback to improve something.

If a company ignores suggestions, they are less likely to gain true value.

This is why it is important to identify good suggestions and turn them into actionable changes.

When people see real change, they are more likely to contribute.

Conclusion

No one knows the ins and outs of every aspect of a business better than the people that are directly involved with it.

Suggestion boxes allow employees, customers, and partners alike to share their opinions and suggest improvement areas.

A company that identifies these needs and takes active steps to drive change will benefit from all the extra information.

The next big idea might be one suggestion away!

The post Whatever happened to the Employee Suggestion Box? appeared first on Wide Ideas.