I come from the generation of kids inspired by the genius of astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan, who in 1983 taught me through the television about his personal journey ersonal journey through the Cosmos (I was thirteen years old). Carl spoke to a whole generation of youths about the hope humanity placed upon science and technology. Like many scientists (including myself), he had faith in our species, and he was my idol. From his perspective, innovation, science and technology were the building blocks of the spaceship that would skyrocket humanity into the stars with a balanced and peaceful planet Earth as a launchpad.
A few days ago I wrote the final thoughts of my first book, which will be published this year with a little bit of luck. In these thoughts I presented this tantalizing question: what happened to the promise of innovation? As a species we have reached prodigious heights, we’ve unraveled the mysteries of the Higgs Particle and furthered our understanding of the Big BangAt the same time, we have been flooded with personalized technology with the Internet of Thingsand are surrounded by lifestyle advice in social media. Artificial intelligence barged into the innovation scene, affecting daily life, jobs, learning and teaching and forcing us to question the very nature of what many of us do. Technological development of the last twenty-five years has left me stupefied, excited and sometimes, I must admit, a little confused.
Despite the huge steps humanity has taken, it seems that our most urgent problems continue and grow worse. The gap between small and medium businesses (most common in developing countries) and multinational giants is ridiculously wide, we have more impoverished organizations, people pushed to the margins, waves of misinformation and a planet screaming at us to do something. I wonder what Carl Sagan would think of our current situation.
Who could protect us from this?
I mentioned before that I am an optimist, and this is why I want to share three pieces of evidence that have allowed me to visualize a brighter future than what is presented to us today.
The first piece of evidence is found in the fulfilled promise of the society of knowledgeand I say it has been fulfilled because for the last thirty years we have reached a stage in which the generation, management and use of knowledge is at the fingertips of millions of people and organizations. Over the last ten years we have seen how the communication, storage and mass processing of information and development of automated learning has placed technological tools that allow users to generate and access information like never before. Moreover, tools for innovation have been within reach of those who need them the most. The mass spread of methods, strategies, tools and case-studies have allowed people and organizations to understand and apply this elusive practice.
The second piece of evidence is found in global networks and entrepreneurship ecosystems that promote the exchange of resources among their participants that also promote their growth and sustainability. Collaboration ecosystems and networks are growing worldwide, facilitating the share of knowledge and resources that have accelerated our understanding of the world. This phenomenon has paved the way for the arrival of a new innovation paradigm that is growing across the globe: open innovation. With it, many diverse actores share resources and risks to work together to find solutions to problems and necessities across the world.
The third piece of evidence is found in the voices of the people. Not too long ago, the global agenda of information and public opinion was defined by a select few organizations with enough power to influence entire nations. Although modern platforms still have such power (and might have even more), information and opinions are distributed in global networks regulated by their users. Today there are more international forums than ever before in our history, and that has created a space for the voices and opinions of the actors that need to spread the word about the priorities we need to have as a species beyond our offices or corporate spaces.
Knowledge, open innovation and the voice of the people. These three elements need a catalyst to shift the focus towards the real priorities of humanity and organize resources, application of tools, techniques, methods and abilities to achieve concrete goals. I am talking about project management! I am not suggesting that this discipline that we know and love is the master key that will open every door. Rather I believe that our current context presents a unique opportunity in history: to support the management of the projects that have the biggest impacts. Adding to this, open innovation project management presents itself as a paradigm that is growing worldwide that requires qualified professionals that can provide their knowledge, experience and ethics.
Open Innovation: A New Paradigm for Management
Open innovation was first mentioned by academic Henry Chesbrough2The Berkeley professor proposed that organizations engaged in innovation projects could connect with others to share resources and knowledge. These connections work much better within ecosystems.
Open innovation projects challenge us because, in addition to the need to manage inherent resources, we also face the challenge of incorporating the management of external resources and strategic partners for the sponsoring organization. Complexity increases, risks are greater, but the benefits far outweigh those of traditional innovation models. This new paradigm invites us to emphasize skills such as managing multidisciplinary teams, identifying and resolving conflicts, effective communication, and proper stakeholder management.
I believe that open innovation is a powerful tool in our hands, as it will allow us to catalyze change through the global collaboration of actors. As a result, Project Leaders will have a wealth of resources at their disposal to tackle increasingly complex and challenging problems. The incorporation of technology, such as real-time communication, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, will enhance the creative power of innovation teams. Managing complexity and creativity will be the new name of the game in innovation, and we will be here to participate.
To recap: knowledge, open innovation, and the voice of society. The promise of innovation had been elusive until now. Today, project leaders find themselves in the right place at the right time to join the millions of professionals who have decided to address the problems of individuals, businesses, organizations, and society with science, technology, knowledge, and responsibility. Open Innovation Project Management is not the only path, but it is a very hopeful one.
It is not too late, but the call is clear: we have little time left.
