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Past Meetings

January 18, 2011
Innovation in Turbulent Times

Lee-Anne McAlear
Managing Director
Current Organization Inc.
www.currentorg.com

Program Director, Schulich Centre of Excellence in Innovation Management, York University

(Sponsored by Sanofi Aventis)

It’s a bit of a truism that we tend to want to skate around, but one of the only constants in today’s world is that we live in a state of constant change. What perpetual flux calls for, if you think about it, is creative innovation. That would explain why the breakfast meeting featuring Lee-Ann McAlear, the program director of the Schulich Centre of Excellence in Innovation Management at York University and the managing director of Current Organization Inc., was so well attended. We all crave insights in dealing with change productively.

Insights require work. So Lee-Ann McAlear got people to partner up with one person telling their partner a story, who in turn has to throw a totally unrelated word into the narrative. Then, of course, roles were reversed. The objective? Experience the two principles inherent in innovation Convergence and Divergence or Analysis and Synthesis.

What followed was an insightful and entertaining talk about what fosters and, conversely, inhibits innovation. From the scope and scale of innovation to the myriad aspects of business cultures that actively pursue innovation, Ms. McAlear covered a broad canvas with intriguing examples from organizations large and small, old and young.

Luckily, if you missed out, we have Innovation in Turbulent Times slides right here.