The 10 Must Haves for Global Innovation and Networking. A New Strategic Approach

Abstract

We all know and agree that innovation has become a critical success factor in any kind of business, in particular in saturated markets. Increasingly, we also agree that innovation, efficiency, effectiveness, quality and continuous improvement are not enough – that companies, organisations, networks, nations and societies need to excel, to reach excellence and leadership in their fields. But HOW to do that? What do we really need t? In the past, we were talking about the „Ten Good Reasons for … (Innovation, Design Thinking, Sustainability, etc.)“, addressing safety and security issues together with rational and economic thinking. In other words, we addressed our oldest part of the brain (the amygdala, i.e. our reptile brain) which identifies and re-acts to threats, fear and bad news. The paper introduces a new approach to global innovation and a new, thought-provoking way of thinking: It addresses those powerful “positive” emotions which are crucial to make people and organisations flourish – and which enable global innovation and networking in the 21^st Century. The paper is based on and inspired by the research of Barbara L. Fredrickson [1], a renowned Professor of Psychology and principal investigator of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.