A battery of problems

Whilst electric vehicles are becoming commonplace on our roads, we don't really think about the technology that powers them. The Innovation Network members had a unique opportunity to visit the Warwick Manufacturing Group's research facility at Warwick University last week. 

Part of our tour took us to the battery testing facility, where we saw the power packs that propel Teslas, Leafs, BMW i3s and other electric cars. The expectation that we would see revolutionary technology was quickly dispelled when we were shown the ubiquitous AA size batteries, of which hundreds power the Tesla. Sure, there is very smart tech that monitors and controls them. However it seems battery manufacture and chemistry has not moved on dramatically since the aptly named Professor John Goodenough invented the Lithium Ion cell in 1980.

I've been preparing for the KIN Spring 2019 members' workshop 'Work in 2030 - it may not be what you think'. In talking to members about a potential case study on horizon scanning, it's become clear that techniques that keep a collective open mind are just as important as any innovation process. As one individual said to me 'horizon scanning only shows you what's already possible, not what seems impossible today'.   There is a wonderful 1964 clip of Arthur C Clarke predicting the future (3 mins). Clarke starts with 'Only if what I tell you seems completely unbelievable, have we any chance of visualizing the future'. 

This fits with a recent posting from Greg Satell on 'We need to re-engineer our organisations for a new era of innovation'. As he says 'It’s becoming more important to prepare than adapt. By the time you realize the need to adapt, it may already be too late'.

The second point that he makes is that 'it is crucial to build a continuous pipeline of problems to solve'. Whilst Apple is renowned as a tech innovator, the reality (certainly in the early days) was that Steve Jobs was a brilliant problem-identifier. He didn't have the solution to 'put 1000 songs in my pocket' - he gave the challenge to hard drive manufacturers.

Innovators need to re-engineer their organisations and people to think in this way, in order to vizualize the 'completely unbelievable'.

https://www.digitaltonto.com/2018/we-need-to-reengineer-our-organizations-for-a-new-era-of-innovation/

Enabling Technology Announcement: New Roundtable Event: Supercharge Collaboration With O365, 16 Oct 2018

The most recent Enabling Technologies Survey (conducted April – May 2018) identified two topics that could potentially be combined into one Roundtable event, namely the generic 'Collaboration Tools & Technologies' and the more specific 'Sharepoint/Office 365'. Whilst recognising that KIN Member organisations are using a wide variety of technologies and platforms for user engagement, collaboration and knowledge sharing, (e.g. Jive, G-Suite, Facebook for business, Wikis, Microsoft etc.) it is proposed we focus primarily on Sharepoint and O365 for this Roundtable. Recognising that our member organisations are at different stages of their implementation journey from Sharepoint to O365, this Roundtable provides an ideal opportunity for knowledge sharing between those at the beginning of their journey and those who are just starting it. As with previous Enabling Technologies events, we don't just talk about the technologies themselves, but look at the pragmatic issues around their implementation and effective use. For this Roundtable, we are seeking: People who have knowledge to share about … People who want to know more about …. Sharepoint Online Searching for Information using Delve  Understanding document libraries  Using Groups/Team Sites for collaborative working Setting up Communities of Practice  Grouping and Sharing documents using Boards  OneDrive for Business Navigating OneDrive Uploading content Sharing Documents and Collaborating Synchronising OneDrive to the Desktop Skype for Business  Communicate using Instant Messaging, Voice and Video  Setting up Group meetings  Integration with Outlook  Sharing – Presentations, Content/Screen, Polls, Virtual Whiteboard Office Desktop Applications What's new in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint? Creating and editing documents in 'The Cloud'  Sharing documents and collaborating with colleagues online Strategies for encouraging user adoption and engagement      When registering for this event, it would be helpful if you would indicate whether you have knowledge to share, or whether you are there to learn. Full details can be found on this event page: Roundtable: Supercharge Collaboration With O365'

Enabling Technology Announcement: Gartner Hype Cycle for AR and VR

As can be seen from the Gartner Hype Cycle, AR lags VR a little on the slope of productivity, yet it is clear that the technologies have navigated the hype cycle in tandem. There is a very real distinction between the wider adoptions of AR and VR; whereas VR has generally been driven by entertainment applications particularly in relation to gaming, the adoption of AR is increasingly being driven by the workplace. We'll be looking at some examples of how AR, VR and MR (Mixed Reality) are being used in the workplace environment at the Autumn Workshop (10/11 September), and particularly how they are being used to drive better collaboration and productivity.