Ohm’s Law and the flow of innovation.

Ohm’s law says I = V / R, or flow = driving force / resistance. It’s a broadly applicable equation, used in electricity, fluid dynamics, and other areas … and I’m using it here in innovation. Let me describe briefly.

I = flow of innovation, perhaps in dollars of value per time. As with electricity, it has to reach the terminal (finish), which for innovation to me means it has to reach the customer who pays for it. It’s so important to think about the entire flow path, not just the generator or the wire, but all the way until the circuit closes.

V = driving force. You might think that pay is the key driver for innovators, but I think most innovators see themselves as technical artists, who don’t want to be invisible in society or in their organization. Recognition and thanks are very important in the driving force.

R = resistance. There are potentially many resistances, from all the functions (R&D, legal, regulatory/safety, marketing, manufacturing, supply chain …), but also things like purchasing for internal studies, having too many emails, having too many (unnecessary) meetings, and more. Every resistance works against the flow. But worst of all … is if you have a bottleneck, which is often the case. That is, you have one place that dictates the overall flow. It might be an approval step in a Stage Gate process. 

Each piece can be dramatically improved, raising your innovation throughput, enabling your technical artistry to serve society, providing you a more open community in your company and even in your broader community, and helping your company achieve a high ROI. I’d love to talk with you for just 5 minutes about how Knowlecular Processes would work together with you, to improve your throughput. Even if you don’t need guidance today, you might want to see how the latest methods can help either in an emergency or to get ahead of the curve. Please just connect with me, both to subscribe to this blog and to let me know you want to talk.

I hope your holiday is full of love, peace and joy!

image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ohm%27s_law_bulb_1000.jpg.