Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have…It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it. ?-Steve Jobs

How Insurance Has Become a Well-Spring of Green Innovation, Mindy S. Lubber
An short but interesting entry on some innovations coming from the insurance industry [that can be seen] as being 'green'.  An interesting quote:

While the specter of more extreme weather events ... has convinced some insurers to pull the plug on providing coverage in vulnerable areas, many others are seizing the moment by developing new products and services that will reduce losses for both customers and themselves.

Some interesting links in the entry: From Risk to Opportunity: Insurer Responses to Climate Change, 'Pay-as-you-drive' insurance catching on, Pay-As-You-Drive Car Insurance, Report: Insurance Initiatives Tackling Climate Change Reach New High

The difference between corporate and business unit innovation, Jeffrey Phillips
Jeffrey discusses how innovation is different from a corporate level vs. the business unit level.  An interesting quote that I think sums up most of his point:

There should be an easy answer to this - a corporate team focused on longer term disruptions that are suggested by the business units that simply don't have the time or bandwidth to focus on what's next, and a corporate team that provides trends and strategy insights to business unit teams to extend their visibility. A corporate team can provide resources and funding to assist the business units with their mid and longer term innovation needs and take on the creation of new markets or "blue oceans". What the business units often struggle with is the knowledge that they need to innovate, but simply don't have the people, time or resources to innovate consistently. That seems like an obvious answer - so why isn't this being engaged more effectively?

Innovation in a strategic vacuum - not exactly a recipe for success, The Innovator's Sweet Spot
A short entry on the need to have a strategy for innovations to fit into.  An interesting quote:

... The whole experience served to remind me how difficult it is to create meaningful innovation in a strategic vacuum. It can work but only if the company has a single decision maker in charge of the business who can decide if the innovation is what he or she wants. Otherwise, it is very easy to go around in ever decreasing circles, eventually disappearing in a puff of obsolescence.

Will financial meltdown slow IT innovation?, Bill Snyder
A blog entry about how the current crisis in the financial sector will effect the spending of money and direction of projects in the short term.  An interesting quote:

... So expect those companies to invest in advanced cloud computing as a way to scale on an as-needed basis, she says. Major firms are already planning $1 billion and $2 billion cloud initiatives ...

Interesting link in the entry: How IT could have prevented the financial meltdown

Lessons on Innovation from Richard Bransson, Daniel Lock
A quick entry about some lessons learned form Richard Bransson and company.  Some of the lessons that Daniel mentions are:

• Innovation is purposeful and systematic
• Is simple and focused
• Starts small and builds up, adjusting along the way
• Aims at being the best.  Not so much the biggest but aim for being the best in the field.

Another good link on Daniel's site: Thoughts on Innovation