Category Archives: Innovation

From Process to Practice: Who Runs It and How

Posted on April 27, 2026 by Eugene Ivanov

This is the fifth and final post in the series “Problem First: AI-Assisted Problem Solving for Organizations That Can’t Afford to Get It Wrong.” After I published the second post in this series, the one laying out a five-stage problem-solving … Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Creativity, Innovation, Nonprofits, Problem-solving | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

AI as Problem-Solving Partner: Doing It Right

Posted on April 22, 2026 by Eugene Ivanov

This is the fourth post in the series “Problem First: AI-Assisted Problem Solving for Organizations That Can’t Afford to Get It Wrong.” I ended the previous post with a claim that deserves scrutiny: that the real value of AI for … Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Creativity, Innovation, Nonprofits, Problem-solving | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Organizations That Need Problem Solving Most Are the Ones Doing It Least

Posted on April 13, 2026 by Eugene Ivanov

This is the third post in the series “Problem First: AI-Assisted Problem Solving for Organizations That Can’t Afford to Get It Wrong.” The first two posts in this series made a general case. Organizations are bad at defining problems. They … Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Creativity, Innovation, Nonprofits, Problem-solving | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Problem-Solving Manifesto

Posted on April 1, 2026 by Eugene Ivanov

(What the Problem-Solving Process Actually Looks Like) This is the second post in the series “Problem First: AI-Assisted Problem Solving for Organizations That Can’t Afford to Get It Wrong.” In the first post in this series, I argued that organizations … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation, Problem-solving | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Why We’re So Bad at Solving Problems (And Why It Matters More Than Ever)

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Eugene Ivanov

This is the first post in the series “Problem First: AI-Assisted Problem Solving for Organizations That Can’t Afford to Get It Wrong.” Clients always come to me knowing what they want. Very often, however, they don’t do enough due diligence … Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Innovation | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Don’t Bring Me Chickens or Eggs — Build Me a Farm

Posted on February 13, 2026 by Eugene Ivanov

Innovation managers love to hate the line “Don’t bring me problems, bring me solutions.” They’ll lecture you about root cause analysis. They’ll quote Einstein: “If I had only one hour to save the world, I would spend fifty-five minutes defining … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation, Portfolio Management | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What If Failing Fast Is Just Failing Wrong?

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Eugene Ivanov

As Lewis Carroll once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” I think of this wisdom every time I hear the gospelers of the “fail-fast-fail-often” creed. I suspect that their easy acceptance … Continue reading →

Posted in Innovation | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The AI Paradox: Why SMEs Might Be Losing Ground Just When They Thought They’d Caught Up

Posted on December 3, 2025 by Eugene Ivanov

Three months ago, I declared AI the great equalizer for small and medium enterprises. Today, I’m not so sure. In fact, I’m worried we might be celebrating prematurely — and that the very technology promising to level the playing field … Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Innovation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Unlocking SME Innovation: Why AI-Based Problem-Solving is the Great Equalizer

Posted on September 7, 2025 by Eugene Ivanov

In mid-October 2009, I was visiting with a client, a large, Midwest-based paint and coating manufacturing company. As part of their product development process, the company’s engineers built a powerful outdoor pump to paint industrial buildings. The pump worked beautifully … Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Innovation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Brainstorming Renaissance: How GenAI Tools Are Rewriting the Rules of Creativity

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Eugene Ivanov

What if the best idea in your next big innovation meeting didn’t come from your star designer, but from a chatbot? This isn’t a futuristic thought experiment; it’s happening now. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion are … Continue reading →

Posted in AI, Creativity, Innovation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment