IN THIS ISSUE:

• Letter From Sarah
• Out of the Box - Innovating Through Dense Networks
• Events and Resources
• The Edison Awards
• About Sarah Caldicott

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Dear Innovator:

These past few weeks, it's been hard to pick up a newspaper or read anything online without being bombarded with news about the social upheaval taking place in northern Africa.

These events have been both exhilarating and terrifying. Anyone who is blessed to live in a free society wishes a positive outcome for the protesters in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, and other nations embroiled in creating a representative government. (Will China join this list...?)

The breathtaking speed - and rapid spread - of the protest movement offers us an apt illustration of this month's theme about the power of networks. Read in Out-of-the-Box about what defines a "dense network," how dense networks operate, and how they can be used to drive innovation and change - whether in a company, a scientific community, or a nation.

Thomas Edison was not just an extraordinary inventor and innovator; he knew how to create networks that could rapidly spread the word about his ideas, and generate magnetism around his work. Edison's use of dense networks to drive innovation during the Industrial Revolution helps us understand how we can leverage these unique networks today.

Sarah keynotes an innovation event in Cedar Rapids. With Sarah are Joe Raso (left) of the Iowa City Area Development Group, and Chuck Peters (right), President of SourceMedia and a champion for driving community innovation in Cedar Rapids.

Strongest Networks are "Dense" Networks
In his early teens, Edison became America's first blogger when he wrote, printed, and delivered a one-page newspaper on board the Grand Trunk Railroad. He charged only pennies for his "blog sheet," which he called The Weekly Herald. In it, Edison packed commentary about the goings-on of the newspaper world, the railroad world, and included lots of ideas on how his new inventions could make things work better.

Edison's career as a blogger came to an abrupt end, however, when an experiment he was running (with permission) in the baggage car of a train caused a fire. Although Edison thus lost the printing press he'd cobbled together using spare parts, Edison's learning about the power of the printed word encouraged him to befriend numerous journalists throughout his career.

One journalist in particular - W. A. Croffut of the New York Daily Graphic - dubbed him "The Wizard of Menlo Park," a moniker that Edison detested but the public loved. Illustrations depicting Edison as a wizard came to symbolize his artistry as an inventor and innovator.

Edison intentionally cultivated relationships with journalists not only because he desired the publicity this network offered him, but because journalists also linked him to an institution that connected him to every literate person in the country: newspapers.

As you'll read in Out-of-the-Box, this unique linkage between symbols, an inspirational leader (Edison), an institution (the newspaper), and a passionate cause (inventing) put into place several of the key elements Edison needed to create a powerful dense network. (What does your dense network look like?)

Happy Birthday Thomas Edison!
Thomas Edison's 164th birthday - February 11th - was honored with a special Google Doodle! If you missed it online, check out this month's Edison Awards segment to have a look at the Doodle. Also, read about who made the prestigious list of Finalists for the 2011 Edison Best New Product Awards! The Awards ceremony is only 5 weeks away...

One of the most intriguing trends in innovation today is the surge of innovation at the community level. Spurred by the trend toward urbanization (see the November 2010 issue of Edison's Notebook for more) as well as the intensity of social consciousness among Generation Y (bigger than the Baby Boomer generation!), read in Events and Resources what Cedar Rapids, Iowa is doing to engage the surrounding community in innovation.

Thanks to Andy Stoll and many others in Cedar Rapids, I have an official Twitter hash tag! Check out #caldicott for tweets on innovation. And, if you're not into Twitter, follow me on Facebook or send me an invitation on LinkedIn! Start building your dense network by getting connected!

Keep innovating,

PS: Please share this newsletter with a co-worker or a friend!

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Out of the Box

Increasing Innovation Power Through Dense Networks

We read a lot about "networks" these days. Social networks, computer networks, viral networks...and more.

But what about "dense networks?"

I'd never heard the term "dense networks" until it came up at a conference of engineering and educational professionals I keynoted in Arizona earlier this year. It turns out dense networks are crucial for driving change. Virtually any kind of change.

And more than ever today, innovators from every area of endeavor are being called upon not just to lead change - but to understand it and sustain it.

The whole idea of dense networks was introduced in a book last fall by a University of Virginia professor, James Davison Hunter, entitled To Change the World. Hunter specializes in culture and social theory, and believes that dense networks represent the engine for driving change in virtually any context.

As never before in history, anyone with a cell phone or a wi-fi connection is able to access networks with global reach. The ability to form dense networks using this newfound power gives us extraordinary opportunities to accelerate the "tipping point" we're seeking with our messages, our projects, and more.

Dense Networks Drive Change
When thinking about what it takes to drive change in virtually any context (business, social, scientific, etc.), Hunter believes dense networks rise to the very top of the list.

As we've seen in recent weeks via the tumultuous events in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere in northern Africa, both the "nature of the network" and the core message being offered have an enormous impact on outcomes.

According to Hunter, dense networks are characterized by 6 factors, 5 of which I will cover here. By connecting all of these pieces together, we each have the chance to move our innovation messages toward a "tipping point":

1. Passionate Focus: The core message of the dense network is generally tied to a social/business/cultural focus which elicits deep passion in others....This becomes a huge magnet drawing people into the network, and maintaining their interest.
   
   
2. Inspirational leader: An effective dense network must have an inspirational leader serving as a "driver" or principle architect of the message being forwarded. It's crucial that the inspirational leader also be a catalyst who can spur the organic formation of other inspirational voices in the network...a kind of "Pied Piper" effect.
   
   
3. Use of symbols: The individuals in the dense network either recognize common symbols as core to their passion - or, together they form a new symbol. For example, the pink ribbon now associated with "breast cancer awareness" has become a powerful symbol in recent years. (Have a look below at why Breast Cancer Awareness is a dense network.) The image at right connects several symbols that are central to the notion of freedom in America. Symbols differ vastly from culture to culture, so be sure to get this piece right when developing your dense network!
   
   
4. Link to an Institution: This is one of the toughest components to get right. When it comes to forming a dense network, an institution can either be an "institutionalized concept" (ie. "Cancer") or an actual entity. Thinking back to other eras of history, part of the magnetism of Thomas Edison's invention of the incandescent electric light was the fact that the Royal Academy of Science told Edison they didn't think he was capable of tackling this scientific challenge successfully. That was all he needed to spur him on...! So dense networks can exist "in opposition to" a particular institution.
   
   
5. Network Access: Although today, this is one of the easiest components to navigate, in Edison's time it was tougher and more time consuming. It's extraordinary to note the diversity of tools Edison targeted to ensure he cultivated access to diverse networks. These included word of mouth, newspapers, telegrams, telephone calls, handwritten letters, and use of the movies. (Edison invented the movies and the motion picture camera in 1893. After the turn of the 20th century, he sometimes used "film" to generate awareness of his work.) In the 21st century, we can add to this list cell phones, social media, television, radio, and a host of other technologies Edison would revel in today.

Dense Networks Are a Form of Innovation "Crossroads"
In the December issue of Edison's Notebook, I mentioned a New York Times Op-Ed piece by David Brooks that appeared in November 2010. Entitled "The Crossroads Nation," Brooks talks about how America has a solid chance to use its deeply rooted innovation DNA to drive new successes - through networks.

Specifically, Brooks describes innovation and creativity as "the engines of economic growth." He notes "...Creativity is not a solitary process. It happens in networks" and that America has "the right kind of networks - ones that are flexible and intense." Brooks believes economic power in the 21st century will come via "centrality in an increasingly dense global web." Perhaps most importantly, Brooks states that, "The nation with the thickest and most expansive networks will define the age."

Ironically, while writing this month's Out-of-the-Box, I learned that Brooks had spoken with James Davison Hunter just days before posting "Crossroads Nation!" So both authors believe dense networks hold a key to innovation success in the 21st century!

Three Examples of Dense Networks
Have a look at some of the networks you're part of, and see if they include all five of the items listed above. Without a passionate focus, an inspirational leader, the appropriate use of symbols, a link to an institution, plus network access - your dense network will never get off the ground!

To help give you ideas on how you can get started, here are three examples of dense networks which I believe have operated effectively in diverse social, business, and scientific contexts:

BUSINESS - Breast Cancer Awareness
Passionate cause:	Eliminating death among women due to breast cancer
Inspirational leader:	Susan G. Komen
Symbols:	Pink Ribbon
Institution:	Cancer
Network:	Word-of-mouth, radio, tv, social media, "walks"
SCIENTIFIC - The Incandescent Electric Light
Passionate cause:	Creating a safe source of light for homes and businesses
Inspirational leader:	Thomas Edison
Symbols:	The Wizard of Menlo Park, the Menlo Park lab
Institution:	Royal Academy of Science
Network:	Word-of-mouth
SOCIAL - Revolution in Egypt
Passionate cause:	Freedom from a repressive government
Inspirational leader:	Wael Ghonim
Symbols:	Tunisian revolution, Tahrir Square
Institution:	President Hosni Mubarak and the system of Egyptian government
Network:	Social media

Dense networks are not easy to create...and they're impossible to "fake!" So have a look at your programs for 2011. See if any of your innovation projects hold potential to reside in a dense network. Plus...review your past efforts! Sometimes past campaigns that are still active just need some tweaks to get them to the "tipping point!"

Email me with your progress on developing a dense network in your organization or community!

Next month: Connecting Innovation Teams

Events and Resources

The Edison Awards
Dedicated to America's Innovation Competitiveness in the 21st Century

HAPPY 164th BIRTHDAY, THOMAS EDISON!

Thomas Alva Edison was born on February 11, 1847 in Milan, Ohio - a small town tucked away in the northwest corner of the state. The youngest of 7 children, few would ever have imagined that this scrappy, mischievous child -- deaf in his left ear at age 16 -- would go on to become America's greatest innovator. Edison's 1,093 US patents and 1,293 international patents have touched the lives of individuals in virtually every country in the world today.

In case you missed it, below is the Google Doodle honoring Thomas Edison's 164th birthday! The Doodle appeared online Google's home page on 2/11/11. Can you guess which of Edison's inventions correspond to the patent drawings that spell "Google?"

Read more about Thomas Edison and the 2/11/11 Google Doodle in the blog post appearing in PC Magazine written by tech blogger Chloe Albanesius.

This Google Doodle appeared on Feb 11th honoring Thomas Edison's 164th birthday. Can you guess which items correspond to these patent drawings?

Mark your calendars...The Edison Awards are only 5 weeks away! Read the list of this year's finalists to see who's in the running for 2011 gold, silver, and bronze Edison Best New Product Awards. Reserve your space today for our expert innovation panels plus the gala evening celebration on April 5th. Just go to www.edisonawards.com and sign up!

About Sarah Caldicott

Sarah Miller Caldicott is a great grandniece of Thomas Edison, a 25-year marketing veteran, and co-author of "Innovate Like Edison: The Five-Step System for Breakthrough Business Success." She has assembled teams of highly experienced consultants and trainers to assist her in bringing Edison's Five Competencies of Innovation™ to organizations of all sizes. Sarah and her teams are capable of addressing business challenges from a diverse array of industries, in either a business-to-consumer or business-to-business environment.

Sarah is a dynamic and award-winning speaker, whose engaging style combines substantive business content with humor. Her invaluable experience offers an ideal resource for organizations seeking innovation success in today's rapidly integrating global marketplace.

Born and raised in the Midwest, Sarah received a BA from Wellesley College, where she was named a Wellesley College Scholar. She also holds an MBA from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Sarah resides in Oak Park, Illinois, and has two teenage boys, Nicholas and Connor. For additional information on Sarah, click here.

©2011 by Sarah Miller Caldicott. All Rights Reserved.