PICNIC 2008

Why o why didn't we get the free tickets to picnic! Well we can still be updated by the internet. I've always wondered how to interview Google on innovation, no idea where I was going to find their HQ in the Netherlands... Well now I found that Gisel Hiscock (see photo) did a presentation about innovation at Google on PICNIC 2008.

She is the Google Director of New Business Development for Europe, Middle East and Africa. (wow what a job, sign me up!)

Google has 9 principles for innovation;

1. Hire the best people. Hire the ones with Passion for their work. People with passion in their own working area are more likely to innovate

2. Ideas come from everywhere and everyone. Give the opportunity to let everybody give feedback about the products and problems in the company.

3. Share all available information, give employees access to all available information within the company.

4. Everyone in the team needs to understand the vision of the leader. When they understand the vision, only then they will see the value of their own activities.

5. Have the guts to put ideas and products on the shelf if they are not directly usable or give the desired results. Maybe you can 

use them in the future. "Don't kill ideas!"

6. Speed. Bring a product as quick as possible on the market. The sooner you have feedback from your users, the sooner you know if you are on the right way or still have a (to) long way to go.

7. Data data data ... Passion for products is not enough. Try to quantify every process so the results are measurable.

8. The user. Always put the user first, a satisfied user lengthens the products lifetime. 

9. Give the employees space to work on their own projects. This is the 20% rule, 20% of their time can be spend on own side projects.

Wow, the last one I totally new, some others make sense, but it is good to have some idea's of what Google is thinking about innovation and how they make it work. Logical enough I understand now why they have BETA, and all their products are sort of BETA. And if you want to look in

side the code of Google, they gave the opportunity to do that with Google Code. So not only their employees can have access to all information, we get a little access as well!

So Google wants us to respond on products so we van make them better, next time I will have a good look at Googles' new products and them submit ideas, IF needed...

By the way, talking about creativity, do you see all those stickers on, I guess her macbook, during her PICNIC's talk. 20% of her time might go to Google's new MacBook stickers... Who knows! ;) 

(correction: never mind that MB was used by more people.. to bad for the MB sticker freaks!)

(Sources: PICNIC, Dutch Cowboys)