Psst Australia has a bit of an innovation problem…
Announcement posted by Simon Banks 20 Mar 2018
Press Release - Book Launch
A Thousand Little Lightbulbs by Simon Banks
27th March 2018
Berkelouw Books, Paddington
6:30pm – 8:00pm
Follow @simonbankscrea8
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Psst Australia has a bit of an innovation problem…
Australia’s innovation is in dire straits. Yes, we are slowly moving in the right direction. There are plans to change R&D tax incentives to allow companies that have a turnover under $20 million to claim $4 million of that as a refundable tax offset, but is it enough?
In 2016 on the Forbes list of “100 most innovative companies in the world”, there was not one single Australian company and in 2017, there was only one Australian company listed at 87.
In 2017, Bloomberg published its innovative index report which looks at both developed and emerging economies across seven areas of activities. These are:
a) R&D
b) Manufacturing
c) Productivity
d) High - Tech Density
e) Post-Secondary Education
f) Research Personnel
g) Patents activity
Australia didn’t rank in the top five for any of these fields. In the overall ranking of the most innovative countries we came in a measly 18th.
So, what’s the problem?
We should be great at innovation! Australia seems to have the right ingredients for innovation. When Simon undertook research for his book, every senior leader or partner he interviewed said that they rated innovation as important to their future, giving it an average importance score of 8 – 9 out of 10. However, they ranked their current innovation performance as closer to 3 – 4 out of 10…
- Not sure where to start
- No time for innovation
- Not having the right people
Innovation has been a buzz word for such a long time that it’s almost become another corporate cliché. This needs to change. Innovation isn’t just for an artistic, turmeric latte drinking hipster. Innovation isn’t all about technology, processes, robots or artificial intelligence. It is not something done to us but rather by us. There is so much focus on technological innovations that we seem to have forgotten it is people who innovate.
‘Innovation will not happen in your company without great people – people whose innovation fire has been lit. People are the starting point for all innovation. It’s not systems, processes or things – it’s people.’
Having worked with 100’s of major Australian and International brands over the last 15 years to kickstart fresh thinking and build creativity and imagination in their organisations; Simon felt that there needed to be a BS – free guide to Innovation.
After extensive research on Innovation in Australia or lack thereof, A Thousand Little Lightbulbs: How to kickstart a culture of innovation in your organisation was born. It is an easy-to-read guide (with pictures that you can even colour in!) which offers a framework containing seven simple steps to cultivate a culture of innovation and curiosity in people and embraces Simon’s background in the arts and his strong sense of humour.
As Leadership Influencer and International Keynote speaker, Author and Coach, Louise Mahler says
'Simon Banks is a man passionate about a topic critical to Australia's future: people and creativity. How grateful can we be that he has taken his wealth of knowledge and condensed it in an easy-to- read book that is fun, cuts to the chase and contributes in a thousand little ways. The ‘answer’ may be rarely that simple, but Simon leads the way to finding it and I would recommend this book to anyone at any level. It is a superb read.'
Simon is holding is official book launch on Tuesday 27th March at Berkelouw Books, Paddington from 6:30pm. Free tickets are available here
NOTES TO EDITORS
Simon Banks is a sought-after speaker, author and thought leader in business innovation and creativity. Simon marries his innate creative abilities with an extensive knowledge of the corporate world to ignite fresh, innovative thinking that lasts long after you’ve finished implementing these brilliant ideas.
Simon’s unique blend of energetic enthusiasm, creativity and humour guarantees that this book will live on in your memory for all the right reasons.
Now based in Sydney, Simon loves to travel and live life to the fullest. When he’s not presenting or heading up his creative training company VisualFunk, he can often be found chasing his three young kids, creating and illustrating in his studio, surfing, and finding new adventures with his family.
BOOK DETAILS:
A Thousand Little Lightbulbs by Simon Banks
Publication Date: 6th January 2018
Publisher: Michael Hanrahan Publishing
ISBN: 9781925648386
Page Count: 244
Format: Paperback
Price: $24.95
Available: Amazon, Booktopia, Barnes and Noble and The Book Depository