Innovation Through Fusion: Combining Innovative Ideas to Create New Solutions

Just as nuclear fusion produces massive energy from combining two nuclei, a fusion in business, technology, and the arts can release massive value―creating whole new companies, industries, and human capabilities. Examples of the fusion technique for high-value, radical innovation are presented in this unique collection of stories about innovating across industries, fields, organizational silos, nations, social class, and more. This book is the result of a global research study of 30 world-class innovators who have collectively created billions of dollars’ worth of business value, as well as new advances in the arts and sciences that bring joy to the world and can save millions of lives. Insights from the journeys of the innovators provided in this book will help leaders, organizations, and individuals succeed in their innovative endeavors. In addition, each chapter provides a link to a short video that provides further insights, mostly from the innovators themselves.

Innovation through Fusion is essential reading for individual innovators who would like to create the future; teams and organizations that need to craft radical or high-value innovations (especially across industries or organizational silos); and leaders concerned about declining returns on innovation efforts and uncertain about organizational survival in a disruptive world. The author provides a new model of lateral innovation―useful both as an innovation process and as a framework to assess your lateral innovation capabilities. The book is replete with value-creation examples of lives saved, billions of dollars of savings/growth, and new products, services, and companies, as well as stories of leading lateral innovators―who they are and how they succeeded.

For the author’s talk on Fusion at EmTech Asia/MIT Technology Review, featured in Asian Scientist magazine, click here: https://www.asianscientist.com/2019/04/features/ipi-singapore-emtech-asia-cj-meadows-innovation/

For a review of the book on YourStory, click here: https://yourstory.com/2021/02/fusion-innovation-entrepreneurs-business-value-social-impact?utm_pageloadtype=scroll

Dr. CJ Meadows is the Director of i2e, The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at SP Jain School of Global Management. She designed and launched new innovation programs (Design Thinking, Disruptive Innovation with Harvard Business Online, and startup360 with IBM Garage) and has certified hundreds of executives and MBA’s in IDEO’s design-thinking methodology. She initiated new consulting and education relationships with top-tier clients (e.g. World Bank, Cisco, MSD (Merck), Novartis, ADP, etc.), as well as collaborations with indubators, industry leaders, mentors, and more. Her research and coaching focus on Leadership & Creativity, and she runs an advanced-technologies Think Tank & Tinker Lab (2050ed.tech), envisioning the future of education and applying AI, biometrics, and other advanced technologies to human L&D.

She holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School, USA and was a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA).

Dr. Meadows has over 20 years’ experience in Asia, Europe, and North America providing strategy & business-development consulting to major corporations and new ventures alike, as well as executive education programmes individually and in conjunction with top business schools.

When businesses were just starting to go online, CJ co-founded an Innovation Lab in Singapore within a premier eBusiness consulting firm that built ground-breaking eBusiness for clients such as Chase, Morgan Stanley, AT&T, J&J, Boots, & Marubeni. Her lab collaborated with the firm's labs in San Francisco, New York, and London, as a place where clients could go to use a well-researched and well-honed innovation methodology to tackle key business issues. She led projects, worked with client executives to define their key business issues and envision the future, and fostered new client relationships with government and financial services organizations such as Standard Chartered Bank, DBS, Societe Generale, MetLife, Dun & Bradstreet, Dao Heng, GIC, Singapore Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore Tourism Board, Ministry of Manpower, Attorney General’s Chambers, and Singapore Law Academy.

Earlier, as a member of Accenture's Strategy Group (financial services) -- then the largest strategy consulting group in the world -- CJ structured & led projects, developed & managed client relationships, and served as an expert resource to envision industry futures and clients’ positioning; define core competence & competitive advantage; define value creation, business models, partnerships, & implementation approach; and more. She was a member years earlier of Accenture's Information Technology practice, building finance & accounting systems for the US Government.

As an entrepreneur, she co-founded a variety of corporations, partnerships, etc. in several industries on three continents. At her own consultancy, she brought new research to business problems, serving clients such as Singapore Technologies, Ernst & Young (EY), Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, and the United Nations (UNIDO). In the social enterprise space, she remains the Chairman & Co-Founder of The Tiger Center (TTC), a ground-breaking social enterprise in central India. TTC whitepapers on the use of natural assets for economic development have been discussed in the Parliament of India, and the firm has impacted public policy.

Dr. Meadows has taught at Harvard University, INSEAD, Asian Institute of Management, National University of Singapore, and for MNC’s both privately and in conjunction with Singapore Management University. Her latest research & new multimedia books focus on high-value lateral innovation, with a new model, process, and insights for innovation leaders and individuals, as well as implications for teams and organizations.

For more information, see drcjmeadows.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/drcjmeadows/.