Here at Brightidea, we talk a lot about the vital role collaboration plays in the innovation process. Understanding the way modern collaboration is changing and being shaped by technology, society and beyond, is an important aspect of the way we work. Sarah Miller Caldicott is a tenured expert of marketing and innovation, and a grandniece to Thomas Edison. Caldicott's latest book, Midnight Lunch, examines Edison's collaborative leadership techniques up close. An admirer of Edison and advocate for innovation and collaboration, our very own Matt Greeley, CEO and Founder of Brightidea, gives insights and context for Sarah's newest venture into Edison's world of collaboration in the forward for Midnight Lunch. We sat down with Sarah to talk about the inspiration for the book, and the key points almost anyone can take away about how collaboration is changing the way we work.

What was the inspiration for Midnight Lunch?

In my first book, Innovate Like Edison, I wrote about Edison's extraordinary ability to master so many of the capabilities needed to be a successful innovator. It was stunning to realize that Edison pioneered 6 industries in less than 40 years. Master-mind Collaboration was the fourth competency in what I described as Edison's Five Competencies of Innovation. I was inspired to write Midnight Lunch because I wanted to go deeper into this collaboration competency, to explore it further. In working with companies over the past 5 years, I see collaboration as something that people can put their hands around. Most everyone has worked on a team. People have experienced exceptional teams as well as really dysfunctional teams. Offering a viewpoint on what I describe in Midnight Lunch as "true collaboration" was something that I felt could be immediately for people. Collaboration is doubly important in the digital environments we're dealing with now.

Can you give a little background on the title?

Midnight Lunch refers to the affectionate slang that Edison's Menlo Park, New Jersey crew gave to what we to after-hours sessions that took place at the lab. When workers stayed late to monitor their experiments, Edison often joined them. He'd go home at 5 PM, have dinner with his family, then sometimes return to the lab around 7 PM to check in on progress of key projects. Often, he would also run his own experiments during these after-hours visits.

Edison encouraged all the lab workers to observe what the others were doing while he was there, and offer their insights to each other. These heady exchanges were casual, yet focused. At about 9 PM, Edison ordered in snacks and sandwiches from a local tavern for everyone who was still workig. The entire group would kick back, tell stories, sing songs – even play music. People had a chance to get to know each other socially in this setting. No one was monitoring performance, or "keeping score." After these 'midnight lunches,' everyone went back to work for a few more hours.

The magic of midnight lunch was the cohesiveness it created among the employees, and the creative insights it encouraged. Midnight lunch transformed employees into colleagues.

Who can gain the most from reading this book? (i.e. CEO's, Executives, college students, etc?)

This book is really designed to benefit anyone who serves on a team. It can benefit senior leaders who are guiding an innovation team, striving to assemble an innovation team, or working to address differences of opinion being voiced by project team members. It can also benefit individuals who want to improve how they serve their teammates. The book offers step-by-step guidance on how to create collaboration as a capacity of the individual, and then how to meld the creativity that emerges from this in a team context. Midnight Lunch also addresses the unique collaboration styles of Generation Y, so anyone who's part of a multi-generational workforce can benefit from it.

What are the biggest factors changing the way collaboration takes place in modern businesses?

I see three huge factors. The first is that from 2010 through 2020, one billion working-age adults will enter the global workforce. This is an unprecedented number. Organizations must understand how to engage these individuals, how to inspire them, and how to connect them to the innovation process.

The second factor is that this newly emergent group of workers will have access to mobile devices, almost without exception. Leaders must find ways to "collaborate and connect" across the vast network of mobile devices owned by this emerging group, integrating the practices of mobile-native users alongside the face-to-face practices of those already in the workforce. Even though many older workers today are comfortable online, it doesn't mean they understand how to operate in a hybrid virtual/live environment This means that differing work styles must either be integrated, or made to exist comfortably alongside one another – a big management challenge.

And the third factor is leadership style. The days of the stacked hierarchies we saw in the Industrial Age are numbered. Vertical communication is not fast enough to compete with the instantaneous communication of peer-to-peer networks. So teams are flattening, organizations are flattening, and this means that titles and positions long-held in esteem during the Industrial era will shift. New types of leaders will emerge – leaders who can work shoulder-to-shoulder in this new environment, leaders who can inspire others and instill a sense of purpose. All three of these factors are addressed in Midnight Lunch.

What is one surprising thing you learned about Edison from researching for this book?

Edison was dedicated to the self-development of his workers. He wanted to see them progress, to be part of a discovery process that meant continual learning – no matter what area of his operation they were engaged in. While Edison certainly didn't have career paths charted for his employees, as leaders might do today, he rolled up his sleeves and taught his people core skills – most particularly, how to experiment. By emphasizing the importance of experimentation as a means to discover and advance one's learning, he boosted the creative contributions of each individual in his employ. Edison also created an incredibly cross-trained workforce that was adaptive and responsive to changing marketplace conditions. Edison's emphasis on continual learning as a central part of collaboration I think is crucial for us today.

Any predictions on the future of collaboration and how it will change the way we work and build successful companies?

Yes. I think the "industrial internet," (The Internet of Things) coupled with advances in artificial intelligence will transform the way we work. We will see an emergence of data and patterns as huge drivers of our decision-making process, and our ability to drive new business models. A second prediction I would make, which I emphasize in Midnight Lunch, is the rise of the "metalogue." A metalogue is a focused set of communications from few to many. Advances in digital technologies and breakthroughs in visual platforms like holograms will allow more people to engage in metalogue simultaneously, and for their input to be processed and synthesized in realtime. This has huge implications for how innovation happens in the workplace, as well as other parts of our lives, particularly politics and freedom of speech.

These two major trends help define why we need to become adept at collaboration now, and position it as a "superskill" everyone must master. Edison's ability to link collaboration and innovation offers us some important clues on how to succeed in driving value-creation in our digital era.

Beth Beck: [Mentor Graphics] from Brightidea on Vimeo.

This series looks at the ways top leaders of global companies succeed by integrating innovation into their everyday business processes.

This is an exclusive interview with Mentor Graphic's Engineering Program Manager, Beth Beck. Mentor Graphics, Inc (NYSE: MENT) is a US-based multinational corporation that deals with electronic design automation for electrical engineering and electronics. Overseeing the databases used for internal processes at Mentor Graphics, Beth Beck is no stranger when it comes to integrating innovation into critical business processes like product development. Utilizing Brightidea's innovation management tool, Mentor Graphics tackles one of their most powerful networks, customers. With Brightidea's software, Mentor Graphics setup an innovation program where customer product ideas and feedback could be captured and reviewed by internal teams. For the company, prioritization of ideas is critical, as is streamlining the process of getting the most valuable ideas into the right hands quickly.

What more? We thought so! Check out other exclusive interviews with Innovation Champions like Beth here. And don't forget to connect with other innovation leaders and champions from top global companies by joining the Birds of a Feather innovation community.

Erick Kobres [NCR Corp] from Brightidea on Vimeo.

This series looks at the people who make innovation a reality every day. These individuals are redefining innovation at top global companies by injecting employees and customer input into everyday business processes to uncover transformative innovation.

This exclusive interview with Erick Kobres, Director of NCR Software Labs, gives an insider look at how NCR Corp. (NYSE: NCR) is applying innovation processes within the business in a systematic, repeatable manner. NCR  is an American computer hardware and electronics company that provides products and services that enable businesses to connect, interact, and transact with their customers. Focusing their innovation program to examine breakthrough or disruptive innovation, NCR is tackling innovation with the future in mind. Ultimately, Erick's goal for their innovation program is to break the 'business-as-usual' mindset in a systematic way. Through dedication and visionary leadership, Kobres exemplifies what it means to be an Innovation Champion.

Want to learn more? The Birds of a Feather community connects innovation agents from different sectors and industries under one common goal: to reimagine innovation. Join our online social communities and connect with innovation champs like Eric today.

Gary Chiu [Underwriter Laboratories] from Brightidea on Vimeo.

Innovation Champions: Underwriter Laboratories from Brightidea on Vimeo.

Top global businesses are learning how to master innovation in critical business processes. This series lets you get an inside look at top global businesses and how their leaders create innovation programs succeed.

Gary Chiu, an Engineering Leader from Underwriter Laboratories, sat down with Brightidea to give an exclusive interview about the company and the direction it is taking with innovation. Underwriter Laboratories is a global independent safety science company offering expertise across five key strategic businesses: Product Safety, Environment, Life & Health, Knowledge Services and Verification Services. Chiefly dealing with product safety, Underwriter Laboratories gains input about products sourcing insights and solutions from employees. Gary realizes that as industries become more competitive, traditional cultures and ways of thinking need to adopt a new and innovative methodologies and technologies to respond to ever changing business needs. Pushing an innovation culture with a grass-roots approach to ensure the transparency of actionable ideas that turn into better products, Gary knows what it means to be an Innovation Champion.

Want to learn more? The Birds of a Feather community connects leaders from different industries under one common goal: to reimagine innovation. Join our online social communities and connect with innovation champs like Gary today.

VMware, a global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, is hosting its first ever Open Innovation Contest. Using Brightidea software, VMware is actively engaging its community of users and encouraging participation for VMWorld 2013, an annual conference for IT professionals focusing on virtual server environment. The public innovation contest is designed for VMware software users that utilize a variety of fun, free tools offered by the company called 'flings'. The winning submission could potentially be a new fling built by the Engineering teams at VMware Labs. A panel of judges will review all the submissions and will announce the contest winner on November 30, 2012.

Since launching, the contest received positive responses from users and valuable collaboration on submitted ideas. One popular submission is to build a single backup of all vcenter and vshield components. The capability will allow users to select or unselect all vcenter configuration options and back up or send it on a share.

The open innovation contest portal invites ideas from the public and allows for the easy management of those ideas. The social features on the front and back-end allow for development of submitted ideas and efficient, collaborative review and decision-making.

Watch the official contest video to learn what the VP of Innovation at VMware has to say about 'flings.' 

Innovation Champions: Farm Credit Services of America from Brightidea on Vimeo.

This series lets you get an inside look at top global businesses and their leaders that create innovation program success.

In this video, Brightidea sits down with Angie Winegar, the Director of Strategy & Innovation at Farm Credit Services of America, for an exclusive interview to learn how the company organized around innovation using Brightidea software. Providing credit to nearly one-third of the nation's agricultural industry, Farm Credit Services of America recognizes the importance of utilizing innovation to achieve operational efficiency and promote next generation services for customers. Angie also points out that the company's long-term goal is to sustain a corporate culture where all employees and departments are organizing themselves around innovation in their job functions.

Want to learn more? The Birds of a Feather community connects leaders from different industries under one common goal: to reimagine innovation. Join our online social communities and connect with innovation champs like Angie today.

Innovation Champions: Sara Lee from Brightidea on Vimeo.

This series dives into the people behind the scenes, making innovation a key component to the success of top global companies.

Here is an inside look at the people behind innovation management at Sara Lee (NYSE: HSH), a global leader within the competitive and highly regulated food industry. Sharing with us his expertise in the field of corporate innovation is Keith McConnell, an innovation agent at Sara Lee.  Like many other global companies Sara Lee employs third party innovation agents to help guide and execute overall corporate strategy around optimizing the business for success. Keith works out of the Continuous Improvement Group and recognizes the importance of the management of employee ideation to maintain a competitive edge while driving innovation to produce new products. 

Want to learn more? The Birds of a Feather community connects like-minded innovation practitioners around the world. So don't wait any longer, join our social communities online and connect with Innovation Champions like Keith today.

Innovation Champions: Humana from Brightidea on Vimeo.

This series looks at the people who make innovation a reality every day. These individuals are redefining innovation at top global companies by injecting employees and customer input into everyday business processes to create better products and streamline operations.

Here is an exclusive interview with Jay Millstead, an insights technical consultant with Humana (NYSE: HUM), a Fortune 100 company that markets and administers a wide range of healthcare products and services. Within the health sector, Humana is recognized for its diverse lines of business positions as well as its strong innovation culture. Millstead, who works in the business insights group, explains how innovation is a product of co-creation between departments. The insights group collaborates with other departments within the enterprise to locate specific business needs then creates and runs Brightidea-powered campaigns to find real solutions. Millstead also explains how innovation culture at Humana empowers employees to contribute to the overall success of the company.

Growing innovation from the ground up, Humana knows how to implement innovation within different business units to target specific needs. Millstead's role in the evolution of Humana's innovation culture gives him the qualities that make him an Innovation Champion.

Want to learn more? The Birds of a Feather community connects innovation talents from different sectors and industries under one common goal: to reimagine innovation. Join our online social communities and connect with innovation champs like Jay today.

From protecting frontline soldiers to reaching the moon, Lockheed Martin has a 100-year track record of innovation. From the humble beginnings of founders Glen Martin, Allan Lockheed and Malcolm Lockheed, an unrelenting journey began to continuously push the boundaries of technologies that promise a better, brighter, and accelerated tomorrow.

Marking its 100^th anniversary, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is launching its first public innovation challenge, Innovate the Future Challenge. As a top global security and aerospace company that employs 61,000 engineers, scientists, and IT professionals, Lockheed Martin understands that great ideas can come from anywhere. Realizing the importance of early creativity, Lockheed Martin encourages and supports the next generation of inventors, students, researchers, mathematicians, engineers, and scientists to participate in the challenge. In conjunction with the public-facing challenge, an internal challenge will allow Lockheed Martin employees to contribute ideas for ways the company can create profitable growth in adjacent markets and innovate for affordability. The Innovate the Future Challenge creates a unique opportunity for Lockheed Martin to pursue affordability and collaboration through a systematic innovation program that taps both internal and external resources.

"Through this contest, we are creating an online environment that helps people with diverse backgrounds and experiences share their ideas," states Dr. Ray O. Johnson, senior vice president and chief technology officer.

Powered by Brightidea, the global forum will be open for ideas from the public starting August 6^th and ending on September 30^th, 2012. Participants will be able to submit their ideas under nine categories – health, safety, technology, environment, security, transportation, energy, education, and other. Lockheed Martin's review committee will judge and score the submitted ideas based on three main areas: impact, creativity, expression. Up to 5 ideas will be selected for cash rewards: the first place winner will receive a $25,000 award, the runner-up a $10,000 award, and three third place winners will receive $5,000 awards. That's not all. The grand prizewinner will also receive an incubation contract with Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute at the University of Maryland to help further develop the idea.

Brightidea enables the company to effectively tap inside and outside sources of expertise and create a dynamic collaborative environment where innovation can flourish. Our backend evaluation tools support advanced review and efficient processing of a high volume of ideas, creating streamlined evaluation processes through scorecarding, private evaluator collaboration rooms, and much more.

Join Lockheed Martin! Share your ideas. Encourage others. Above all else, recognize your potential to make an important contribution by submitting your ideas today!

Read the full text in Spanish here. Read the full text in Portuguese here. The next Innovation Leaders Birds of a Feather (BOF) event is coming soon in September. For the first time ever Brightidea and innovators from around the world are heading to Latin America for BOF LATAM 2012! There will be not only one, but two BOF events – September 4-5 in Santiago, Chile hosted by Empresa Nacional de Energia ENEX S.A. and September 11 in Campinas, Brazil hosted by CPFL Energia. This latest BOF is sure to bring together an exciting group of innovation experts and practitioners from LATAM, an area that has been gaining momentum with an unprecedented uptick in innovation programs emerging in top regional companies.

September 4-5 ENEX, a leading energy company born out of the Shell Group, will be hosting the first BOF LATAM at its headquarters in Santiago, Chile. Speakers will include Brightidea's CEO Matthew Greeley and Guillermo Beuchat, Senior Business Strategy and Innovation Consultant at Transforme Consultores. ENEX's BOF LATAM 2012 will start off with a pre-event where attendees will be going on a Chilean wine tour near Santiago to get a unique look at innovations at smaller, boutique vineyards. The main event will include insights and presentations from elite local innovation program managers including a talk from the government agency CORFO about how the Chilean government is sponsoring innovation.

September 11, innovation program managers from Brazil will come together at CPFL Energia, the largest private holding company in Brazil's electricity sector, headquarters in Campinas, Brazil. Sharing their best practices and speaking about their experiences in corporate innovation will be keynote speakers, Matthew Greeley, CEO at Brightidea, Cristiano Kruel, senior business strategy and innovation consultant at Simplez, Vinicius Teixeira, from CPFL Energia, Miguel Alacantara, CIO of CVC, and Ivan Goncalves, from Positivo, the largest computer manufacturer in Latin America.

Register today, spots are limited. Please note, while we try to accommodate all requests, Brightidea customers are given priority access to all BOF events. What's in store for you at BOF, check out the video of our last BOF hosted by Motorola Solutions!

Pre-Registro Birds of a Feather Chile

Pré-Registro Birds of a Feather Brasil