Knowledge Management as Intelligence Amplification for Breakthrough Innovations

Abstract

The application of knowledge management (KM) principles to design thinking is a fruitful arena for consideration. This chapter focuses on the perspectives, principles, and practices required in KM to address the world of breakthrough innovations (BI); innovations that demand design thinking because they are characterized by high levels of uncertainty and address big, complex, and sometimes intractable problems. It discusses the shift in perspective from intelligence leveraging to intelligence amplification as a key characteristic of KM to address the arena of breakthrough innovations. This shift emphasizes the role of insight development over leveraging available knowledge. The chapter deals with the tools for embedding KM in design, with examples from several large but leading-edge companies and other organizations such as incubators, idea labs, and consulting organizations. The tools are described within the framework of discovery, incubation, and acceleration, three capabilities necessary for breakthrough innovations.