Suchi Sairam, VP, Roadmap Innovation @ Ergotron  

Innovation is a really funny thing.  On one hand, it’s about finding new ways to do things—they can be very simple, or pretty complex—and it may or may not involve a product.  

On the other hand, it’s about taking that new way to do things and convincing the very people that need it that, well, that they NEED it; that “once you have it, you won’t remember your life without it,” discussion. 

That is, perhaps, the most difficult thing part of innovation…selling the idea. 

Case in point. I’ve recently spent a lot of time in K-12 schools and higher education institutions, to talk to them about their technology adoption, what does and doesn’t work, and to observe their workflows.  

Education practitioners are very clever and resourceful, and if faced with a problem, will more than likely find an inexpensive and very functional way of solving it, which makes them an excellent resource for different ways to look at things. 

As I was talking through some ideas on how to tie their technology tools together to make them work better for them and their students, it was interesting to watch two groups quickly form.  People who were anxious to try new ideas (I’ll call them The Embracers), and those who were clinging to the old (I’ll call them The Clingers).  

And what really surprised me is that the motivation for The Clingers wasn’t the usual “we’ve always done it this way” stance.  More often, it was because the new workflow wasn’t their idea, in a sense, they hadn’t owned it yet, and consequently, perhaps, it couldn’t possibly work because of it. 

Now these are people that had embraced technology through their campuses, and were at various levels of implementation.  However, the gap I found amongst some people was that spending money on the technology in education didn’t guarantee success, simply because they hadn’t collectively adjusted their approach to workflow.

As I mentally prepared to go the distance to convince the Clingers why they needed to reconsider, an interesting dynamic took place. The Embracers did the convincing themselves, speaking to how changes in workflow open up a whole new set of options on curriculum delivery, collaboration with students, and class time utilization. 

At each site, educators and technology administrators thanked me profusely for all of the ideas to incorporate into their schools and institutions to make their technology investments go farther. But you know? I was thanking them more profusely for all of great dialogue. As I was selling the ideas, I was learning how to sell the ideas. That’s a good education. Sometimes learning to sell ideas requires active listening. 

What ideas are you selling? And have you found your advocates?

With the current buzz about the Federal stimulus package, it is clear to see that investment in healthcare technology has come to the forefront as a national priority. Especially so with the widespread implications it has across national, state, regional and community healthcare systems.

As you begin to prepare for your visit to HIMSS, consider adding Ergotron to your “must stop” lists. Be among the first to get hands-on experience with our StyleView® for healthcare portfolio; the products that are going to help you make the most of your EMR software and system investments.

Want a sneak peak at what’s in store? Take a look at a pre-release clip: StyleView: B# at the Bedside:  

You’ll find us in booth 3632, or in these 16 partner booths. To schedule a meeting with an Ergotron Healthcare staff at the show in advance, contact sales@ergotron.com.

Want to stay connected before and during the show? Follow Ergotron on Twitter at: Twitter.com/ergotron.

Hope to see you there!

Denise Luther, Sr. Graphic Designer @ Ergotron

Those of you who read Inc. magazine and GreenBiz.com have probably already heard of Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle. Tom writes a blog for Inc. called “The Eco-Capitalist” and his company has been featured several times on GreenBiz.

The newest venture from TerraCycle is piloting this year at Home Depot, Petco, OfficeMax, and Best Buy stores in New York and New Jersey. Thinking way outside the box, at The Big Box. Check it out!

Christina Tynan-Wood, in her post, Making My Desk Bigger, on www.geekgirlfriends.com, continues in her quest of “hording gadgets” for her new home office. This week she tackled fetching a monitor arm to make her desk truly ergonomic.

Christina brings up a good point about the desk arm, “The copy on the Ergotron LX Desk Mount Arm monitor said that I would be able to clamp the arm to my desk…. But my desk didn’t have a wide enough lip to allow that.” Fortunately the kit gave her a workable and satisfactory alternative option.

Husband or no husband, you’ll find what you need to know about how to install it from the TigerDirect.com review of the arm which Christina includes in her post. 

You’ll be especially glad to hear, “But, more importantly, my eyes are happy. When I hit a web site with print that is too small to see, I pull the screen closer.”

This is timely. We’ve more information to come about some fun eye exercises to help reduce strain so be sure to check back soon.

I want to give a shout out to Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ, on his ‘gadget’ episode, gadget 116 – Ergotron LX Dual LCD Arm, and to Notebook Reviews for their coverage of it.

Fr. Ballecer and his team put Ergotron’s LX Dual Side-by-Side Arm through its paces, testing several types of monitors in several different settings. And although he admits he kind of breaks the rules (monitors a little heavier than spec), he shows everything you would ever want to know about the arm. 

Now all you need to decide is where you want them.