Monthly Archives: October 2009
by Matthew E MayOver at the American Express Open Forum Idea Hub, I’ve posted “How to Set a BHAG.” A BHAG is a Big, Hairy Audacious Goal, and it’s a term coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras.I’m constantly asked about the challenge of complacency — you know, things are going well, but there’s a comfort setting in, and people are riding a different wave than when things were a struggle. The complaint goes something like this: “We’re stuck. Stuck in the old school, stuck in the status quo, stuck in stall mode. We want things done differently, but we can’t seem to get there from here. We’ve lost our edge. The days of rapid innovation are disappearing in the rearview mirror. There’s widespread lethargy.”In short, the entrepreneurial spirit is M.I.A. and “How do I create a burning platform for change?” is the question.G.K. Chesterton once said: “Art consists of … Continue reading
by Braden KelleyWe had hoped to bring you live coverage on Twitter of the Optimizing Innovation Conference (October 21-22, 2009) from the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan in New York City, but unfortunately there is no WiFi in the hotel.During the event we do still plan to secure video or text interviews with several of the speakers, and post them after the event along with blog entries with key insights from the speakers’ presentations.Here is a partial list of the corporate innovation leaders speaking at the event:Whirlpool – Moises Norena – Director of Global Innovation & PMRAmerican Express – Steven Faktor – VP, Head of Chairman’s Innovation Fund and Portfolio ManagementWyeth Biotech – Robert Repetto – Director, New Technology and Innovation3M – Mauro Porcini – Head of Global Design Consumer & Office BusinessDiageo – Randy Carlson – Global Innovation DirectorKraft Foods – Dr. Steven Goers – VP of Open Innovation … Continue reading
This is the third of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on “What roles do engineers and marketers play in an innovation setting, and what conflicts can arise based on their perspectives and approaches?” Here is the next perspective in the series:by Jeffrey PhillipsFirst, let me say that I am ably suited to answer this question, since I am both an engineer (undergraduate) and a marketer (graduate degree). I’ve worked in the technical trenches and, frankly, left them as quickly as possible, and worked in a number of marketing roles since my MBA. I left the engineering world because it necessarily demands a level of specificity and exactness that I find boring and tedious, and demands attention to detail that I sometimes lack.So, let’s talk about engineers first. What traits are associated with engineers, and does their education, focus, attitudes … Continue reading
New Social Enterprises That Make Money and Change the Worldby Idris MooteeWe need more (and more innovative) social enterprises and I really want to see a top tier MBA programs with specialization in Social Enterprises. Call it B-school needs S-school. There are so many problems out there and sometimes we feel we are almost giving up. Our capitalist system is not adjusting well to these shocks. It is almost pointless for these endless debates on how things got to this point and who is to blame. The point remains: We’ve got to change it – and change it fast – and change it for the better. The last thing we want to replace these problems with a set of newer problems, I’ve seen in many case when smart people think they have a solution, but they are simply migrating the problems. There is hope. The good surprise is that business … Continue reading
What I’m about to espouse will cause many an eyebrow to furrow and jaw to drop. I truly believe that the practice of sales as a business discipline has become at best ineffective, and in many cases flat out obsolete. You see, good business practices are not static. Stale methodologies and disciplines simply die a slow and very painful death, and it is my contention that the overwhelming majority of sales processes I see in today’s marketplace are just that…stale. If you want to create revenue, increase customer satisfaction, and drive brand equity, stop selling and start adding value. In the text that follows I’ll share my thoughts on how the practice of sales must change in order to survive. Lest you think I’ve lost my mind, I want to be clear that I’m not advocating taking your eye off the revenue creation ball. Rather what I’m recommending …
This is the second of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on “What roles do engineers and marketers play in an innovation setting, and what conflicts can arise based on their perspectives and approaches?” Here is the next perspective in the series:by Mark RoserPeople interested in the topic of new product development and innovation are likely already familiar with many aspects of bringing technologists together with marketers. There is no shortage of opportunities for both groups to take credit for success but lay the blame for product problems with the other group.Having studied marketing at Wharton while getting my engineering degree at the University of Pennsylvania, I was fortunate to start my career seeing how both types speak about the other. Engineers can caricaturize marketers as talkative, image-sensitive, fashionistas who are more interested in socializing than in working. …
