Monthly Archives: January 2010
Contrasting expectations of species-level evolution, the classic phyletic gradualism model (left), and the punctuated equilibrium model (right).by Kevin RobertsBiology fascinates me. I love the work of Stephen Jay Gould who theorized how change in evolution happens at the edges, the margin, the fringe. He calls this ‘punctuated equilibrium’, and it explains how evolution doesn’t take place on a predictable, linear path but with unpredictable and dramatic bursts coming from the outer reaches of the species. The same can be said of the world of ideas and innovation.Another biologist, Richard Dawkins, a brilliant communicator, created a lot of confusion when he called his 1976 book on evolution, ‘The Selfish Gene’. The book details the brutal efficiency of evolution, but the phrase itself has entered common usage to mean that human beings are genetically programmed for selfishness. It means nothing of the sort – and isn’t it great when research comes along … Continue reading
[The garage where Hewlett and Packard started HP, 1939 photo]by Paul WilliamsFounders Bill Hewlett and David Packard had the right idea when they first built their company. They believed if you had passion for what you did – and did it with quality – the money will follow.This was a pretty radial idea back in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Their approach to business became known as the “HP Way.” And later the title of the book David Packard wrote about building HP. (The HP Way).They started their business in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California. (That garage has been dubbed the birthplace of Silicon Valley).In 1999, HP CEO Carly Fiorina, summarized the spirit of that HP Way with her Rules of the Garage:Believe you can change the world. Work quickly, keep the tools unlocked, work whenever. Know when to work alone and when to work together. Share tools, … Continue reading
People are fascinated with the idea of human cloning after researchers cloned a sheep in 1997. The debate about the risks and benefits of human cloning rages on. What if you could clone yourself in a virtual sense? Even better, imagine cloning yourself into another person’s body? What would you feel? What would you learn? How would your life be better?Dr. Henrik Ehrsson, a neuroscientist from Karolinska Institute in Sweden, has pioneered a method of allowing us to get out of our bodies and into the body of someone else…virtually…so that you sense whatever the other person senses. We “clone” ourselves everyday with simple technologies like a mirror or camera. But this is different. This technique clones you into another form so you can experience life from that point-of-view. From CNN: This is an example of the innovation template, Multiplication. It works by taking a component of a product or … Continue reading
Large companies have always used their size and power to get things their way. This is no different with open innovation. So I am not surprised when I listen to people from smaller companies complain about the behaviours of large companies when they start working together.Such behaviours were confirmed by several large companies at the recent Open Innovation Summit. They shared stories on how they had used their size and corporate power to get deals that favoured themselves and they even admitted that some deals could be so lop-sided that they could discourage other smaller companies from working with them.This made me wonder whether it is just human nature to be a bully and use the power at hand. I reached the conclusion this is often the case and in terms of open innovation this is just what smaller companies should expect when they engage with large companies.This is not … Continue reading
Now that 2009 is over, I have bad news and I have good news.First the bad news. According to the Wall Street Journal, stock performance in the decade now ended was the worst ever – worse even than the woeful 1930s. For the past ten years, the value of NYSE-traded stocks has declined by an average of 0.5 percent a year. Compare that to the 1990s, when the average annual increase was an incredible 17.6 percent.Factor in inflation and it gets even more depressing, with the S&P 500 declining an inflation-adjusted 3.3 percent annually. During the 1930s, stocks showed an inflation-adjusted (deflation, really) annual gain of 1.8 percent. And the decade now ending saw many notable companies fall out of the S&P 500, for reasons of scandal (Countrywide, Enron), excess (Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Wachovia), misfortune (Circuit City, Lucent, Reebok) and just plain changing dynamics (AT&T, Compaq, Dow … Continue reading
Thank you to everyone who entered our last contest of 2009 for a chance to win one of three copies of Gary Hamel’s latest book “The Future of Management” ?Lady luck has spoken and I’d like to announce the three winners of their very own copy of “The Future of Management”:Cathy OlofsonAshish Thomas (claimed)Peter Vander Auwera (claimed)Alternate: Bill DavisContest Winners – Please contact me with your address so I can mail you your book.First, let me say that it was incredibly hard to come up with this list. I’ve come across lots of great articles this year that I can’t find anymore. Luckily a lot of the really good innovation articles end up on our site, but for sure I’ve missed lots of great innovation articles published this year. So, apologies in advance if you thought your favorite article should have been included. You can always include it below as … Continue reading
