Monthly Archives: December 2010
Corporate innovation – and indeed any kind of innovation – is never the result of spontaneous ideas appearing for no reason. Rather it is a process that begins with a problem or a goal and ends with the implementation of one or more ideas deemed to offer value to the organization. On those rare occasions when a researcher makes an unexpected discovery, she still needs to turn that discovery into an innovation – and that means she has to start with a goal: turning the discovery into a product, for example. As noted, the innovation process starts with a problem or a goal. In this article, we will look at problems. In a future article, we will look into goal oriented innovation. Most people, when confronted with a problem will look for a solution and apply the first solution that comes to mind. Often, they will follow past examples, ask … Continue reading
Create wealth like Apple, Amazon, Priceline, DeVry, Colgate by Adam Hartung “Goodbye 2010, the Year of Austerity” is the headline from Mediapost.com’s Marketing Daily. And that could be the mantra for many, many companies. Nobody is winning today by trying to save their way to prosperity! As we move into this decade, it is important business leaders realize that the only way to create a strong bottom line (profit) is to develop a strong top line (revenue.) Recommendations: Never be desperate. Go to where the growth is, and where you can make money. Don’t chase any business, chase the business where you can profitably growth. Be somewhat selective. Focus efforts on markets you know best. I add that it’s important you understand not to do just what you like, but learn to do what customers VALUE. Let go of crap, traditions and “playing it safe” actions. …
New Thinking for the Engineering Community by Dr. Mike Shipulski Sometimes we engineers know the answer before the question, sometimes we know the question’s wrong before it’s asked, and sometimes we’re just plain pig-headed. And if we band together, there’s no hope of changing how things are done. None. So, how to bring new thinking to the engineering community? In three words: WHAT, WHY, HOW. WHY – Don’t start with WHAT. If you do, we’ll shut down. You don’t know the answer, we do. And you should let us tell you. Start with WHY. Give us the context, give us the problem, give us the business fundamentals, give us the WHY. Let us ask questions. Let us probe. Let us understand it from all our angles. Don’t bother moving on. You can’t. We need to kick the tires to make sure we understand WHY. (It does not matter if you … Continue reading
If you came of age during the great technology marketing wars of the 80s and 90s, you’ll recognize the acronym “FUD” – fear, uncertainty and doubt. Marketing’s goal in most cases was to create enough fear, uncertainty and doubt about a competitor’s products or services that the buyer remained loyal to his or her incumbent. IBM has been credited with making FUD a sales and marketing tactic, as in the statement “No one ever got fired for hiring IBM to do a job”. Basically FUD argues that what’s known and experienced should have more weight in a decision process than what’s new or unknown. It argues that consistency in decision making and loyalty to the status quo are more valuable and more defensible than change. The problem with this line of thinking is that change occurs all around us, and remaining true to a vision, whether …
This time of year always affords a great opportunity to plan for the challenges that are sure to present themselves in the upcoming year. My question is this: have you taken the time to do the necessary planning? Regardless of where you are in your life and your career, I can promise you one thing; you will consistently be faced with challenges and obstacles along the way. You will face physical, mental, financial, relational, and resource challenges among others. Instead of beating yourself up or giving in, it is critical that you develop the ability to learn from setbacks. In today’s post I will take a brief look at the beliefs that cause some to succeed where others fail. In a nutshell, dealing with barriers, obstacles, and setbacks requires both attitude and aptitude. So, do you have the skills and perspective to thrive under pressure and to succeed, or will … Continue reading
I have been thinking about regeneration. While it is common knowledge, it still amazes me, that salamanders can regenerate body parts, including their tails, upper and lower jaws, eyes and hearts. Yet mammals including humans can’t. Salamanders are the highest order of animals capable of regeneration. Do mammals know something that salamanders don’t? Cosmetic surgery, implants, and promising regenerative medicine research aside we humans are stuck with the body parts we are dealt for now. I wonder if our inability to regenerate at the biological scale also impedes our ability to regenerate at a social system scale. It seems obvious that our important social systems including education, health care, and energy need serious regeneration. These systems have evolved over a long period of time, were built to support an industrial era that is long gone, and have built up incredible mechanisms to resist and prevent needed change. …
