Monthly Archives: July 2011
An unmistakable mega-trend this decade is the great power shift from countries in the ‘West’ and ‘North’ of the world to those in the ‘East’ and ‘South’. No one knows for sure how the surge in influence will play out in a global sense or, given forces like the Internet, even if nations will be the primary actors in world affairs 50 years from now. Let’s face it, it’s tough enough to get a handle on past international relations, let alone predict future ones. George McDonald Fraser comically described the Schleswig-Holstein Question as so complicated that it was understood by only three men: one who died, one who went mad thinking about it, and Lord Palmerston, who never could remember the answer. Here are 15 random signposts and markers on the big, fast and young shift ahead, pulled out of the media currents: In 2050, almost 80% of the world’s … Continue reading
I have written at length about the value of ideas. Thus far, I have focused on successful ideas. But unsuccessful ideas are extremely important too; not least for the amount of damage they often cause. Damage not from the ideas themselves, but from how badly organizations often deal with unsuccessful ideas. Example from Coca Cola Probably the most famous unsuccessful idea in recent business history was implemented by Coca Cola almost 20 years ago. Losing ground to Pepsi and seeing their new diet cola, with a different flavor than the traditional Coca Cola, gaining in popularity, Coca Cola decided to update the taste of their world famous drink. Being a huge multinational, they put their best food scientists on it, experimented thoroughly and conducted market research in a big way. By the rules of modern marketing, they did everything right. But the idea failed miserably. Coke drinkers were more emotionally … Continue reading
Google is at a plateau in term of innovation: to meet further success, it would benefit from ingesting some “rapid innovation” practices. Google+ project mangement shows the way, to win its next duel on TV with Fcebook, Google could leverage on “creative tension” practice.
We deal with attraction every day of our lives, sometimes with life-changing consequences, for example in our choice of life partner. Many factors are involved – looks, intelligence, humor, wealth, or if you’re really lucky, an extraordinary combination of all four. Attraction is important in business too, but how often do you step back and consider what makes you attractive? If you are active in Open Innovation (OI), potential partners will take a view on how attractive you are compared to other competing options. The more you do to enhance your good points and to smooth over the rough edges, the more likely you will be to strike a deal with a strong innovation partner. Most companies have choices; you want them to put you first. We can break down the components of attraction into “basic facts” and “soft criteria”. The basic facts are straightforward, …
The ability to inspire trust is an essential leadership trait. According to a recent survey conducted by the marketing research firm, Maritz Research, our current crop of leaders has a lot of work to do in this area. Conducted in March of this year, the survey reported that: 25 percent of U.S. employees have less trust in management this year than they did last year. Fourteen percent believe their company’s leaders are ethical and honest. Yet only 10 percent trust management to make the right decision in times of uncertainty. Only 12 percent of employees believe their employers genuinely listen to and care about them. Only 7 percent believe that senior management’s actions are completely consistent with their words. What a sad and disturbing picture of the people who are supposed to serve as role models for the rest of us! But if you look at the behavior of our … Continue reading
Friday, July 8, 2011, was a bittersweet day for every American, because Friday marked the last shuttle launch and practically the end of our space exploration for some time to come. For those like me who came of age in the space race, the fact that we’re reduced to hitching rides to space with the space agencies from other countries is astonishing. Heck, we don’t even have the means to rescue the shuttle, so the crew has been reduced to four astronauts. But melancholy isn’t the purpose of this post. No, what I want to talk about instead is how a rocket launch is similar, and dissimilar to innovation. First let’s consider a rocket launch. Years of planning and careful consideration go into every aspect of a launch. Several exceptionally well-trained astronauts enter the cockpit and prepare to launch. Tremendous energy is required to …
