This morning I was really shocked to hear on NPR that publishers of books still have not planned their digital strategy and are trying to fight it through litigation! Are we going to see another music industry repeat?
If the publishers and for that matter anybody in the business of distributing data/information that can be digitized - made easy to access online and on demand - still have not woken up- they have to be living under a rock!
Kindle / iPad, smart phones etc etc ... can you even step outside without smelling, seeing, and feeling the changes underway?
If the publishers do not want to serve the low end or the very high end market with published books and the mid tier market with digital publishing - and willing to cut costs - they might be looking at a very bleak future! And if they are surprised with the digital revolution - they must really look around at parallel businesses and even what happened to the encyclopedia!
I highly recommend more companies and industries to start thinking real time digital with compatible devices! This is the future- in fact if you have a lot of salesmen and customers regularly accessing data sheets and pricing for 1000+ products - getting them on-line , on demand and ready to order - even just by your partner channels is going to be key- so pick your device today, Pick your digitizing company today - and get going NOW - race ahead of the pack!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Innoventuitive Business Strategy or The Art of Delivering a Consumer Experience Beyond Great!
Innoventuitive is a word play on Innovation, Invention and Intuition!
Let us first read the meanings of the three words from one of the leading online dictionaries.
Innovation is defined by the Merriam Webster as
1 : the introduction of something new
2 : a new idea, method, or device: Novelty
http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/innovation
Invention is defined by the same source as
1 : Discovery , Finding
2 : Productive Imagination
3 a : something invented: as (1) : a product of the imagination; especially : a false conception (2) : a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment b : a short keyboard composition featuring two- or three-part counterpoint
4 : the act or process of inventing
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invention
Finally
Intuition is defined as
1 : quick and ready insight
2 a : immediate apprehension or cognition b : knowledge or conviction gained by intuition c : the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intuition
I believe these three factors are the most powerful to understand and anticipate a customers need, put the imagination of creative minds to test and to come up with a product or service, not expected or delivered today !
There I could stop here but let me explain how I think companies need to go from innovation strategies to Innoventutitive strategies.
Business has dramatically changed and the speed of business and information flow is much faster than ever before. On-demand has a whole new meaning today and every day the time interval for any action becomes shorter and shorter. Top technology companies like Google certainly revolutionized the power of the online search and now is focussing on the mobile platform, Apple and Microsoft continue to challenge the way we think about computers, mobility and interfacing with technology, Intel continues to redefine the limits of processors, IBM is fostering a smarter planet , General Electric is reinventing the way we know energy and the examples go on and on.
What does this mean to your company? How and why are consumer behaviors changing?
For one the average consumer is becoming spoilt with choices,
second they have access to a lot more information to take a decision,
third, they are getting more and more simplification of previously tedious or complex processes,
fourth they are exposed to new challenges replacing the old ones which now do not exist because the essence of civilization is change and moving forward
finally they are being pampered to impatience through quick delivery!
The web and mobile options means, one can check the truth in your statements and value propositions anytime anywhere, including third party and consumer reviews. The smarter search engines mean they can get good answers and collaborate with someone on the other side of the globe QUICK. Smarter gadgets and appliances allow us to reduce the time we spend doing mundane chores and be more effective. I am willing to bet that smarter surroundings are making us think in new ways and dimensions. Finally if there is a customer, with a need not fulfilled, they want great companies to discover, understand it, develop into a product or service and deliver FAST!
So the only way to be beyond great is to actually anticipate the need without the rational yet being fully established- that is Intuition, to test the limits of current models or thinking that is innovation and actually deliver a product or service to fulfill it, that is invent!
Happy INNOVENTUITING! Hey on a current subject- can anyone make a vuvu filter before the round of 16?
Let us first read the meanings of the three words from one of the leading online dictionaries.
Innovation is defined by the Merriam Webster as
1 : the introduction of something new
2 : a new idea, method, or device: Novelty
http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/innovation
Invention is defined by the same source as
1 : Discovery , Finding
2 : Productive Imagination
3 a : something invented: as (1) : a product of the imagination; especially : a false conception (2) : a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment b : a short keyboard composition featuring two- or three-part counterpoint
4 : the act or process of inventing
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invention
Finally
Intuition is defined as
1 : quick and ready insight
2 a : immediate apprehension or cognition b : knowledge or conviction gained by intuition c : the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intuition
I believe these three factors are the most powerful to understand and anticipate a customers need, put the imagination of creative minds to test and to come up with a product or service, not expected or delivered today !
There I could stop here but let me explain how I think companies need to go from innovation strategies to Innoventutitive strategies.
Business has dramatically changed and the speed of business and information flow is much faster than ever before. On-demand has a whole new meaning today and every day the time interval for any action becomes shorter and shorter. Top technology companies like Google certainly revolutionized the power of the online search and now is focussing on the mobile platform, Apple and Microsoft continue to challenge the way we think about computers, mobility and interfacing with technology, Intel continues to redefine the limits of processors, IBM is fostering a smarter planet , General Electric is reinventing the way we know energy and the examples go on and on.
What does this mean to your company? How and why are consumer behaviors changing?
For one the average consumer is becoming spoilt with choices,
second they have access to a lot more information to take a decision,
third, they are getting more and more simplification of previously tedious or complex processes,
fourth they are exposed to new challenges replacing the old ones which now do not exist because the essence of civilization is change and moving forward
finally they are being pampered to impatience through quick delivery!
The web and mobile options means, one can check the truth in your statements and value propositions anytime anywhere, including third party and consumer reviews. The smarter search engines mean they can get good answers and collaborate with someone on the other side of the globe QUICK. Smarter gadgets and appliances allow us to reduce the time we spend doing mundane chores and be more effective. I am willing to bet that smarter surroundings are making us think in new ways and dimensions. Finally if there is a customer, with a need not fulfilled, they want great companies to discover, understand it, develop into a product or service and deliver FAST!
So the only way to be beyond great is to actually anticipate the need without the rational yet being fully established- that is Intuition, to test the limits of current models or thinking that is innovation and actually deliver a product or service to fulfill it, that is invent!
Happy INNOVENTUITING! Hey on a current subject- can anyone make a vuvu filter before the round of 16?
Friday, June 11, 2010
Time outs or the story of how a favorite national sport influences work cultures!
The worlds truly global sporting event is on- make way on the couch! There is nothing more global than the sport of football ..ahem soccer! Local tastes however in Canada and USA differ. Canada prefers Hockey and USA the NFL version of football.
Since it is the football world cup- I will stick to soccer vs NFL for the time being . In a broader article and hopefully my future book, I will include Hockey and Canada and Cricket and India as well!
What always strikes me as a great difference between people growing on a healthy dose of soccer is that they think in the terms of halves vs the NFL followers thinking in Quarters!
Don't believe yet that sports affect cultures?- dive a little deeper-
After all playing sports is a fun way to learn and is a group activity at school- it has a definitive impact on personalities. While Soccer drives fluid strategic thinking on the go with flexibility of roles, American football thrives on strategic plays broken down into 3 chances and specific roles and teams. This makes soccer players better situation handlers and football players better strategic executers. While I cannot argue if one works better than the other, I do believe certain roles in an organization could benefit from one or the other type of thinking.
Soccer drives meticulous planning before the 45 minutes start , while in NFL a general game plan is then driven by specific planed strategic plays.
One other striking difference that comes to mind is the scoring difference. While in soccer, there is only one point when the ball is in the nets, the NFL version allows multiple types of scoring, - field goal, touch down - and then some- 1 or 2 extra points! This reminds me of the difference in compensation packages between the oceans - fixed bonus versus compensation strategies!
Finally my favorite- time outs- - nope nothing like time outs in soccer- which can either be used to slow the game or regroup !
the gist- soccer- fluid 45 minute halves , football broken into many fixed milestones (10 yards at a time!)
Enjoy the game!
Since it is the football world cup- I will stick to soccer vs NFL for the time being . In a broader article and hopefully my future book, I will include Hockey and Canada and Cricket and India as well!
What always strikes me as a great difference between people growing on a healthy dose of soccer is that they think in the terms of halves vs the NFL followers thinking in Quarters!
Don't believe yet that sports affect cultures?- dive a little deeper-
After all playing sports is a fun way to learn and is a group activity at school- it has a definitive impact on personalities. While Soccer drives fluid strategic thinking on the go with flexibility of roles, American football thrives on strategic plays broken down into 3 chances and specific roles and teams. This makes soccer players better situation handlers and football players better strategic executers. While I cannot argue if one works better than the other, I do believe certain roles in an organization could benefit from one or the other type of thinking.
Soccer drives meticulous planning before the 45 minutes start , while in NFL a general game plan is then driven by specific planed strategic plays.
One other striking difference that comes to mind is the scoring difference. While in soccer, there is only one point when the ball is in the nets, the NFL version allows multiple types of scoring, - field goal, touch down - and then some- 1 or 2 extra points! This reminds me of the difference in compensation packages between the oceans - fixed bonus versus compensation strategies!
Finally my favorite- time outs- - nope nothing like time outs in soccer- which can either be used to slow the game or regroup !
the gist- soccer- fluid 45 minute halves , football broken into many fixed milestones (10 yards at a time!)
Enjoy the game!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Are we going to learn from the gulf spill?
There is nothing more important than the oil spill right now- It is driving discussions, markets, politics, emotions and business.
But I think even more important than the response right now is the lessons learned from the disaster. While most people continue to focus on the new , may be the engineering and environmental society should dedicate a group to start evaluating the lessons and to come up with implementation plans at other hot spots ... ehem.. oil rigs.
What comes to my mind is that if a relief well takes so long to drill, should a relief well with all necessary equipment except a 5-7 day drill period to connect it to the main well be mandated to exist for every rig?
Secondly , if the rate of spread was much faster than the rate of skimming and dispersion, what new technologies need to be employed and how can these be activated faster and gather more oil in the future?
Just like we have come up with sprinklers to avoid fires, I am sure we are an ingenious tribe and by putting the best minds together we can come up with risk reducing and mitigating ideas that need to be implemented ASAP at other sites!
One of the major things that comes to mind is - why not set up something stronger than a watchdog- independent of the government- an agency that actually does safety research- an agency that will be to engineering what NASA is to aerospace?
again just some quick thoughts , I am sure some people are already thinking the same way or ahead!
let me know what you think guys!
But I think even more important than the response right now is the lessons learned from the disaster. While most people continue to focus on the new , may be the engineering and environmental society should dedicate a group to start evaluating the lessons and to come up with implementation plans at other hot spots ... ehem.. oil rigs.
What comes to my mind is that if a relief well takes so long to drill, should a relief well with all necessary equipment except a 5-7 day drill period to connect it to the main well be mandated to exist for every rig?
Secondly , if the rate of spread was much faster than the rate of skimming and dispersion, what new technologies need to be employed and how can these be activated faster and gather more oil in the future?
Just like we have come up with sprinklers to avoid fires, I am sure we are an ingenious tribe and by putting the best minds together we can come up with risk reducing and mitigating ideas that need to be implemented ASAP at other sites!
One of the major things that comes to mind is - why not set up something stronger than a watchdog- independent of the government- an agency that actually does safety research- an agency that will be to engineering what NASA is to aerospace?
again just some quick thoughts , I am sure some people are already thinking the same way or ahead!
let me know what you think guys!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Accountability- the road to success
Simply put- it means to own up to a task at hand and complete it!
It is easier said than done, especially in todays environment of global teams, matrix organizations and just in time production!
The Human element is still the most important part of an organization and the DNA of an organization is defined by how humans link themselves in a complex format to engage in the tasks at hand!
The secret lies in three things-
Attitude
People with the right attitudes and personality types- that is Starters, Thinkers, Makers, and Finishers in equal measures! above all everyone must exhibit the can do attitude and paranoia as Intels chief Andrew Grove likes to say should be used to rive the organization to new heights not stop it from progress.
Communication
Second - clear communication lines and tools to enable it. The tools are easy but clarity in communication across cultures and non native speakers and departments- a whole new ball game!
Finally
Leadership- some one has to take the bull by the horns! Yes leadership is more important than management because with all the information and data, management is easier than it ever was, it is assisted by a myriad of tools like CRM, ERP, MS Projects. But that has also made leadership all the more difficult. Leading by example in frustrating situations, holding yourself accountable, day in day out t lead by example, and then knowing when to step back to be the shepherd- is the order of the day!
more on this tonight - how it ties to make an effective team and why....watch this space!
It is easier said than done, especially in todays environment of global teams, matrix organizations and just in time production!
The Human element is still the most important part of an organization and the DNA of an organization is defined by how humans link themselves in a complex format to engage in the tasks at hand!
The secret lies in three things-
Attitude
People with the right attitudes and personality types- that is Starters, Thinkers, Makers, and Finishers in equal measures! above all everyone must exhibit the can do attitude and paranoia as Intels chief Andrew Grove likes to say should be used to rive the organization to new heights not stop it from progress.
Communication
Second - clear communication lines and tools to enable it. The tools are easy but clarity in communication across cultures and non native speakers and departments- a whole new ball game!
Finally
Leadership- some one has to take the bull by the horns! Yes leadership is more important than management because with all the information and data, management is easier than it ever was, it is assisted by a myriad of tools like CRM, ERP, MS Projects. But that has also made leadership all the more difficult. Leading by example in frustrating situations, holding yourself accountable, day in day out t lead by example, and then knowing when to step back to be the shepherd- is the order of the day!
more on this tonight - how it ties to make an effective team and why....watch this space!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Water footprint reduction, My new passion
It has been sometime since I blogged!
I was mainly busy in personal move from one division of the company to another. Now I find myself in a new division working with analytical measurements. It has struck me in my first few months here, that water footprint is a burning problem but unfortunately does not have the same visibility as the global warming issue. In fact for many countries and parts of the world- time is running out or should I say WATER is running out. Yes potable water is needed for everything but we are doing to little for it. This is why I have turned my focus to reduction of the water footprint!
from now I will be immersing myself in ways to help companies to reduce water usage and "soaking" them with ideas surrounding waste water reduction and recovery! So from a a general energy reduction I will hone myself specifically down to water! This blog will be splashed with related stuff- so watch this space!
I was mainly busy in personal move from one division of the company to another. Now I find myself in a new division working with analytical measurements. It has struck me in my first few months here, that water footprint is a burning problem but unfortunately does not have the same visibility as the global warming issue. In fact for many countries and parts of the world- time is running out or should I say WATER is running out. Yes potable water is needed for everything but we are doing to little for it. This is why I have turned my focus to reduction of the water footprint!
from now I will be immersing myself in ways to help companies to reduce water usage and "soaking" them with ideas surrounding waste water reduction and recovery! So from a a general energy reduction I will hone myself specifically down to water! This blog will be splashed with related stuff- so watch this space!
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