We have emphasized the importance of strengthening “the will to share” as a key to having a culture of innovation in an organization. Breaking the will to share is one of the most dangerous innovation fatigue factors that we discuss in our book. Google, typically a hotbed of innovation, continues to show that they understand …
Strengthening the Will to Share: Google’s Approach Read More »
While the authors of Conquering Innovation Fatigue are passionate champions of innovation, we also recognize that innovation for its own sake is not always wise. It needs to be aligned with the real needs of a company. If something is working well, it may not need change. In a New Product Development discussion group at …
Saying “No” to Innovation? Not Always a Bad Idea Read More »
Anecdotal evidence of innovation thriving in times of economic trouble have found broader confirmation in a recent study from the Kaufman Foundation. Their press release, “Kauffman Foundation Study Finds More than Half of Fortune 500 Companies Were Founded in Recession or Bear Market,” summarizes the story nicely. Here is an excerpt: According to a new …
An April 2009 report in the McKinsey newsletter, “R&D in the downturn: McKinsey Global Survey Results,” reveals that many leading companies are not shredding their R&D budgets. These companies view R&D and new product development as a source of competitive advantage. Where R&D is clearly important for future success, many companies are actually expanding their …
The Downturn: This Is the Time to Invest in R&D/New Product Development Read More »
Fake Work: Why People Are Working Harder Than Ever but Accomplishing Less, and How to Fix the Problem by Brent D. Peterson and Gaylan D. Nielson (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2009) strikes a chord in most anybody who has been in Corporate America – or most anybody who works, for that matter. Dr. Brent Peterson from the Marriott School of Engineering (Brigham Young University) and Gaylan Nielson, CEO of The Work Itself Group, apply decades of experience in facing the dysfunctions of modern business and diagnosing the problems of wasted effort. They estimate that over half of all work is meaningless, or “fake workâ€â€“work that is not related to the objectives of the business and does not help a business to survive. Fake. Meaningless. Wasted. These are terrible adjectives to apply to the exhausting efforts we go through, but they are accurate much of the time.
One of the more enjoyable business books I’ve read recently is Jonathan Salem Baskin’s Branding Only Works on Cattle: The New Way to Get Known (and drive your competitors crazy) ( New York: Business Plus, Hachette Book Group, 2008). Drawing on his decades of experience in marketing, Baskin takes an iconoclastic approach in exposing the …
Branding Only Works on Cattle: Observations on the Evolution of Private Brands Read More »
The Food and Drug Administration is taking aim at Cheerios, as Advertising Age reports. After two years of advertising the health benefits of the oats in Cheerios, General Mills now faces the wrath of the FDA. By claiming that it can lower cholesterol, no matter how many studies support that claim, General Mills is allegedly …
One of the nine major “Innovation Fatigue Factors” that we emphasize in the book is what we call “Breaking the Will to Share.” This describes the tenuous bonds of loyalty and trust that motivate innovators in an organization to bring forth their best ideas and breathe life into their work for the good of the …
Breaking the Will to Share: The Silent Innovation Killer Read More »
The importance of relationships is one of enduring lessons in understanding how to overcome innovation fatigue and achieve innovation success. Relationships with the right people and partners are critical. Many fail to recognize that these must be nurtured and maintained, that time and effort is required. Learn this lesson from job seeking: it’s not enough …
The Reputation Institute has released its annual report, Global Reputation Pulse 2009, on the reputation of over 150 major corporations. The companies were in terms of seven aspects of reputation management: Products/Services, Innovation, Governance, Workplace, Citizenship, Leadership and Performance. The Reputation Pulse score is a measure of corporate reputation calculated by averaging perceptions of four …