Business Innovation – Status Games (13 Jun 2006) One of the dynamics leaders should be looking out for is the propensity of certain personality types to be more interested in maintaining a high status within the group as opposed to working to arrive at good decisions.
Business Innovation – Tacit Knowledge (13 Jun 2006) Nonaka et al (1995) define knowledge as being tacit or explicit. Explicit knowledge is all that can be codified, easily communicated and explained. Tacit knowledge is everything else - that which is hidden, deep rooted in action, hard to formalise and difficult to communicate.
Business Innovation – the Value of Structure (13 Jun 2006) Structure is one of the most valuable tools for enhancing creativity. There are essentially two types of structure: Frameworks and Work Processes.
Business Innovation – the Value of Work Processes (13 Jun 2006) One of the most valuable tools for maximising idea generation is the use of work processes. Work processes align activity with the goal and produce far more output than randomness or simply "do your best." Some examples include:
Business Innovation – Value versus Quality (13 Jun 2006) Most firms attempt to add value to their products or services in order to increase sales and prestige. However, few appreciate the difference between value and quality. But by doing so, they can more finitely increase their options for adding both value and quality.
Magnificent Meetings - 5 Tips for Success (13 Jun 2006) It is already marked in your diary in red ink - MEETING. You wish you could skip it because you have so much work to do. Deep down though there is another reason you would like to avoid the meeting - what if a colleague puts you on the spot and you make a fool of yourself in front of everyone? Meetings make you nervous and you never seem to make the impression you would like to.
Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips (Part 1 of 2) (13 Jun 2006) Does your business need the services of a computer consulting firm? Before you rush out and hire the first techie or slick-salesperson that knocks on your door, be sure to consider these favorite Computer Consulting 101 hiring tips for screening and interviewing local computer consulting firms. In this first in a two-part series, we'll look the root of the problem, as well as the four most basic criteria that you'll need to ask about when searching for computer consulting vendors.
More Computer Consulting 101 Hiring Tips (Part 2 of 2) (13 Jun 2006) Does your company need to retain the services of a competent computer consulting firm, but you have no idea how to really evaluate "competence"? In the first part of this two-part series on Computer Consulting 101 hiring tips, we looked at why small businesses find it so difficult to hire good computer consulting companies, as well as four basic questions that you must be addressed when searching for a new computer consulting vendor. Now in this second and final installment of this two part series on Computer Consulting 101 hiring tips, we'll look at how you can evaluate the true, often-confusing expenses of using a computer consulting company, as well as how to more thoroughly review the computer consulting company's professional credentials and experience.
Talent Recruitment Challenges of High Technology Companies (13 Jun 2006) As a result of the dot com meltdown and the decline of the NASDAQ in 2001, many organizations had no alternatives but to lay off many talented IT professionals. Currently, the pool of available talent in the labour market is large. Over the long haul, the impact of shifting population demographics on the labour pool will be staggering. As the baby boom generation continues to age, we can expect acute labour shortages similar to the ones we experienced in the high technology sector during the dot com boom. While there is still a surplus of talent in the market, it is important for organizations to take proactive steps to attract and select the brightest and the best to fuel long term growth.
The 70% Solution: Practical Testing and Version Control (13 Jun 2006) A deadline for the sake of a deadline is a dangerous pitfall that can consume an entire project and stymie it to the point that it never launches. Over the years I've come up with six simple rules that help deadlines become more meaningful, while keeping the developers, the user community, the CFO and the CEO all satisfied.
Can What Someone Does Off-hours Affect Your Business? (13 Jun 2006) How much do you have to worry about what people who are part of your possibly
far-flung "virtual" corporation do when they're not working directly for you? The answer may surprise you, and if you're a manager, even a virtual one, this is essential reading.
Creativity and Innovation Management: Specialisation or Generalisation? (13 Jun 2006) One of the topics often debated is the benefit of specialisation over generalisation. To consistently generate a large number of good ideas, is it better to specialise within a field or to vary knowledge amongst a variety of fields?
Innovation Management: The Power of Emotional Attachment (13 Jun 2006) The mere definition of innovation implies a break from the past, something new. However, one of the crucial aspects that many innovators fail to consider is the power of emotional attachment to existing products, methods and practices.
Innovation Management: The Time Factor (13 Jun 2006) No matter how good an idea, how good the selection process or how perfect the development and commercialisation of the product, sometimes all that is needed is time for the product to come into its own.
Innovation Management: The Quality and Quantity of the Idea Pool (13 Jun 2006) The quantity and quality of the idea pool is important. The Economist (2003b) states that 3000 bright ideas are needed for 100 worthwhile projects, which in turn will be winnowed down to four development programmes for new products. And four such development programmes are the minimum needed to stand any chance of getting one winner.
Innovation Management: What Problem Is Being Solved? (13 Jun 2006) Franklin (2003) reported that many innovations fail due to a lack of focus. This sentiment is echoed by Doug Richards (Words of wisdom from the dragon's mouth, Financial Times, 7th May 2005) a venture capitalist who stated that what he really wants to know is what problem the product solves. This stresses the often overlooked but important part of the creativity and innovation process - problem identification.
Innovation Management: The Hype Cycle (13 Jun 2006) One area of note in the commercialisation phase is the Hype Cycle. The Hype Cycle is one model that helps measure, monitor, benchmark and predict the reaction to an innovation. This is important as innovations, by their very nature, raise expectations, sometimes to unrealistic levels. A good example is the Internet boom - where traffic supposedly "doubled every hundred days."
Creativity and Innovation Management: Generating Better Ideas (13 Jun 2006) One valuable debate is whether creativity can be developed and improved - or in other words, is it possible to generate better ideas? There are a number of reasons to believe that creativity can be developed, some of which include:
