A conversation with Rita McGrath, author of ‘The Entrepreneurial Mindset,’ exploring principles for thriving in rapidly changing environments. McGrath shares her personal journey from industry to academia, emphasising the importance of understanding practical business applications.
Innovating Within the Military: Challenge-Driven Innovation and Connected Intelligence
This episode of the Corporate Explorer, recorded in London during the launch of the Corporate Explorer field book and powered by Wazoku, features Stuart Laws from the UK’s Defense Innovation Unit. The discussion explores how challenge-driven innovation has transformed problem-solving within the military, moving away from a traditional idea-generation model to one that actively involves business units in framing their issues for more scoped and implementable solutions. Laws highlights the shift towards a more inclusive innovation approach, engaging employees, suppliers, startups, universities, and leveraging Wazoku’s connected collective intelligence of over 700,000 global problem solvers. The episode also delves into the human aspects of innovation, including the creation of stakeholder personas to better understand and influence decision-makers, and the serendipitous discovery of solutions through cross-sector collaboration and challenge-driven initiatives. Laws shares insights on the necessity of a collaborative mindset in innovation, bringing public and private sectors together for impactful outcomes. The successes of this approach are exemplified in real-world applications, such as providing 5G coverage in hard-to-reach areas through a partnership between Defence, BT, and academic contributions.
00:00 Welcome to the Corporate Explorer: Innovating with Wazoku
00:43 Introducing Stuart Laws: Innovating in the Military
01:41 The Power of Challenge-Driven Innovation
04:12 Cross-Sector Innovation: Bridging Industries for Better Solutions
09:14 Marketing Personas: A Game-Changer for Innovation
12:55 Finding Solutions in Unexpected Places: The BT Story
15:13 Wrapping Up: The Future of Innovation with Wazoku
Find Stuart here: https://ideashadowcoaching.com
Discover the key to successful innovation. Join Tony Ulwick, author of the Jobs To Be Done Canvas, as he shares how to define markets, uncover customer needs, and develop winning products. Learn the power of focusing on job execution and get inspired to create impactful solutions.
Join us in ‘Fit to Compete, Part 2’ where Michael Beer, the renowned expert in corporate strategy, delves into the crucial elements of business innovation and transformation. This episode offers insightful discussions on strategic fitness, the power of honest conversations, and the roles of leadership and culture in driving organizational change. Featuring a case study on Becton Dickinson, Mike highlights the essentiality of aligning strategy with internal communication for corporate success. Perfect for professionals and leaders seeking guidance in the dynamic world of business.”
Main topics with timestamps:
- Strategic Fitness Process – [00:00:00]
- Long-Term Investment Challenges – [00:13:00]
- Impact of Company Culture and Leadership – [00:30:00]
- Role of Succession Planning – [00:43:00]
- Becton Dickinson Case Study – [00:51:00]
- Transformative Leadership and Values – [00:57:00]
- Innovation in Corporate Strategy – [01:03:00]
- Conclusion and Key Takeaways – [01:10:00]
Articles mentioned in the episode: The Great Training Robbery https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/16-121_bc0f03ce-27de-4479-a90e-9d78b8da7b67.pdf
Find Mike Beer: https://www.beermichael.com
Fit to Compete – Why Honest Conversations about Your Company’s Capabilities Are the Key to a Winning Strategy
In part 1, we set the context for the book and discuss:
- Mike’s background and inspiration for the book.
- The problem of organisational silence and how it hinders strategic execution and transformation
- The concept of strategic fitness and how it helps organizations align their strategy and culture
- The process and benefits of holding honest conversations with everyone in the organization
- The challenges and barriers of overcoming the silent killers, such as fear, hierarchy, and complacency
- The vision and courage to create a culture of corporate stewardship and continuous learning.
Find Mike here:
https://www.beermichael.com
Hunting Zones with Andrew Binns
Brought to you by Wazoku, the Corporate Explorer series is designed to uncover the depth of insight and experience within corporations, beyond management gurus and academics.
🌐 Episode Description: Join Andrew Binns in this insightful episode of “Hunting Zones,” where he explores the world of Corporate Explorers—innovative leaders who embark on the challenging journey of building new ventures within established organizations. In this episode, we delve into the crucial aspects of inspiring and guiding aspiring Corporate Explorers, offering actionable insights for success.
🚀 Episode Highlights:
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Finding Inspiration: Discover where aspiring Corporate Explorers should seek inspiration and how to ignite the passion to solve customer problems within established organizations.
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Guidance for Stepping Forward: Explore valuable guidance for encouraging Corporate Explorers to step forward and take on the challenge of building new ventures.
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Increasing Proposal Quality: Learn effective strategies to increase the odds of generating high-quality proposals that align with business strategy and attract senior sponsors’ support.
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Getting Started: Uncover practical tips on how to get started on the challenging road of corporate innovation and guide the energy of budding innovators toward lucrative market opportunities.
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Hunting Zones Defined: Understand the concept of “hunting zones” as defined by Andrew Binss, which provide boundaries to innovative impulses, helping generate ideas in line with business strategy and more likely to attract investment.
🎯 Bounded Diversity Approach: Explore the concept of “bounded diversity” as a powerful approach to ideation within corporations. Learn how defining boundaries, or hunting zones, facilitates a free range of ideas, ensuring a strong connection to the business strategy and creating a win-win situation for idea generators and investors.
🔍 Case Study: Nvidia’s Success Story: Delve into the success story of Nvidia, led by CEO Jensen Huang. Learn how the company shifted into new market areas, building a software ecosystem alongside its traditional semiconductor business. Discover how Huang strategically defined hunting zones in gaming, autonomous vehicles, enterprise computing, and scientific computing, guiding his team towards innovative solutions and significant growth.
Tune in to “Hunting Zones with Andrew Binns” for a captivating exploration of corporate innovation, insightful strategies, and real-world success stories. Whether you’re an aspiring Corporate Explorer or a business enthusiast, this episode offers valuable perspectives on navigating the dynamic landscape of corporate ventures. 🎧✨
Wazoku helps large organizations create effective, sustainable innovation ecosystems that accelerate efficiency gains and new value growth. It does this through intelligent enterprise software that connects and harnesses the power of employees, suppliers, start-ups, universities, and the unique Wazoku Crowd of 700,000+ global Problem Solvers.
Wazoku calls this ‘connected collective intelligence’
Find Wazoku at www.Wazoku.com
Join us as Paolo Gallo introduces “The Seven Games of Leadership,” a groundbreaking guide that invites listeners to reassess their priorities both professionally and personally. This episode is not about climbing the corporate ladder; it’s about finding genuine satisfaction in what you do and making a positive impact on the world.
Join us for “Dancing with Monsters,” an episode that explores the fears and monsters that inhabit our personal and professional lives with Todd Dewett, author of the insightful book with the same title. This podcast delves into the transformative journey of overcoming fears, embracing imperfections, and building the confidence needed for success.
In this episode, Todd unfolds the captivating tale of Joe, the protagonist on a mission to confront his fears.
Listeners will discover how wearing masks and hiding behind excuses can be exhausting, and how authenticity and vulnerability are essential for personal and professional growth. Todd shares lessons from Joe’s youth, highlighting the impact of failed leadership missions and the importance of sincerity over insincerity.
The podcast explores the concept of fear and addresses the questions: What do you fear, and why do you fear it? Todd shares practical advice for overcoming fears, including identifying false constraints, building a support team, choosing perspective, and asking for help.
Empathy emerges as a central theme, as Joe develops empathy for his team, and they reciprocate. The podcast culminates in discussing desirable behaviours, including open-mindedness, proactivity, and authenticity, which are intricately linked to creativity and innovation.
As Todd concludes, he shares insights on the concept of “fit” in your career—how well who you are meshes with what you do. This podcast is an engaging exploration of the beauty in imperfections and the capability within each of us to create amazing work.
Join Todd Dewett to embrace authenticity, kindness, vulnerability, humility, and the power of being the change in your own life.
Connect with Todd Dewett: www.drdewett.com
Episode Highlights:
- Unravelling the opening tale of Maria, Noah, and the toxic team, along with the intriguing character, Miles.
- Exploring Joe’s journey, drawing on communication lessons from his grandfather’s vampire training academy.
- Analyzing the impact of fear and failed leadership missions on personal and professional development.
- Discussing the importance of authenticity, vulnerability, and empathy in overcoming fears and achieving success.
- Addressing thought-provoking questions: What do you fear? Why do you fear?
- Sharing practical advice for overcoming fears, including identifying false constraints, building a support team, and choosing perspective.
- Reflecting on desirable behaviors for personal and professional growth.
- Delving into the concept of “fit” in your career—aligning your personality, skills, and interests with job demands.
Join the conversation and let’s go dancing with monsters!
ChatGPT
Welcome to part 2 of the Corporate Explorer series.
In this episode, titled “Strategy Manifestos,” join Andrew Binns as he delves into corporate exploration, sharing insights from the Corporate Explorer Fieldbook.
Brought to you by Wazoku, the Corporate Explorer series is designed to uncover the depth of insight and experience within corporations, beyond the realm of management gurus and academics. In May 2022, Andy attended a conference at Bosch that sparked the inspiration for this episode, revealing the wealth of knowledge within corporations about corporate exploration.
The episode kicks off with a discussion on turning high-level corporate statements into empowering Strategy Manifestos. Co-authored by long-time client Andreas Brandstetter, Chapter 1 explores the crucial role of manifestos in aligning senior leaders on strategic ambitions and communicating these ambitions effectively.
Andy shares personal experiences as a corporate explorer, emphasizing the importance of a clear strategy. The Strategy Manifesto, while not a replacement for detailed strategy plans, makes explicit the company’s strategic choices and provides the rationale for those decisions.
Discover the key element of the manifesto – portfolio allocation. Learn how companies can change their approach to R&D investment to focus on cross-business priorities, including areas of withdrawal or deliberate non-entry.
Moving on to the execution of the manifesto, Andy outlines five steps: developing a point of view, assembling facts and perspectives, drafting and iterating, addressing disagreements, and adapting for different audiences.
The episode concludes with five powerful approaches for corporate explorers to trigger change within their organizations. From outside-in exploration to cultivating sponsors, each approach requires time and commitment but holds the potential to create bottom-up pressure that shifts action at the top.
Tune in to “Strategy Manifestos” by Andrew Binns, part of the Corporate Explorer series sponsored by Wazoku, and gain actionable insights into driving innovation and strategy within your organization. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the uncharted territories of corporate excellence!
For those interested in Wazoku, find Wazoku at www.wazoku.com
Today’s book is a stand-alone sequel to “Predictions: Society’s Telltale Signature Reveals the Past and Forecasts the Future”, which provided a new way of understanding society and ourselves by applying scientific concepts to predicting social phenomena. In addition to taking up the challenge of confronting the predictions made 20 years ago with actual data-something, forecasters generally refrain from doing so; the book includes many new topics that became relevant more recently.