It is a sincere pleasure to welcome the author of “Own Your Work Journey!: The Path to Meaningful Work and Happiness in the Age of Smart Technology and Radical Change.” Edward D. Hess
Friction s an often-overlooked aspect of innovation and new product development. The following stories illustrate the importance of empathy, jobs-to-be-done research and understanding the balance of friction and progress.
David Cutler’s “The GAME of Innovation” book, shares a flexible methodology for designing powerhouse innovation GAMEs (Guidelines, Arena, Materials, Experience), Aligning teams with five problem-solving “lenses.
The Aboriginal tradition of “Right Way Fire” involves the controlled use of fire to maintain and restore ecosystems. Strategic small-scale slow burns in targeted areas during the early dry season minimise the risks of uncontrollable wildfires in the dry season. This practice is deeply rooted in the understanding that mindfully clearing away the old and stagnant creates space for new growth and vitality. This collective ancestral wisdom, long ignored, is now changing practices across several countries with similar savannah grasslands.)
Diversity of species, genetics, age, thinking and specialism (skillsets) is fundamental to the health of an ecosystem. As we will explore in this Thursday’s Thought, homogeneity risks ecosystems. Despite mother nature’s wisdom, we often think we know better. A drive for profits and short-termism frequently trump what is best for the long term.
Today’s book shows, through empirical analysis and the experiences of dozens of companies that have successfully made multiple big moves, that to dramatically improve performance, you have to overcome incrementalism and corporate inertia.
We welcome Chairman of the McKinsey Global Institute and Author of “Strategy beyond the hockey Stick” Sven Smit
“Without changing the structure of your organisation, I would argue that [innovation] will not work.” – John Chambers (former CEO Cisco)
Many of us feel the bodily repercussions of middle age with joint pain, scar tissue and stiff muscles. While we mostly forget what led to these issues, our bodies keep the score. About two years ago, I embarked on a journey of physical reinvention. It strikes me how much this experience mirrors the formidable task of organisational transformation. To elaborate, I use the analogy of two supplements: serrapeptase to break down existing structures and collagen to rebuild them anew.
To successfully navigate the new world, we must humbly accept; that we don’t know what we don’t know. Like the mapmakers of the past, we must accept that accepting ignorance had to come before embracing knowledge. In the business world, this means a departure from the world of a five-year plan (map) in favour of the uncertain harbour of a five-year direction, where an organisational North Star serves as a magnetic force. This new mental map leaves enough room for uncertainty, deviation and exploration, just like the Ribeiro map.
The Seneca Effect, also known as the Seneca Cliff or Seneca Collapse, is a concept named after the ancient Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The effect is based on Seneca’s quote, “Fortune is of sluggish growth, but ruin is rapid.” He observed that many things in nature, including human affairs, systems and civilisations, tend to decline much more rapidly than they ascend.
Derek van Bever and team investigated the incidence and consequences of growth stalls in major corporations, then probe the root causes. Examining hundreds of stall points, the authors conclude that the greatest threat to a company’s growth is posed by obsolete strategic assumptions that undermine market position, and by breakdowns in innovation and talent management. This is Stall Points.