Ethan Mollick, the Edward B. and Shirley R. Shils Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has conducted extensive research on how user communities — product users and informal groups of amateurs — contribute to the development of innovative products. Apple’s App Store is perhaps the most famous example […]
Subject: Creativity and Innovation
Don’t Let CFOs and Accountants Slow Innovation
For big corporations, regardless of industry, making disruptive changes is not a question of money: many have substantial budgets. It is a question of mind set and how you position the innovative disruption on the balance sheet – and that can be the downfall of many innovations. Giles Hilary in his paper ‘Does accounting Conservatism […]
Read More… from Don’t Let CFOs and Accountants Slow Innovation
What to Learn from Pirates
For as long as capitalism has existed, there have been pirate organizations that have refused to play by the rules and standards set by the state and the ‘legitimate’ business world. Traditionally, these pirates have been viewed as rogues and cheaters who deserve the same fate — or at least its economic equivalent — as […]
Script the Change, Then Make It Happen
Research shows that 50 to 75 per cent of all change initiatives fail. And yet, some companies are consistently better at successfully implementing change, and some leaders successfully lead a variety of important change initiatives throughout their careers. What is the key ingredient to this success? According to Greg Shea, Adjunct Professor of Management and […]
Building Knowledge Sharing Networks in Organizations
Companies have spent increasing amounts on social media and ICT (information and communication technology) in recent years, demonstrating their interest in keeping up with the rapid pace of technological development. However, are they also dedicating equal effort to understanding the factors that actually drive an individual’s willingness and ability to share knowledge? Apparently not, according […]
Read More… from Building Knowledge Sharing Networks in Organizations
Communicating Multiple Roles through Social Media
With multiple social media outlets in existence, should executives spend time maintaining different profiles simultaneously, and how can this help their communication teams in general? Especially now that social media are no longer a uniquely private playground; instead, professional and private purposes have merged to create a valuable space for communicators. European communication practitioners frequently […]
Read More… from Communicating Multiple Roles through Social Media
Three Competencies Every Entrepreneur Should Develop
Are entrepreneurs born or made? Commonly, characteristics such as risk seeking, assertiveness and vision are considered typical of a successful entrepreneur. But these are innate predispositions or aspects of temperament; by using them as yardstick, it is wrongly concluded that only certain types of people make good entrepreneurs or are capable of worthwhile innovations. Instead, […]
Read More… from Three Competencies Every Entrepreneur Should Develop
Communication and the Science of Great Team Building
What we usually consider to be ‘elusive’ group dynamics that characterize high-performing teams, such as; energy, creativity, and shared commitment – are actually observable, quantifiable, and measurable qualities. And as such, teams can be taught how to strengthen them. The key lies in understanding the patterns of communication associated with productive teams, which include; energy, […]
Read More… from Communication and the Science of Great Team Building
Creating Innovative Business Models
Though product/process innovation has become a necessity for many companies, the time and expenses required is now leading hesitant companies to turn towards business model innovation instead. So what do executives need to know about it? Business model innovation matters to managers, entrepreneurs and academic researchers for several reasons. First, it represents an often underutilized […]
Last Call for Social Media Sceptics
How are managers today using social media tools and how important are those tools becoming to their organizations? In collaboration with Deloitte, MIT Sloan Management Review conducted a survey of nearly 3,500 executives to gain insight into, and a richer understanding of, how organizations are leveraging social media and social networks. They define “social business” […]