Monthly Archives: November 2010

The chicken & egg of groups

One of my consistent themes has been the power of a group to get stuff done, and the ways the web facilitates, and empowers the processes needed to get the stuff done by the group. However, which is the chicken, … Continue reading

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The geometry of networks

It is pretty clear to most that the number of connections in a network grows more quickly than the number of people in the network. It is a mathematically consistent relationship captured by Metcalf’s Law, but in summary, you double … Continue reading

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Parliamentary performance measured.

On the “Insiders” show on Sunday, there was a review of the current Parliament, and how it had responded to the challenges of being ‘hung”. Notable was the interview of the Labor leader of the house, Anthony Albanese, and the … Continue reading

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15 uses of Twitter

I am indebted to Alan Rustbridger, editor of the Guardian newspaper whose recent Andrew Olle lecture articulated many of the challenges facing traditional media owners as the new social media destroys their business model. Among  the gems in this lecture … Continue reading

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Measuring adjacencies

 Innovation programs always throw up the word “adjacency” and it has lots of interpretations, depending on who is doing the talking. So here is my two bobs worth. Measure each of the following parameters on a 1-5 scale, (or 1-10 … Continue reading

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6 questions for a new product “reality check”

Most new products fail, and most of these failures are almost predictable, particularly in fast moving consumer markets, where the adage that “you need to be prepared to fail often to succeed sometimes” is regularly taken to irresponsible lengths. Following … Continue reading

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The new power of one

The power in commercial relationships has shifted dramatically since the net. It has removed the power previously held by companies and institutions and handed it to individuals who choose to use it. No more can an enterprise afford to ignore or … Continue reading

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Few transaction costs = easy group formation = new corporate risk

Corporations default to functional silos, despite the efforts of most to recognise the horizontal cross functional nature of processes, the things that gets stuff done. This is because in the past, you required hands to move things around, make calls, … Continue reading

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What next for “Free”?

As the marginal cost of transactions on the web approaches zero, more and more stuff is “free” . When something is given, the  act of giving usually sets up a dynamic of “obligation” on the part of the receiver. This … Continue reading

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Opposites attract?

Only in physics, in personal relationships we seek common ground, people who under stand instinctively what we are saying and thinking, and who work the way we do. Collaborative teams  and alliances of many types often fail from the start … Continue reading

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Planning and politics.

The reluctance of the Federal Government to be transparent about the assumptions underpinning the investment in the NBN would fail the tests of due diligence most boards undertake when making a major commercial allocation of resources. As a cynical shareholder … Continue reading

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Innovation requires simplicity

Peter Drucker once said that innovation is the only sustainable competitive advantage, and most who have thought about it would agree. However, in most situations, this commitment to innovation tends to result in more and more potential products and technical … Continue reading

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Location of a consumers wallet

I am a member of three frequent flier programs, Qantas, Virgin and Singapore, and get frequent updates, offers, and spam from all three, all ignored. I know where and why my business is split, but they do not, and none … Continue reading

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Long term trends, short steps.

Innovation breakthroughs are rare, but the innovation that rewrites the rules of an industry is the focus of most management attention. Most  innovation activity, and the source of most value from innovation, comes in small steps, one day at a … Continue reading

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The four challenges of collaboration.

When all the verbiage is removed, there seems to be four great challenges to effective collaboration, irrespective in my experience of the specific environment in which the collaboration takes place. The need to be cross functional, which cuts across all … Continue reading

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Data free zone of innovation.

By definition, Innovation exists in situations where there is little information available to make an objective assessment of risk, rather than one where you can assemble a range of data to make that risk assessment. Submitting innovation ideas to a … Continue reading

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Riding the skunk.

“Skunk works” is a term most are familiar with, indeed, so familiar that the pros and cons, and the do’s and don’ts are debated endlessly. Weather a Skunk team separated from the main operations of an enterprise “delivers”  or not … Continue reading

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Communities of interest and practice

A community of practice used to mean a small group of specialists who engaged in face to face consideration of issues of mutual interest, resulting in innovative solutions to issues concerning their area of speciaisation. Interaction between “connectors” with similar … Continue reading

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Peer production.

What a nice term to describe the process of improvement that can occur in a voluntary manner, where the reward is not monetary, but the recognition of peers that you made a contribution to a worthwhile outcome. The value of … Continue reading

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Manual Vs Electronic

Last week talking to a colleague, we agreed that a skill that seems to have been lost in the rush to electronic aids is being able to look at a bunch of numbers and know if it is approximately right … Continue reading

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