Living by Design

I am fascinated by the emerging thinking about how to individually and corporately thrive in complex environments. A common thread in these discussions is the growing dissatisfaction around our experience of optimizing known processes and activities. It seems that the more we use technology to eliminate one type of human effort, the more we need new human capabilities to bridge the glaring gaps. This awareness manifests itself in a variety of contexts: Highly controlled sequential development vs. Agile methodologies Capability maturity vs. Value innovation Rigorously implemented workflow vs. Adaptable decision support Six sigma continuous improvement vs. Creative process innovation Business intelligence data vs. Business process management Enterprise Project management vs. Dynamic social collaboration Directed leadership vs. The wisdom of crowds Tightly integrated implementations vs. Autonomous loosely coupled services It's Not a War Although the proponents of any emphasis te...

How do you get companies to start investing in future innovations, when their tendency is to finance past success? I read this article about Gary Hamel's observations on Silicon Valley dynamics and how these principles can foster innovation in a corporate setting: Requires a diversity of funding options. Creates an environment of emergent business planning Naturally aligns with "angel investors" (sponsors with direct interest and coaching capability) Hamel suggests replicating this effect internally by creating a corporate wide network of "angel investors", allocating a portion of corporate budgets to these individuals, and encouraging innovators to "pitch" their ideas, competing for the attention and funding needed. Read the full article , or Gary Hamel's book, The Future of Management , for more thought provoking ideas...

© BPTrends - www.bptrends.com - Click Image for Larger View Although we have been emphasizing the importance of fostering a culture of social innovation, there is no excuse for neglecting the existing value creation capabilities of the organization. The BPTrends Pyramid is a very helpful model for keeping things in perspective, demonstrating the strategic placement of business processes. Why is attention to business processes key to business success? Basically, they form the "design" layer of an organization. We are all familiar with the power of innovative product design . As I pointed out in a previous post , value-driven design creates a powerful overlap between opportunity and capability, envisioning a creative outcome that can be realized as a new or improved product. In the same way, processes are the design bridge in an organization. This is where we creatively leverage corporate resources (capability) to achieve business vision and strategies (opportunity). The ...

In the McKinsey Quarterly article, Eight business technology trends to watch , it is interesting to note that 4 of the 8 trends identified are related to social computing. This juncture of technology and relationships is seen as a growing opportunity for business value. The authors affirm: Technology alone is rarely the key to unlocking economic value: companies create real wealth when they combine technology with new ways of doing business. Social Computing Trends 1. Distributing co-creation There will be an increase in the use of technology to enable the entire value chain in the innovation and product development process. This trend is supported by emerging standards and the open sharing of technologies and integration platforms. Companies are beginning to deliberately shift from protective internal R&D strategies, to the opportunities of open collaboration. They are trading IP (intellectual property) control for increased innovation and competitiveness. 2. Using consume...