The Business of Innovation

What an excellent series. This is actually an older series (2008) but the processes and theories are key to all business models; managing, engaging and motivating employees in a way that grabs their hearts and drives innovative leadership. It starts with creating a culture of innovation not only within the company and it's employees, but outside as well with rewarding positive behaviors and encouraging feedback.

The Business of Innovation: The Human Element

This is a 5 part series that has great tips on breeding innovation within your organization using examples from proven corporations.

Does this apply to small business, in many ways it most certainly does.  We have a local pizza shop that takes the messages this video series has to heart and applies them to their organization daily.  Cam's NY Pizzeria (Camillus, NY) promotes a community and team oriented culture from the floor up.  You see it colorfully painted on the walls when you walk in, signs that illuminate the values of a strong team environment.  There are dozens of plaques adorning the walls, all indicating Cam's community support.  The employees are always happy (really I know this because I am addicted to their pizza) helpful and a real pleasure to do business with.  Their employees help create new products based on their interactions and feedback from customers. This organization is a picture perfect example of a corporate-driven culture of innovation that has been drilled down into small business terms.

The knowledge expressed in this series is applicable to all businesses, big or small. Through creative and ingenious ways, your small business can create a culture of innovation that not only grows your organization but has fun while doing so.

Megamergers: Interesting look at Globalization

I recently read a quote by technology philosopher (who knew we had those) named Nicholas Negroponte that said the global market driven by electronic information

"...forces things to get bigger and smaller at the same time.  And that's so ironic, when things want to do both  but not stay in the middle.  There will be an increasing absense of things that aren't either very local or very global."

A very interesting idea and as I looked around at how things are shaping up here and abroad, it really made sense, in a very eerie sort of way.  This has been going on here in the U.S. for at least the past 15 years.  There have been more megamergers turning large corporations and organizations into behemoths like Walt Disney and Pixar, Kmart and Sears, Kraft and Cadbury...the list is long and growing consistently.

So what does this mean and how does it tie into my usual rants about technology?  It means beyond outsourcing, beyond international acquisitions, beyond even the assumed destabilizing effects of international economics is the growing globalization of this world.  It is more than business and technology, more than e-commerce and off-shoring, it is nearly 7 billion (6,852, 472, 823) humans thousands of miles apart but sharing the same electronics stores, retail shops, automotive industries and clothing boutiques.  And technology did this, it created our interconnectedness through cell phones, smart devices, satellites and the internet. 

Good, bad or indifferent, this is what appears to be our reality and staying ahead of the technology curve will not only keep you in the game but may make the difference between sitting on the sidelines and being the star quarterback.