|
|||||
|
Many leaders of small firms focus on making their business work efficiently and on delivering high-quality customer service. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these objectives. They are both essential aims. However, if they lead to rigidity and the exclusion of variation then they can undermine the key advantage that small businesses have over large [...]  We had a packed meeting of the BQF Innovation Unit today at which three authors who contributed to the new book, A Guide to Innovation and Crowdsourcing, spoke on the topic. All delegates received a copy of the book. I explained the concepts and showed the following sites as examples of OI or Crowdsourcing in [...] Imagine that you are planning a big surprise party. You want it to be entertaining, spectacular, memorable and different. You could plan and project manage every element of the party yourself: the theme, venue, music, food, drink, entertainment, games, diversions etc. Or you could involve a number of people to help you with their ideas [...] In the early 1980s, if you wanted to take out motor insurance in the UK then you went to a high street insurance broker who took down all your details on various forms and sent them off to insurance companies to get quotes. The insurance broker insisted that it took all his skill and experience [...] When thing are going well we can become blinded. Success becomes a prophylactic against disruptive ideas. Why should we change a winning formula? Don’t mess with success! These are the sorts of things people say. And yet the business cemetery is littered with companies that were shooting stars – a brilliant success for a while [...] I often use improv theatre techniques in my workshops on creativity and innovation. They are little plays in which people have to spontaneously handle unexpected situations in front of an audience. Usually delegates approach these challenges with some caution but after a little training and practice they find them entertaining and liberating. The methods [...] How can you keep up to date with the latest trends and directions in your industry? There are so many sources of potential information that you can be overwhelmed. You should certainly watch, listen and learn from the following: 1. Your customers 2. Your frontline staff (sales, marketing and customer service in particular) 3. Your [...] We had a lively meeting of the BQF Innovation Unit at which David Simoes-Brown of 100% Open was the main presenter. You can see his slides here. He gave detailed advice on how to start with Open Innovation and discussed case studies including Lego, Virgin, IBM and others. He showed a fascinating current example at [...] ‘You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with,’ says author Richard Koch. While this statement is not to be taken literally or mathematically it plainly contains a disturbingly large grain of truth. For most of us the people we choose to associate with reflect ourselves, our values, our [...] Try this management exercise. Take your group and divide them into teams of four to six people. The brief is simple. Imagine that an immensely wealthy corporation has decided to enter your business market and plans to create a powerful competitor that will use innovative approaches to seize your customers and wipe you out. It [...] |
|
||||
|
Copyright © 2012 BQF Innovation Blog - All Rights Reserved |
|||||
