The Innovation Engine Community - Latest Articles

The Innovation Engine Community - Latest Articles http://community.maddockdouglas.com?src=articles_rss The Innovation Engine Community - Latest Articles Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:15:38 GMT admin@maddockdouglas.com The Innovation Engine Community 60 The Innovation Engine Community http://community.maddockdouglas.com/brand/witness/community.gif http://community.maddockdouglas.com?src=articles_rss The Dangerous Idea People http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/94858/The-Dangerous-Idea-People/?src=articles_rss We must harness the Idea Monkey for their good and everyone else’s By G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Viton “An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.” --Oscar Wilde “Oscar Wilde was wrong.” --G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón You are an Idea Monkey. You’ve been told you’re gifted. You can come up with dozens of ideas about any topic on command. Any topic. You are (to quote the unappreciated movie Night Shift,) “an idea guy, Chuck,” and whether it’s putting mayo in the can with the tuna or designing an app that matches personality types with the appropriate dog breed, you can be counted on for something new, different and wild. There isn’t a day that goes by in which you don’t amaze those around you with your nimble mind and your ability to turn any challenge into a brainstorm. Idea Monkeys like you identify with Walt Disney, Ted Turner and Richard Branson. Heck, you are half-convinced you could have been Walt, Ted or Rich if you had been born just a bit sooner. While we don’t always understand your trange and magical ways, we do believe the world needs...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/94858/The-Dangerous-Idea-People/">[Read more]</div> Culture of Innovation Future Trends Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:15:34 GMT Maddock and Viton http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/94858/The-Dangerous-Idea-People/#discussion?src=articles_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/94858/The-Dangerous-Idea-People/?src=articles_rss 'You Two Should Be Fired' http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/91537/-You-Two-Should-Be-Fired/?src=articles_rss <img align="right" hspace="10" src="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/imagelib/contentitem/91537/501a4d8d579923f2-22875a78-1341dfcbb97--2411938786283.jpg">G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón discuss the reader backlash to their "Three Types of People to Fire Immediately" column By G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón The response to our last article was fascinating and a bit unnerving. The story, which discussed three types of people employers should fire now, was the most e-mailed on Businessweek.com for eight consecutive days, and has been in the Top 5 Most Read ever since our editor—whom some of you also thought should be fired—posted it two weeks ago. The piece received more than 1,100 comments (as of this writing) and readers have called and e-mailed us directly, tweeted constantly, and, we have been told, debated the column at industry conferences. While hundreds of you supported what we consider the truthful simplicity of the ideas, the majority, as the above headline suggests, posted angry comments, on this site and elsewhere, noting the perceived untruthful simplicity of the ideas. While no one likes criticism, of course, we are big boys and we don’t mind if people disagree with us on the merits or the timing of the article. But we’d like to explain a bit just the same. First, an Apology We...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/91537/-You-Two-Should-Be-Fired/">[Read more]</div> Culture of Innovation New Products, Services, and Business Models Feedback Innovation Discussion Serendipity Lounge Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:52:49 GMT Maddock and Viton http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/91537/-You-Two-Should-Be-Fired/#discussion?src=articles_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/91537/-You-Two-Should-Be-Fired/?src=articles_rss Three Types of People to Fire Immediately http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/90966/Three-Types-of-People-to-Fire-Immediately/?src=articles_rss <img align="right" hspace="10" src="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/imagelib/contentitem/90966/501a4d8d579923f2-2d2b9c7c-133eabd3710--5e7c-534822395.jpg">Want a more innovative company? Get rid of these folks. Today By G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón We (your authors) teach our children to work hard and never, ever give up. We teach them to be grateful, to be full of wonder, to expect good things to happen, and to search for literal and figurative treasure on every beach, in every room, and in every person. But some day, when the treasure hunt is over, we’ll also teach them to fire people. Why? After working with the most inventive people in the world for two decades, we’ve discovered the value of a certain item in the leadership toolbox: the pink slip. Show of hands: How many of you out there in Innovationland have gotten the “what took you so long?” question from your staff when you finally said goodbye to a teammate who was seemingly always part of problems instead of solutions? We imagine a whole bunch of hands. (Yep, ours went up, too.) These people—and we going to talk about three specific types in a minute—passive-aggressively block innovation from happening and will suck the energy out of any organization. When confronted with any of the following three...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/90966/Three-Types-of-People-to-Fire-Immediately/">[Read more]</div> New Products, Services, and Business Models News, Rumors, Gossip, & Trends Innovation Discussion Innovation Community Ideas Future Trends Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:24:56 GMT Maddock and Viton http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/90966/Three-Types-of-People-to-Fire-Immediately/#discussion?src=articles_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/90966/Three-Types-of-People-to-Fire-Immediately/?src=articles_rss Shift Happens http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/87564/Shift-Happens/?src=articles_rss <img align="right" hspace="10" src="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/imagelib/contentitem/87564/501a4d8d579923f2--3f60ec3e-132d8e745b6--2347-1625972255.jpg">Change creates lucrative opportunities for innovators who are willing to listen to consumers By G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón Insurance experts. Travel experts. Legal experts. Now health care experts. What do they have in common? They made the now-predictable mistake of believing they knew better than the consumer: “People will always purchase insurance from agents.” “Who would want to buy their travel tickets online?” “What do you mean, people are price sensitive when it comes to legal advice?” “The doctor knows best.” Worse, they guided the organizations that supported them down a path that led further and further from what consumers really want: a mutually dependent, beneficial relationship. At critical times in history, business sectors go through radical shifts that are driven by economic, political and consumer forces. We see these shifts as positive because they create opportunities for entrants into markets. These entrants often bring with them revolutionary ideas that change things for the better. Shift happens. Shift is good—and for many in health care, shift is about to hit the fan. Last month, we wrote about the timely and necessary death of B2B . People told us they liked the article (thank you) but were quick...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/87564/Shift-Happens/">[Read more]</div> Culture of Innovation New Products, Services, and Business Models Innovation Discussion Innovation Community Ideas Future Trends Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:09:19 GMT Maddock and Viton http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/87564/Shift-Happens/#discussion?src=articles_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/87564/Shift-Happens/?src=articles_rss Interest Groups Awareness of the need for life insurance is flagging, but the industry can take steps... http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/87510/Interest-Groups-Awareness-of-the-need-for-life-insurance-is-flagging-but-the-industry-can-take-steps.../?src=articles_rss <img align="right" hspace="10" src="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/imagelib/contentitem/87510/501a4d8d579923f2--3f60ec3e-132d5680aea-2f0e-156449053.jpg">Interest Groups Awareness of the need for life insurance is flagging, but the industry can take steps to raise its profile. Source: Best's Review (September 2011 Issue) The best-laid plans. The best of intentions. The best minds in the business. And still, a 50-year record low for life insurance ownership in 2010, according to Limra. As insurers acknowledge this September as the 8th annual Life Insurance Awareness Month, it makes sense for the industry to look for missing links inside the dilemma of the "sold, not bought" category. "Missing links" are the things insurers have not considered, the things that are supposedly untouchable, and the things they might not yet know. What's not been considered? The Consumer Need Pecking Order. This is about relevance in the grand scheme of the consumer's life. In modern terms, they are "just not that into you." "Privately, this may be a closed-door conversation or a deep-seated fear of any life insurance executive who is not close to retiring yet. But publicly, it has not really been acknowledged as far as I know," said one life insurance executive. It's always helpful to go back in time, to the late 1700s or so, and consider the...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/87510/Interest-Groups-Awareness-of-the-need-for-life-insurance-is-flagging-but-the-industry-can-take-steps.../">[Read more]</div> Culture of Innovation New Products, Services, and Business Models Innovation Discussion Financial Services Innovation Community Ideas Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:21:20 GMT Maria Umbach http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/87510/Interest-Groups-Awareness-of-the-need-for-life-insurance-is-flagging-but-the-industry-can-take-steps.../#discussion?src=articles_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/87510/Interest-Groups-Awareness-of-the-need-for-life-insurance-is-flagging-but-the-industry-can-take-steps.../?src=articles_rss Innovation: Size Matters http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/86814/Innovation-Size-Matters/?src=articles_rss <img align="right" hspace="10" src="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/imagelib/contentitem/86814/501a4d8d579923f2--3f60ec3e-13281c0676b--618908181920.jpg">The best leaders know how to make the most with what they've got. By G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón Ooooh, that is a big idea—a really, really BIG idea. The other guys have ideas, but theirs are soooo small. You better watch out or you may hurt someone with that big thing. And I can see you’re very excited about it too! We know what you are thinking. An article written by guys, who are overly amused by sophomoric humor, making a lame attempt to get your attention and some cheap laughs—right? Well, kinda. We admit to not taking ourselves too seriously, but before you rush to judgment, let us make a simple point that leaders too often miss when it comes to innovation: It is easy to make a big idea small and nearly impossible to make a small idea big. We’ll explain. By making a big idea small, we mean coming up with a complicated game-changing concept and explaining it in a way that people get instantly. For example, in 2009, Hyundai introduced an “Assurance” program that allowed you to return your new car if you got laid off. The result was that while most of...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/86814/Innovation-Size-Matters/">[Read more]</div> Culture of Innovation News, Rumors, Gossip, & Trends Innovation Discussion Innovation Community Ideas Future Trends Mon, 19 Sep 2011 14:15:09 GMT Maddock and Viton http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/86814/Innovation-Size-Matters/#discussion?src=articles_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/86814/Innovation-Size-Matters/?src=articles_rss The Timely Death of B2B http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/85416/The-Timely-Death-of-B2B/?src=articles_rss <img align="right" hspace="10" src="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/imagelib/contentitem/85416/501a4d8d579923f2--36a11736-131fb861558-75b8-285762392.jpg">Start by thinking about the wants and needs of consumers, not those of the businesses that deliver products to them By G. Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Vitón "Let’s face it, business-to-business is dead." What made these words so stunning was that they came from the president and chief operating officer of a $2 billion operating company that runs a legendary list of profitable businesses, all of them in B2B. (That’s short for "business to business.") We had just started a conversation about innovation and his declaration came unprompted. For us it was quite a moment. It also served as a blazing confirmation of a significant realization too long in coming: In order to successfully invent relevant new products, services, or business models, all companies must first think of themselves as consumer-products companies—no matter whom they sell to. A few years ago, we stopped responding to requests for proposal (RFPs) to bid on new projects. The reason wasn’t that we never won them. (We won more than our fair share.) It was that they were frustratingly wrong. The RFPs outlined a list of requirements in an innovation "partner," followed by a list of objectives for the project. Too often the...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/85416/The-Timely-Death-of-B2B/">[Read more]</div> New Products, Services, and Business Models News, Rumors, Gossip, & Trends Innovation Discussion Innovation Community Ideas Future Trends Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:37:13 GMT Maddock and Viton http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/85416/The-Timely-Death-of-B2B/#discussion?src=articles_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/85416/The-Timely-Death-of-B2B/?src=articles_rss Health Insurance Would Be So Much Easier Without Customers http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/85115/Health-Insurance-Would-Be-So-Much-Easier-Without-Customers/?src=articles_rss <img align="right" hspace="10" src="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/imagelib/contentitem/85115/501a4d8d579923f2-3be29237-133a3ee8f8d--5ab8-913944259.jpg">There’s a Clear Message in Sebelius’ Health Plan ‘Labeling’ Requirements On Tuesday HHS Secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, announced proposed rules to provide consumers with “clear, consistent and comparable information about their health plan benefits and coverage.” This announcement—the de facto labeling requirements for health insurance providers—officially confirms the complete severance of any remaining human connection to the industry’s customer base, freeing it to focus full-time on developing ever more complicated benefit structures, reworking premium pricing models, and refining its Washington lobbying efforts. This development also marks the industry’s official admission to the exclusive club of service and product providers so backward in their pricing and marketing practices as to require government labeling standards—think pharmaceuticals, sun-block, nutritional supplements, and cigarettes. Congrats, guys. Keep up the good work. Kidding aside, the fact of government intervention here should sound a clear alarm bell among health insurance executives—you are not communicating effectively to your customers. Furthermore, given the expected growth in the small group and individual health insurance markets mandated by PPACA, now is the time to fix that in a big way. It’s a product design issue. In industrial design circles, great thinkers are recognized for their ability to marry the simplest possible form...<div><a href="http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/85115/Health-Insurance-Would-Be-So-Much-Easier-Without-Customers/">[Read more]</div> News, Rumors, Gossip, & Trends Innovation Discussion Healthcare Innovation Community Ideas Future Trends Thu, 18 Aug 2011 16:38:56 GMT Joe Wilds http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/85115/Health-Insurance-Would-Be-So-Much-Easier-Without-Customers/#discussion?src=articles_rss http://community.maddockdouglas.com/article/85115/Health-Insurance-Would-Be-So-Much-Easier-Without-Customers/?src=articles_rss