Impressionist artists were excluded from top official exhibitions because their “fuzzy paintings” did not fit the mold (i.e., set of assumptions) of what constituted great art of its time.  So Monet, Van Gogh and others formed their own association, held their own exhibits, and attracted an art dealer who needed to differentiate himself from established [...]

Too often business leaders put a key fact on their mental backburner – their business is surrounded by a “containing system” that shapes their company’s opportunities, risks and outcomes. Not only should leaders align their business models with external market trends, they should try to influence or shape their containing system to best support their [...]

The brand premium Johnson & Johnson (J&J) historically earned for Tylenol and its other leading brands will undoubtedly shrink following events of the last two years. Why pay for peace of mind when the quality that created the peace of mind is now in doubt? J&J has long held a reputation as a champion of [...]

Madison-based TomoTherapy, a health care technology innovator, has sold out to another niche radiology technology company, California-based Accuray. The combined company will be better able to afford the direct sales and service forces and R&D investments critical to success when selling against radiology leaders like General Electric (GE), Varian Medical Systems and Siemens. Accuray’s superior [...]

All too often the rationally best alternative comes with subtle trade-offs that reduce the emotional benefits of your purchase. Take the Accura I purchased owing to the high service costs I had experienced with my Audi. Within hours of driving out of the Accura dealership, I grieved the Audi’s zippier feel and realized that I [...]