Leaders make a mistake when they assume industry dynamics are unchangeable in their model innovation work. Industry collaborations that change dynamics can be very smart strategy in both mature and emerging markets. Industry cooperative marketing efforts can advance an industry’s products. Remember the successful “Got Milk?” campaign creatively placing milk mustaches on famous faces? Cranberries [...]

“Select a once rapidly growing company whose growth stalled. Then, contemplate the root cause for its decline and be prepared to share your reflections at the retreat.” This assignment was one of many I asked leaders of a rapidly growing, omni-channel apparel retailer to complete in preparation for our two-day strategy retreat.  (Omni-channel refers to [...]

My only experience with AT&T is as a customer. But even as an outsider I can tell that the company has huge organizational silos (albeit with a workforce that finally understands customer-friendliness).  Every transaction for each of my multiple AT&T services appears to require interfacing with a completely separate information system and likely business unit [...]

Is your strategic planning designed to fuel growth? Unknowingly and all too often, the answer for leadership teams is “No.” When strategic plans, effectively executed, fail to drive growth a number of root causes are usually at work. Leaders view strategic planning as the process for achieving next year’s revenue goals.  Every organization needs a [...]

The newest information technologies ­on the block – social, mobile, cloud and data analytics – can and should do more than boost your organization’s efficiency. Far more than past IT innovations, these new technologies can positively transform your organization – where it competes, why it wins and how it operates.  Smart leaders understand this. Meet [...]

I never thought toilets could be so interesting. They provide a rich example of thinking beyond traditional product concepts when pursuing innovation to unearth smarter systems innovations. A narrow view If this is the toilet, I thought, bring on the shower. On a work trip to Shanghai, P.R.C., my hotel room’s high-end bathroom included a [...]

The news has gone from bad to worse. The bad news: Kodak, the company that fueled the growth of the photography industry is selling its patents. Not the patents for intellectual property related to film photography, but its more than 1,000 patents for capturing, storing, organizing and sharing digital images, according to the Wall Street [...]

If, as a company leader, you did not lose a heartbeat over the bankruptcy filing of Kodak, Barnes and Noble, Blockbuster and AMR Corporation (American Airline’s parent) or Google’s pending purchase of Motorola phones, you should have. When previously solid businesses run out of cash, there are lessons to be learned. In particular, never forget [...]

Entering 2012, leadership teams are hotly debating social media. How should we use it? How might it shape markets? Will we lose control of our brand image? And, what policies should we adopt for its use? Into this mix, Anthony Bradley and Mark McDonald thankfully remind C-Suite leaders that social media “is a means to [...]

A well-known case study by Harvard Business Review documents how Dow Corning elected to disrupt its own silicon business rather than allow competitors to steal market share by offering lower price points. The story is worth retelling because Dow Corning’s business model innovation keeps evolving to meet the needs of price-driven customer segments. As the [...]