Democratizing Innovation

Everyone, Everywhere

What's all this talk about Innovation?


Everywhere I look people are talking about innovation.  It's like they just found their lost puppy.


I guess it helps when people like Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt say that innovation is the best way to save a company's future - but what are we talking about when we're talking about innovation.


The word "innovation" has been democratized (or high-jacked, depending on your point of view) like its cousin "strategy."  Both words are now devoid of meaning.  We use them to mean anything we want to when we want to sound like we have something important to say.


Innovation is now an all inclusive management term that is cut into three levels.  The first two levels have been around for a long time.  It is the third that is taking hold within organizations.


Level I is the Game Changer.  This has always been with us.  It's generally an elite activity carried out by some smart people who are usually not part of the establishment.  They see discontinuities in the world, match them with an emerging (often unarticulated) customer need and come up with something that no one has ever thought of.  Think of a young Bill Gates, Michael Dell or the current Mark Zuckerberg.


Level II are the Market Changers.  These innovations happen within existing companies.  Often they are developed by product experts.  Their innovations extend a product or create a new business model for a new product.  Some companies, like P & G are renown for their ability to constantly renew their businesses even in the face of short term shareholder demands.  Others, like Nokia and Kodak, lost this talent.


Level III are the Work Changers.  This is the new comer.  This is the movement toward mass innovation - that is, the democratization of innovation.  The concept here is: "ideas from everyone, everywhere."  Innovation has become synonymous with "idea."  The flood gates have opened to: employee engagement, continuous improvement, quality circles, team management, brainstorming, or any derivative of "change management."


This is a positive movement that will increase the effectiveness of organizations.  Innovation gives us one more lever to open them up.  One more way to move them away from tradition "command and control" management.  I favor any lever that makes organization life more personally satisfying.


The downside of innovation democratization is being felt by the practitioners of "strategic innovation" - those who have lived and prospered at Levels I and II.  The lives of these professional are in transition.  Their expertise is being commoditized.


Innovation professionals need to rethink their value proposition.  They have to confirm their focus: is it outside the organization or inside?  These practitioners will be tempted with the sirens call of mass appeal; but does that compromise their unique value.


The choice is theirs.  It's time to innovate!

Kim Jong-un. All for Un; Un for none

I'm leaving Seoul in a few days to go back home.  It's the first time in two years when I can say that I'm glad to leave.

I've been working with a client here; helping them use innovation to become more competitive.  I like the country and I love the people, but they have a crazy neighbor.

The Rocket's Red Glare

Since I've been here there has been a "North Korean incident" every few months.  The current escalations led the US Defense Secretary to say that this peninsula is only an inch away from serious violence at all times.

The most recent incident rings of the worst jingoism.  A few weeks ago the North had a failed launch of a missile.  It has received its fair share of criticism and ridicule from around the world - and specifically from South Korea.

In retaliation the North has railed that it will rain down special actions on the South that will "reduce the rat-like groups and the bases for provocations in three to four minutes."  I have no idea what this means, but it does sound ominous.


In an interview last week the US Secretary of State said that she hoped the new North Korean president, Kim Jong-un, would change paths in the North and build himself into a great leader for his people by bringing his country into a new era.  I hope she's right.


Through all this I marvel at my Korean friends.  They are impervious to the crazy threats and actions from the North.  They go about their lives with Confucius stoicism - or is that fatalism.

Shooting

I had a strange experience a few nights ago. My wife and I were out to dinner with several other couples. We were seated in a glassed-in outdoor patio. We were near the end of the evening when we heard a series of "pops". We were all pretty casual until my wife looked out the window and screamed for everyone to get on the floor.

As the news reports flowed out, we came to understand that a middle aged man was waiting in the parking lot for his estranged wife and her girl friend to leave the restaurant. As the women got in their SUV the man fired several shots at them and then turned the gun on himself. A tragedy for everyone.

Putting the suicide and shootings aside I had several reactions to the incident.

First, it's weird how you can be part of an event, but really not be part of it. We were definitely part of the aftermath but we had nothing to do with the incident other than being in extreme danger without knowing it. Yes, we heard the shots but to this day no one knows how many. I thought it was five, others claim four or six; and everyone has different recollections of the cadence. One astute colleague even asserted that the gun must have been a nine millimeter because he recognized the sound. Good for him because that wasn't a sound I ever heard in a hollywood movie. The sound was definitely just like the pop-gun I had as a kid.

Then there was the strange non-reaction to the shots. What was it? Was it a car back-fire? Maybe it was firecrackers? Could have been gun shots? The amazing thing is that we tended to discount what it really was. It's like we didn't want to be embarrassed by over-reacting until my wife told everyone to get down. Even then most of us didn't hide and one women jokingly hid behind a wall. It's no wonder that when we hear of a shooting in a school cafeteria that a dozen students get hit. They simply can't assimilate what's going on.

My final thought is about the aggrandized gun culture in the US (I'm a naturalized US citizen). People here love their guns and their Second amendment rights. I have no problem with people owning guns for what I see as legitimate purposes - like hunting or taking kids to enjoy the outdoors. But the easy access to guns in the US is ridiculous. Any one can get a gun - increasing the probability of bad things happening.

After the shooting one of my colleagues said; "that's it. I'm getting my concealed gun license." Yep, that's true. In Texas you can be licensed to conceal your heat. The thought is that in a situation like we encountered that some brave citizen will unpack their heat and blow the shooter away. It happens everyday in the movies. But in reality it would be chaos. First, we all had a stunned reaction to what was going on; and second, if someone pulled their gun they would just be a target for another law abiding citizen. In the moment it would be impossible to separate the white hats from the black hats. In all likely hood a lot of people would end up as collateral damage.

So, we were in real danger on Saturday night. The gunman could have unloaded his gun into the restaurant before taking himself out. But is the danger over? I don't think so. We're all at risk as long as people think that the answer to their problems comes from a gun barrel.

Kodak's Moment

Kodak declared bankruptcy last week. Can we please let her go gracefully!

I get tired of the presumptuous analyses that assumes that mis-management caused the decline of this beloved icon. The fact is that death is natural, even for corporate icons. There is no reason to believe that Kodak could ever get out of its own way on its slow decline to death.

Kodak lived for over 130 years. At its peak it employed 140,000 people around the world and sold up to 75% of the film and 85% of the camera's in the US. That's what shareholders call success. Those are high margin products. Those are big numbers.

Let's not be naive. Kodak saw digital when it arrived on the horizon, but why would the big gorilla enter such a low margin market, particularly when all of its people, processes, and technology were aligned to dominate the personal photography market that it created.

And what if it has gone digital? What if it built the world's best digital camera? Where would it be today? It would be dying at the hands of the smartphone with it's roots in software engineering, not photography.

If Kodak made a mistake maybe it was the mistake of "hubris." Maybe it was the mistake of holding on too long. Maybe it was the mistake of staying on life support with strategies such as "printing." Maybe it should have broken into parts that could be sold for value. Maybe it could have returned more than last week's $1/per share to it's owners.

But Kodak had a "helluva" run. It made money for its investors; it provided good work to thousands of employees; and it gave its customers, like me, memories that are captured forever in our family albums (which I am quickly digitizing).

Bob Hope would agree: "thanks for the memories."

Social Media's non-Communications

When did I become a luddite? I don't know the exact day but it was sometime during December 2011. Let me explain.

My business depends on my network. I have a platinum list of clients and I pride myself in staying in touch with them. They provide me with work so I treat them with care and respect.

I don't flood my clients with a weekly mass email message. I craft personal notes with some value added information that I think will be of interest to them. Yes, this is inefficient. It takes a lot of time but I believe that it pays off.

I went through such a cycle last month. Usually about 60%+ of my clients return a quick note. I use this as an opportunity to enhance the relationship.

However, over the past year I have noticed a decline in their rate of response, and last month it was terrible. Likely less than 20%. What's going on? Sure, people are flooded with messages and become immune to what they don't want to see. They choose what to look at. But are they looking at what I send?

Well, I've tested this with some of my contacts and they assure me that they saw my message. So why didn't they write back? I have an untested theory. For the moment I'm blaming social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Here's my theory. I think we're becoming a total pull society when it comes to communicating - even with friends and relatives. We can be fully informed of the activities of others without having the obligation of "interaction." If I want to know what my son is doing I check his Facebook page or read his tweets or texts. There's no need for me to call and get into an unpredictable interaction. I get the information I want and I don't even need to leave my fingerprints. He knows that I'll pull whatever information I want. End of transaction.

I think that this one-sided communication of social media is infecting business. I think we've morphed into a new understanding of business relationships. It's becoming "alright" to consume business information, even from friends, without feeling obliged to respond. You have pulled the information you want and the assumption is there is no expectation for a response.

I don't think I like this new world. I'm going to smash a loom.

Kim Jong il - Transition

An era has ended!

I have spent most of the past two years working on a transformation project in Korea. I have come to know and respect my Korean colleagues. They have taught me many things.

First they taught me that they are not South Koreans. They are Koreans. They refer to their neighbors as North Koreans. But in the south they are simply Koreans.

Also they have shown me their resilience and stoic nature. I have been there while the North sank a naval vessel; shelled an island; launched missiles; and refuses to sit down to talks on nuclear disarmament. Through it all my friends continue with their lives.

Then there is the big question of re-unification. It is often discussed at the political level; however, I think it has lost its urgency with the populace - at least the younger people. Sure, many of the elders still have relatives in the North but this situation is literally dying away. The new generations don't have this emotional attachment and they wonder about the impact and costs of unification.

So, an unstable regime has transitioned to equal instability. It seems that the North is impervious to the world it lives in. It marches to a different drum, and a military drum at that.

I wish all the best to my Korean friends as we mark a new year. All they want is what all of us want - continued peace and prosperity. They have earned both.

Korea - Reading Between the Lines

That's "noonchi", not "kimchi"

If you've been in a Korean restaurant you know "kimchi." Most people associate it with cabbage; however, it's really a spicing and marinating technique that can be applied to any vegetable. A lot of people like it, but after two years in Korea that still doesn't include me.

What does fascinate me is the concept of "noonchoi." In the western world we might think of this as "reading between the lines." But the idea is much deeper. It's about anticipating what the other person wants to say and even finishing the thought for them. Generally it's the responsibility of the subordinate in a relationship to have "good noon chi." It's the subordinates responsibility not to embarrass the superior.

You Better Have Good Noonchi

Usually "noon chi" is at the emotional, feelings level. Korean's are ok exchanging on a rational, factual level; however, they are loath to expose their feelings. For example, if a father has decided they don't like the daughter's new boy friend - the father would never say so. It's the daughter responsibility to read words and gestures and come to the right conclusion. The father would never expose his feeling, or conclusion. We can only hope that the daughter reads it right.

Noonchi at Work

Noonchi is more than a social requirement, it's a core competence at work. Confucius learning instills a set of values and one of the strongest is the respectful relationship that an employee must hold for their boss. Respect is good; however, when it turns to deference in the work place then lots of things can wrong. Specifically: change, innovation, & growth.

I have been working on organizational transformations in Asia and most recently in Korea. Noonchi is my nemesis. We work hard to bring new learnings into an organization so that people can break their paradigms and create new business opportunities. Noonchi is a barrier that we do not face in the west.

This has been exposed to me as I work with executives to engage their employees so we can unleash ideas from everyone, everywhere. We ask executives to balance their management style with inclusive behaviors of leadership. We ask them to become more transparent and authentic. Yes, this is an issue with western executives as well; however, it is not as ingrained nor does it have such a wide work and social impact as it does in Korea.

Executives don't want to let down their guard, and I'm not sure that employees want to see it either. Both sides would be confused and uncomfortable.

The "So What?" of Noonchi

The positive part of the global economy is in Asia these days. While the west struggles to slow its "race to the bottom," the opposite is true in the east. Holding back run away growth is the economic struggle here.

This puts fear and paranoia into western thinking. I'm not sure it's justified. The west still has a spirit of innovation and sufficient disrespect for authority that it will find a way out. The east is living in an economic bubble driven by its strategy of "second in." All boats are rising on the tide of: "we can do it better than the originators in the west."

As visibility and law suits expose this strategy the east will need to change horses. If the horse is still eating "noonchi" it will slow down in the global race.