Good to see some thoughtful stuff on innovation amongst the general encouragement to just do it more and better.  Alexander Kandybin in strategy+business looks at the really tough challenge of winning with innovation in consumer products.

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fyet-more-on-innovation%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘Yet+more+on+innovation’;
addthis_pub = ”;

I have sometimes made the point that ‘market forecasts’ are of little value as a start-point for strategy development [ sorry to the folk who make a living feeding the apparently insatiable demand for 'independent market forecasts']. This is because

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fwhen-market-forecasts-are-totally-pointless%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘When+market+forecasts+are+totally+pointless’;
addthis_pub [...]

Have had a few people ask for more examples of real projects with strategy dynamics delivering value - so did a webinar on that a couple of days ago … view this online here and the slides here.

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fwebinar-on-strategy-dynamics-insights%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘Webinar+on+strategy+dynamics+insights’;
addthis_pub = ”;

Interesting to see a McKinsey survey confirming that the HR function is not regarded by management as having much to offer to strategy, which is more than a pity - it’s disastrous! Of all the strategy project I’ve worked on, by far the commonest source of underperformance is

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fstrategic-talent-management%2F’;
[...]

Shame on my friend Eric Beinhocker of McKinsey Global Institute, interviewed in a TV programme The Genius of Darwin with arch-evolutionist Richard Dawkins.  Eric unfortunately likened the emergence of new business models to a coin-flipping competition

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fstrategy-as-flipping-coins%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘Strategy+as+flipping+coins%3F’;
addthis_pub = ”;

Quite by coincidence I see strategy+business reports efforts by a different industry than power utilities to wrestle with the aging workfoce problem. S&B report that the serious shortage of skilled workers in the oil industry

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Faging-workforce-ps%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘Aging+workforce+-+PS’;
addthis_pub = ”;

I see consumer groups are squealing that even water companies [with no excuse from rising oil prices] are asking for above-inflation price rises. Why? - because they have humbly suggested that if people want water in future, they had better replace the ancient equipment before it fails completely.

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fregulators-consumers-friend%2F’;
[...]

Had a call from a star student now with a major power utility. Seems they are worried about their aging workforce. Think you share this problem? - how about 50% of your staff being within 5-10 years of retiring!

addthis_url = ‘http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Faging-workforce%2F’;
addthis_title = ‘Aging+workforce.’;
addthis_pub [...]

I know I go on about how strategy professionals should have anticipated the current difficult conditions instead of piling on with unsustainable growth [especially in the banking sector’. But here’s a reminder of the opposite from strategy+business,

addthis_url = 'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimwarren.com%2F2008%2F08%2Fupturn-thinking-in-a-downturn%2F';
addthis_title = 'Upturn+thinking+in+a+downturn';
addthis_pub = [...]

Shame about the housing recession both sides of the pond. Over in the US of course, this was largely created by the strategic imcompetence of banks’ whizzy sub-prime lending initiatives, though doubtless made worse by mindless economic policies. Here in the UK, blame between these two is probably more or less reversed

addthis_url [...]