Yet more on innovation
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. Read more
When market forecasts are totally pointless
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 Read more
Webinar on strategy dynamics insights
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.
Strategic talent management
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 Read more
Strategy as flipping coins?
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 Read more
Aging workforce – PS
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 Read more
Regulators – consumers’ friend?
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. Read more
Aging workforce.
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! Read more
Upturn thinking in a downturn
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, Read more
Housing recession – again!
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 Read more