IT Leadership: Grab A Tiger by the Tail</h1> <article> <h1>IT Leadership: Grab A Tiger by the Tail</h1> <p>Larry Gregory — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:05:00 GMT</p> <p>Shortly after taking office, President Obama’s CIO (Vivek Kundra) formed a “tigre” team (technology, innovation, and government reform) in order to implement IT reform within the US government The US IT budget representing an astounding $80B, representing over 2,000 data centers. </p> <p align="center"></p> <p><a href="http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/government-it/pressing-the-technology-reset-button-20120215-1t56p.html">This recent article</a> by the Sydney Morning Herald highlights Mr. Kundra’s focus on IT transparency including an online IT dashboard with performance rankings. The result of his effort was a shift towards consolidation (to increase datacenter capacity) and virtualization (to leverage cloud-based provisioning speed and consumption based costing).</p> <p>While Mr. Kundra has since moved on (he <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CD4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.salesforce.com%2Fcompany%2Fnews-press%2Fpress-releases%2F2012%2F01%2F120116.jsp&ei=1_I7T6_NNare0QG27ai9Cw&usg=AFQjCNG1-14HUqccGdzvbKuAqePZnaZOuQ" title="joined Salesforce.com" target="_blank">joined Salesforce.com</a> after a brief stint at Harvard), his innovative IT dashboard lives on as an <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/it-dashboard/">open source offering</a>. More importantly, he highlighted the importance and value of IT transparency.</p> <p>Corporate IT department can learn a lot form Mr. Kundra’s TIGRE initiative. The most important lesson and most difficult being practices of transparency. If your IT organization is trying to figure out how to drive more value, innovation can help, but innovation without transparency will give you only average results. IT leaders can produce breakthrough value by building innovation behaviors at every level. This requires transparency between employee and their managers, and transparency between IT and the business units.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=dLzH697AjyA:8hICzulT6GA:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=dLzH697AjyA:8hICzulT6GA:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Innovation at the World Economic Forum: Apple vs. Google</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:00:00 GMT</p> <p><b>Apple vs. Google… Creativity vs. Science… Convergence <span style="text-decoration: underline;">and</span> Collaboration</b> </p> <p>If you’re curious where the world is heading and what is top of mind for global leaders, there’s few better vantage points than from Davos and the World Economic Forum. </p> <p>World-changing innovation is also discussed at Davos. </p> <p>This year, there was an interesting discussion about innovation by consultant John Kao, as reported by the New York Times (click <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/technology/apple-and-google-as-creative-archetypes.html?_r=1&hpw" target="_blank">here</a> for the original article).</p> <p>The innovation discussion and article focused on the differing strategies of Apple and Google. </p> <p>Mr. Kao compared Google and Apple’s approach to innovation, pointing out it <em>“highlights the ‘archetypical tension in the creative process.’” </em><em> </em></p> <p><em></em></p> <p>The article notes, <em>“The Apple model is more edited, intuitive and top-down. When asked what market research went into the company’s elegant product designs, Steve Jobs had a standard answer: none. ‘It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want.’”</em><em> </em></p> <p>Regarding Google, the article reasons: <em>“Google speaks to the power of data-driven decision-making, and of online experimentation and networked communication. The same Internet-era tools enable crowd-sourced collaboration as well as the rapid testing of product ideas — the essence of the lean start-up method so popular in Silicon Valley and elsewhere…”</em></p> <p>Importantly, the article quoted Errol B. Arkilic, program director at the National Science Foundation, on the important use of <em>“the scientific method to market-opportunity identification.” </em><em> </em></p> <p>While not expressly mentioning it, the article highlighted the value in collaboration. In fact, regarding the importance of collaboration, the article referenced how some of Apple’s top ideas have been sourced through collaboration. </p> <p>Consider these article highlights about Apple: </p> <p><em>“Apple product designs may not be determined by traditional market research, focus groups or online experiments. <b><span style="text-decoration: underline;">But its top leaders, recruited by Mr. Jobs, are tireless seekers in an information-gathering network on subjects ranging from microchip technology to popular culture</span></b>.</em> “ </p> <p>The article further notes that Apple’s early computing design included a point & click mouse and graphical, on-screen icons that came from a visit to Xerox’s Palo Alto labs; and Siri, a more recent acquisition and now key iPhone feature, originated in the Pentagon’s DARPA. </p> <p>Wow! What innovation nuggets. </p> <p>Apple leaders tirelessly pursue convergences of market data and trends - and collaboration with other entities has been critical to Apple’s success. It would be interesting to apply our Innovation Styles diagnostic across Apple leadership to see if they have a mix of complementary styles. </p> <p>Interestingly, we at The DeSai Group have been focused on two fundamental drivers to innovation: 1.) convergence of market issues/trends; 2.) collaboration. And it looks like these strategies have been responsible for some of the world’s top innovations. </p> <p>That’s good to know, especially today as I am currently leading several innovation leadership sessions with a major India-based, multi-national conglomerate in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chennai, India. </p> <p>I’m guiding the innovation discussion by summarizing global trend convergences and identifying how specific collaborations can make a major impact in the world. And we’re specifically addressing key concerns voiced at the World Economic Forum. </p> <p>What do <em>you</em> think about Apple vs. Google’s approach to innovation? </p> <p>-Jatin</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=otB7yZrOyww:nRvcSHoA0Sc:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=otB7yZrOyww:nRvcSHoA0Sc:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Example of Innovation using Crowdsourcing in Biology</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:29:00 GMT</p> <p>Cathal Garvey’s home laboratory in Cork, Ireland, is filled with makeshift equipment. His incubator for bacteria is an old Styrofoam shipping box with a heating mat and thermometer that he has modified into a thermostat. He uses a pressure cooker to sterilize instead of an autoclave. Some instruments are fashioned from coffee cans.</p> <p>One of the movement’s rallying points is <a href="http://genspace.org/">Genspace</a>, a nonprofit laboratory in Brooklyn that is open to members of the public, regardless of scientific background. Since it opened in 2010, on the seventh floor of an old bank building, similar labs have sprouted in Boston and San Francisco.</p> <p></p> <p>Genspace has roughly a dozen members, and each pays $100 a month to cover rent and what laboratory people call consumables: chemical agents, disposable tubes and other paraphernalia that need to be replaced regularly.</p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/science/for-bio-hackers-lab-work-often-begins-at-home.html?scp=1&sq=When%20breakthroughs%20begin%20at%20home&st=cse" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: New York Times</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=VfNRuuQulbE:4qyPlWr9ZsU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=VfNRuuQulbE:4qyPlWr9ZsU:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Medical Robots are coming</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:42:00 GMT</p> <p>RAVENS have a bad reputation. Medieval monks, who liked to give names to everything (even things that did not need them), came up with “an unkindness” as the collective noun for these corvids. Blake Hannaford and his colleagues at the University of Washington, in Seattle, however, hope to change the impression engendered by the word. They are about to release a flock of medical robots with wing-like arms, called Ravens, in the hope of stimulating innovation in the nascent field of robotic surgery.</p> <p></p> <p>Robot-assisted surgery today is dominated by the da Vinci Surgical System, a device that scales down a surgeon’s hand movements in order to allow him to perform operations using tiny incisions. That leads to less tissue damage, and thus a quicker recovery for patients. Thousands of da Vincis have been made, and they are reckoned to be used in over 200,000 operations a year around the world, most commonly hysterectomies and prostate removals.</p> <p><a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/01/surgical-robots" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: The Economist</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=T9cFOH9Rm80:rmDs6WTlKzM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=T9cFOH9Rm80:rmDs6WTlKzM:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>YouTube Invests $100 Million In Original Programming</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:37:00 GMT</p> <p>Google's YouTube plans to invest $100 million in professional production companies producing YouTube-only content beginning this month. Premiering Monday, Young Hollywood takes place on the ninth floor of the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles. The show's creators will produce programming for viewing on mobile devices, computers and Internet-connected TVs.</p> <p></p> <p>YouTube VP of Global Content Robert Kyncl announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) the first wave of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/creators/original-channels.html">YouTube channels from artists</a> like CSI creator Anthony Zuiker and Deepak Chopra.</p> <p>Within a few years, online video will contribute 90% to all online traffic; and by 2020, the Web will give birth to 75% of all media channels, Kyncl said, calling the Web a vehicle for distribution.</p> <p><a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/165755/googles-youtube-invests-100-million-in-original.html#ixzz1jePTvL9R" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a> </p> <p>Source: MediaPost News - Online Media Daily</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=mFdT97Qovcg:a-hixst96jg:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=mFdT97Qovcg:a-hixst96jg:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>A Geek’s Guide to China’s Silicon Valley</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:12:00 GMT</p> <p>Twenty years ago, Zhongguancun was but farming fields and small houses, far from the city center of Beijing. The ‘cun’ at the end of Zhongguancun literally means “village.” As with much else in China, the change has come lightening fast.</p> <p></p> <p class="wp-caption-text" style="text-align: center;">High-tech companies in China (credit: TechCrunch)</p> <p>Today, Zhongguancun is China’s closest equivalent to Silicon Valley. It’s host to electronics super malls, research centers, publicly-listed tech giants, and hundreds of startups. During my walk to work between twenty-story office towers, it’s hard to imagine this land was farmed but one short generation ago.</p> <p>Here are three reasons why Zhongguancun (or the larger Haidian district) has grown into China’s top tech hub:</p> <ol> <li>Academic Hub</li> <li>Government and Media</li> <li>A Virtuous Cycle<strong></strong></li> </ol> <p><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/27/geeks-guide-china-silicon-valley/" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: TechCrunch</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=FYgja_x3WeU:0DY2krisKOI:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=FYgja_x3WeU:0DY2krisKOI:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Get your workers to embrace social innovation</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:08:00 GMT</p> <p>The McKinsey Institute published the results of their fifth annual survey on how organizations use social technologies, it surveyed 4,200 executives to understand the developments and progress throughout the years and benefits of these social technology applications. They are being deployed for the purpose of process enhancements and operations. Secondly they’re being used to find new growth opportunities. Surprisingly, a large percentage of organizations did not maintain the benefits of using social technologies that they had achieved earlier.</p> <p></p> <p>Companies use social technologies to drive innovation and knowledge-sharing, but often do not sustain the momentum, according to a McKinsey survey. "Management needs to facilitate bottom-up ownership in order to let the organization innovate on processes with the multitude of available social technologies," Gianluigi Cuccureddu writes.</p> <p><a href="http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2011/12/16/how-social-technologies-transform-organizations/" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: InnovationManagement.se (Sweden)</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=Jy6MD66xGL0:RODpEVOKtd4:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=Jy6MD66xGL0:RODpEVOKtd4:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Beyond GPS: your phone in 2015</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:48:00 GMT</p> <p>Attention smartphone users: the recent <a href="http://www.kurzweilai.net/europe-launches-first-two-galileo-satellites" target="_blank">launch</a> of the first two satellites for Europe’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_%28satellite_navigation%29" target="_blank">Galileo</a> global navigation satellite system (GNSS) could make things a lot more interesting in about four years.</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p style="text-align: center;">Galileo global navigation satellite system (credit: ESA)</p> <p>Galileo will deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to one meter range, compared to 10 meters for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS" target="_blank">GPS</a>, the European Space Agency (ESA) <a href="http://www.esa.int/esaNA/galileo.html" target="_blank">states</a>, and it plans to give non-European users access.</p> <p>Meanwhile, Apple’s new iPhone 4S has a chip that will be able to access <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GLONASS" target="_blank">Glonass</a> (the Russian version of GPS), <em>Engadget</em> <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/20/iphone-4s-supports-glonass-satellite-system-much-to-the-delight/" target="_blank">reports</a>. <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/tech-europe/2011/10/20/iphone-4s-supports-russias-glonass-navigation-system/" target="_blank">Other manufacturers</a>, including <a href="http://scpnt.stanford.edu/pnt/PNT10/presentation_slides/5-PNT_Symposium_Conroy.pdf" target="_blank">Qualcomm</a>, Samsung Electronics and Texas Instruments, will also support Glonass — and Galileo as soon as it is operational — with <a href="http://gpstracklog.com/2011/01/stm-debuts-single-chip-for-gps-glonass-galileo-and-qzss.html" target="_blank">new chipsets and software</a> able to receive and integrate all three main GNSS systems.</p> <p>And just to make it more interesting, China is <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn10472-chinas-satellite-navigation-plans-threaten-galileo.html" target="_blank">developing</a> of its own GPS equivalent, named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass_navigation_system" target="_blank">Compass</a>.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=19RUIVFNsi8:bGrAdl8tUiQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=19RUIVFNsi8:bGrAdl8tUiQ:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Innovation is about “Getting Out of the Box”…So what?</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:00:00 GMT</p> <p>What do we mean by “The Box”? Is this outside or inside of us? If you think about it The Box is who we are today – made up of deep beliefs and assumptions from our life’s experiences so far. Everyone’s boxes are different and unique. We tend to associate with and hire people who have a box similar to ours: not a good practice if one wants to expand and grow. </p> <p></p> <p>To help you discover your own box, here are some questions for you to think about.</p> <ol type="a"> <li>Where is this Box? What material is it made up of? How tall is it? How big is it to others?</li> <li>Who can come in your box? Who cannot?</li> <li>Does everyone have a box?</li> <li>When one is born, did the box exist? How does it get created?</li> <li>What is the role of parents in creating the box for their children?</li> <li>What is the role of a manager in crafting a box for new hires, especially new graduates?</li> </ol> <p>The Box is one’s “context” or “point of view” about what is right and what is wrong. </p> <p>Most of us are happiest when we are at the center of the box. We don’t like to be pushed to the corner of the box. We get scared. What does that mean? </p> <p>The center of the box is where the left brain is most happy. It is where everyone around expects us to be in order to do “the work” assigned to us. Most of us work from the center of the box on a daily basis – routine patterns, nothing new, boring, etc. </p> <p>The best innovators are keenly self-aware of their own box and its characteristics. They also have trained themselves to go to the edge of the box on daily basis. They also “jump-out of the box” often to find new ideas, see what others don’t see, and are not fearful. They are “lost” (deeply loving what they do) when they are away from the center of the box. They in fact hate being stuck in the center of the box. Most people look at them as “different.” They become innovators because of their out of the box qualities along with an ability to navigate organizational systems and overcome deeply rooted orthodoxies. They can be considered corporate missionaries. </p> <p>Finally, the very best, the world-class innovation leaders are fully aware of their box and also the boxes of others around them. They also love to get outside the box. So what is the difference between the best and the world-class? The world-class innovators also know how to pull others outside of their respective boxes as well. </p> <p>Organizations must learn to create a pipeline of such leaders to deal with the complex and fast changing world. </p> <p><b>What is your organization doing to institutionalize out of the box environment and reward out of the box thinking?</b></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=V5hN2MKN9ec:7s7Qn2RSZZI:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=V5hN2MKN9ec:7s7Qn2RSZZI:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>World-class innovators have figured out how to harvest the left and right brains of all employees.</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:49:00 GMT</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Left Brain and Right Brain can help create balance between Performance and Innovation. </p> <p style="text-align: left;">Just like every individual, every organization, business unit, and team has a left brain and right brain. Unfortunately most organizations have not developed an eco-system to allow both to co-exist visibly as a daily practice. That is akin to hiring an employee but only using 50% of their full capacity. </p> <p style="text-align: left;">What causes this to occur? </p> <p style="text-align: left;">One answer lies in the natural “S-curve” growth cycle in every business. When organizations grow large they gravitate toward process and execution, and gravitate away from their entrepreneurial roots. Focusing on execution forces them to rely on process, structure, and measurement. This ultimately creates amnesia; where they forget how they got started and how innovative they were at the early stage as a start-up. This amnesia grows into full-fledged sickness. This sickness shows up as risk-averse organizational culture focused only on short-term success and bottom line thinking as the driving force for all activities at every level. I call this culture “left-brain” centric. </p> <p style="text-align: left;"></p> <p style="text-align: left;">So what to do? </p> <p style="text-align: left;">Understand both brains and encourage both.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Left brain is about management, science, structure, analytics, predictability, certainty, and guarantee. Left brain protects you from failure and keeps you in the center of “the box”. If we don’t do this work well, the organization can die quickly. We need process and financial predictability.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The problem is we overuse the left brain and don’t develop organizational right brain behavior. Left brain helps protect organizational norms and orthodoxies (beliefs, standards). There are many examples of how corporate beliefs limit innovation. Why didn’t Sony invent the iPhone? Why didn’t Kodak invent digital photography? </p> <p style="text-align: left;">Right brain is about leadership, art, creativity, passion, beliefs, fun, and learning through experimentation. Right brain gives you access to what is possible because it loves freedom and exploration. </p> <p style="text-align: left;">Right brain does not require planning and operates mostly in the moment. Most people are happiest when their right brain is fully engaged (hobbies, passion, family events, holidays, etc.) </p> <p style="text-align: left;">Most cultures value only left brain and most people leave their right brain at home when they enter the workplace. Managers should learn to “tap into” the organizational right brain to help drive innovation and activate employee passion to create. More engaged and energetic employees ultimately lead to improved revenue and profits (as evidenced by employee engagement surveys by Gallop and Hewitt). </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><b>What are you doing to activate the right brain of your organization?</b></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=3I_Kxew8JuU:jzyv6i5pBOY:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=3I_Kxew8JuU:jzyv6i5pBOY:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Innovation and Talent Management</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:49:00 GMT</p> <p>Commitment to Innovation helps retain your top performers, attract new talent, and develop future business leaders.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">Yes it is true, innovation is a powerful tool to help retain and attract the best talent. This has become a huge issue in fast growing economies such as India, Brazil, and China. Kalpana Kochar, Chief Economist of World Bank, recently said South Asia alone needs a million new jobs per month to keep up with economic growth (The Hindu, September 24, 2011). India alone created 800,000 jobs per month between 2000 and 2010; an incredible growth rate compared to “developed countries”. This is good news and bad news. In such a climate, companies experience very high flight-risk; employees are more likely to depart for better opportunities. The IT industry in India has an average attrition rate of 30%.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">How do you differentiate in this market? One strategy is to create an environment of innovation and innovators. By instituting an innovation culture, organizations can learn to jump the ‘S-curves” faster – the only sustainable strategy for growth in today’s globalized world. </p> <p>HR can have a greater impact on the business and be a valued contributor to the senior leadership team by facilitating a culture of innovation. The benefits include the following: </p> <ol style="font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left; line-height: 16px;"> <li>Improve employee engagement and retention, resulting in less hiring and re-training cost</li> <li>Develop leaders of new businesses lines by grooming top performers and build your leadership bench</li> <li>Strengthen the company image as an innovator, attracting high quality talent</li> <li>Ensure the company’s future by avoiding being outmaneuvered by more nimble competitors </li> </ol> <p><b>How are you helping to create an innovation culture at your company?</b></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=ATbd_-dUTd8:rw4VYDRtBYE:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=ATbd_-dUTd8:rw4VYDRtBYE:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Innovation Inspiration From Nonprofits</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:45:00 GMT</p> <p><b>7 Lessons From Innovative Nonprofit Campaigns</b></p> <p>Nonprofit groups are experts at doing more with less, and that holds important lessons for corporate innovators. Groups such as GiveWell, DonorChoose.org and Charity: Water use innovative technologies, business models and marketing techniques to further their causes and spur supporters to action.</p> <p></p> <ol> <li>Think small and simple when it comes to transmitting payments.</li> <li>Make your site fun, and think about using gamification to boost customer interaction.</li> <li>Crowd-sourcing funding can be an effective way to pay for a project.</li> <li>Video may very well be the future of the Web. Learn how to produce it, and you will be able to reach more people more effectively.</li> <li>Texting isn't just a way to chat with a friend they can be used in a variety of ways within your organization</li> <li>Know where your money goes and how it is spent.</li> <li>When your firm's offering isn't all that different from your competitors, attracting top-tier influencers to leverage your brand image can make all the difference.</li> </ol> <p> <a href="http://www.inc.com/ss/innovation-inspiration-from-nonprofits#0" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.inc.com/ss/innovation-inspiration-from-nonprofits#6" title="Inc.com" target="_blank">Inc.com</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=zTJFIQ32ckQ:hrOw-yUbS-8:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=zTJFIQ32ckQ:hrOw-yUbS-8:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Family Pioneers Genome Research</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:31:00 GMT</p> <p><strong>What's the Latest Development?</strong></p> <p>A family of four in California is aiding genetic research by sequencing the genomes of each family member. Father and daughter John and Anne West were sequencing their own genomes from the family's home in Silicon Valley when a team of researchers from Stanford became interested in their project. "By examining the entire family's genome, the researchers were able to better investigate 'the interaction among genes and the development of disease,' said Frederick Dewey, the lead author of the new paper."</p> <p><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="flashPlayer" value="videoGUID={7280829B-38FE-4651-AFB1-E84FF4526678}&playerid=1000&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://wsj.vo.llnwd.net/o28/players/&autoStart=false" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><param name="src" value="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/main.swf" /><param name="flashvars" value="videoGUID={7280829B-38FE-4651-AFB1-E84FF4526678}&playerid=1000&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://wsj.vo.llnwd.net/o28/players/&autoStart=false" /><param name="base" value="http://s.wsj.net/media/swf/" /><param name="seamlesstabbing" value="false" /><param name="swliveconnect" value="true" /><param name="pluginspage" value="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="flashplayer" value="videoGUID={7280829B-38FE-4651-AFB1-E84FF4526678}&playerid=1000&plyMediaEnabled=1&configURL=http://wsj.vo.llnwd.net/o28/players/&autoStart=false" /> <br /><strong>What's the Big Idea?</strong></p> <p>Researching the West family is part of the scientists' quest to extract truly useful information from the genome, a person's complete genetic code. To date, while prices for privately sequencing one's genome have fallen dramatically, crucial medical information gathered from the data has been slow to emerge. "For one thing, 'at this point, we are still not sure exactly what most genes predict about disease,' said Lynn Jorde of the University of Utah School of Medicine, a co-author of the earlier family paper." </p> <p><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904491704576573022083190718.html" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904491704576573022083190718.html" title="wsj.com" target="_blank">wsj.com</a></p> <p> </p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=KXmAp62b2VM:gOfdHCCjb-A:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=KXmAp62b2VM:gOfdHCCjb-A:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Global Crises is causing Ethical Banking – A story of Innovation</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:01:00 GMT</p> <p>This is one of many such stories, where it takes a burning platform to wake up human beings. It seems that the Man takes things seriously only when he is about to perish. We as society, in general, seem to want to always live on the edge, the materialistic edge as opposed to ethical edge. It is sad to see that we only wake up when we are pushed to the corner.</p> <p></p> <p>Smart innovative executives have figured out how to take such insights and turn it into a new business model. </p> <p>Best innovators have a unique ability to connect dots or see what others cannot easily see. They are extremely inquisitive, especially when systems are breaking down. </p> <p>The banking system (along with many other systems such as education, political, etc.) are all breaking down and the Man is being pushed to the corner. </p> <p>What can we learn? What can an innovator learn? </p> <p>One solid example is the Tridos Bank of Netherlands. It has been around for 30 years with over 300,000 global clients. It is amongst five banks in Spain that is growing at an amazing pace to attract consumers that demands ethical investments and transparent and moral banking services. </p> <p>Tridos and four other such banks in Spain, only invests in the real economy, finances projects related to sectors such as renewable energies and ecological agriculture, and holds social justice to be its own particular Bible. </p> <p><a href="http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Ethical/banking/takes/root/in/the/mire/of/the/global/financial/crisis/elpepueng/20110912elpeng_7/Ten" title="Read more…" target="_blank">Read more…</a></p> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.elpais.com/articulo/english/Ethical/banking/takes/root/in/the/mire/of/the/global/financial/crisis/elpepueng/20110912elpeng_7/Ten" title="ELPAIS.com" target="_blank">ELPAIS.com</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=qNPKlsWv-wo:h16lePsekwQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=qNPKlsWv-wo:h16lePsekwQ:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>The 4 Principles Of Delusional Economics</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:27:00 GMT</p> <p>When it comes to economic theories, there is plenty of fascination in the business world around how to explain what drives business and purchasing activities. Behavioural economics, the field of economics concerned with examining why people behave the way they do when it comes to their purchasing behaviour, is hot right now. Bestselling books like <em>Freakonomics</em> and <em>Predictably Irrational</em> dig deep into the psyche of people to try and explain seemingly illogical actions.</p> <p></p> <p>Here are the four key principles of Delusional Economics, and how you might avoid applying them to your own small business:</p> <p>1. Change a customer’s worldview</p> <p>2. Getting people to pay for something that is currently free</p> <p>3. Basing a business model on revenue from nonexistent advertisers or customers</p> <p>4. Overestimating a customer’s ability to appreciate value worth paying a premium for</p> <p><a href="http://www.openforum.com/articles/the-4-principles-of-delusional-economics?extlink=em-openf-SBdaily" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.openforum.com/articles/the-4-principles-of-delusional-economics" title="OPEN Forum" target="_blank">OPEN Forum</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=fLJfHcScG4o:hR_6L_a6PuM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=fLJfHcScG4o:hR_6L_a6PuM:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Best Steve Jobs Quotes</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:34:00 GMT</p> <p>Our first family business was selling computers with a retail front in Farmington, CT. My father and I bought a franchise called MicroAge(like Computerland). PCs were considered the commerce king and Apple was considered to be the hobby machine or for kids.</p> <p>It took two decades to upturn that myth…in a way no one expected.</p> <p>Today, Mr. Jobs has played a leadership role not just at Apple, but for just about everyone who has contributed to or participated in today’s connected economy. It’s not that he was smarter or more clever than many others. What he is very good at is always to bring out the best in some really talented people.</p> <p>Best wishes to you Mr. Jobs and your family. Here are some of the best quotes below.</p> <p style="text-align: center;">-------------------------------------------------------------</p> <h2><b>On Technology</b></h2> <p>“It takes these very simple-minded instructions—‘Go fetch a number, add it to this number, put the result there, perceive if it’s greater than this other number’––but executes them at a rate of, let’s say, 1,000,000 per second. At 1,000,000 per second, the results appear to be magic.” [<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/43945579/Playboy-Interview-With-Steve-Jobs" target="_blank">Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">******</p> <p>“The problem is I’m older now, I’m 40 years old, and this stuff doesn’t change the world. It really doesn’t.</p> <p>“I’m sorry, it’s true. Having children really changes your view on these things. We’re born, we live for a brief instant, and we die. It’s been happening for a long time. Technology is not changing it much — if at all.</p> <p>“These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups, get medical information, the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. I’m not downplaying that.</p> <p>“But it’s a disservice to constantly put things in this radical new light — that it’s going to change everything. Things don’t have to change the world to be important.” [<a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.02/jobs_pr.html" target="_blank">Wired, February 1996</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">******</p> <p>“I think it’s brought the world a lot closer together, and will continue to do that. There are downsides to everything; there are unintended consequences to everything. The most corrosive piece of technology that I’ve ever seen is called television — but then, again, television, at its best, is magnificent.” [<a href="http://www.keystonemac.com/pdfs/Steve_Jobs_Interview.pdf" target="_blank">Rolling Stone, Dec. 3, 2003</a>]</p> <h2><strong><b>On Design</b></strong></h2> <p>“We think the Mac will sell zillions, but we didn’t build the Mac for anybody else. We built it for ourselves. We were the group of people who were going to judge whether it was great or not. We weren’t going to go out and do market research. We just wanted to build the best thing we could build.</p> <p>When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there, so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back. For you to sleep well at night, the aesthetic, the quality, has to be carried all the way through.” [<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/43945579/Playboy-Interview-With-Steve-Jobs" target="_blank">Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;">******</p> <p>“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works. The design of the Mac wasn’t what it looked like, although that was part of it. Primarily, it was how it worked. To design something really well, you have to get it. You have to really grok what it’s all about. It takes a passionate commitment to really thoroughly understand something, chew it up, not just quickly swallow it. Most people don’t take the time to do that.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"></span></p> <p>“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.</p> <p>“Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have. [<a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.02/jobs_pr.html" target="_blank">Wired, February 1996</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">******</p> <p>“For something this complicated, it’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”</p> <p>“That’s been one of my mantras — focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” [<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/archives/1998/b3579156.arc.htm" target="_blank">BusinessWeek, May 25, 1998</a>, in a profile that also included the following gem: "Steve clearly has done an incredible job," says former Apple Chief Financial Officer Joseph Graziano. "But the $64,000 question is: Will Apple ever resume growth?"]</p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">******</p> <p>“This is what customers pay us for–to sweat all these details so it’s easy and pleasant for them to use our computers. We’re supposed to be really good at this. That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to customers, but it’s hard for them to tell you what they want when they’ve never seen anything remotely like it. Take desktop video editing. I never got one request from someone who wanted to edit movies on his computer. Yet now that people see it, they say, ‘Oh my God, that’s great!’” [<a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/01/24/272277/" target="_blank">Fortune, January 24 2000</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">******</p> <p>“Look at the design of a lot of consumer products — they’re really complicated surfaces. We tried to make something much more holistic and simple. When you first start off trying to solve a problem, the first solutions you come up with are very complex, and most people stop there. But if you keep going, and live with the problem and peel more layers of the onion off, you can often times arrive at some very elegant and simple solutions. Most people just don’t put in the time or energy to get there. We believe that customers are smart, and want objects which are well thought through.” [<a href="https://ashim.wordpress.com/2006/10/16/49/" target="_blank">MSNBC and Newsweek interview, Oct. 14, 2006</a>]</p> <h2><strong><b>On His Products</b></strong></h2> <p>“I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard on something, but working on Macintosh was the neatest experience of my life. Almost everyone who worked on it will say that. None of us wanted to release it at the end. It was as though we knew that once it was out of our hands, it wouldn’t be ours anymore. When we finally presented it at the shareholders’ meeting, everyone in the auditorium gave it a five-minute ovation. What was incredible to me was that I could see the Mac team in the first few rows. It was as though none of us could believe we’d actually finished it. Everyone started crying.” [<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/43945579/Playboy-Interview-With-Steve-Jobs" target="_blank">Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center">******</p> <p>“We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.” [<a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2000/01/24/272281/index.htm" target="_blank">On Mac OS X, Fortune, Jan. 24, 2000</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;">******</p> <div> <p>“It will go down in history as a turning point for the music industry. This is landmark stuff. I can’t overestimate it!” [<a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2003/05/12/342289/index.htm" target="_blank">On the iTunes Music Store, Fortune, May 12, 2003</a>]</p> </div> <h2>On Business</h2> <p>“You know, my main reaction to this money thing is that it’s humorous, all the attention to it, because it’s hardly the most insightful or valuable thing that’s happened to me.” [<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/43945579/Playboy-Interview-With-Steve-Jobs" target="_blank">Playboy, Feb. 1, 1985</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;">******</p> <div> <p>“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]</p> <p style="text-align: center;">******</p> <p>“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” [<a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1998/11/09/250834/index.htm" target="_blank">Fortune, Nov. 9, 1998</a>]</p> <p style="text-align: center;">******</p> <p>“The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.” [<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Confidential-Real-Story-Computer/dp/188641128X/ref=reader_auth_dp" target="_blank">Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer Inc., May 1999</a>]</p> </div> <h2>On System and Process</h2> <p>The system is that there is no system. That doesn’t mean we don’t have process. Apple is a very disciplined company, and we have great processes. But that’s not what it’s about. Process makes you more efficient.</p> <p>“But innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea, or because they realized something that shoots holes in how we’ve been thinking about a problem. It’s ad hoc meetings of six people called by someone who thinks he has figured out the coolest new thing ever and who wants to know what other people think of his idea.</p> <p>“And it comes from saying no to 1,000 things to make sure we don’t get on the wrong track or try to do too much. We’re always thinking about new markets we could enter, but it’s only by saying no that you can concentrate on the things that are really important. [<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2004/nf20041012_4018_db083.htm" target="_blank">BusinessWeek, Oct. 12, 2004</a>]<br /><br />Read more at: <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/08/24/steve-jobss-best-quotes/" target="_blank">http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2011/08/24/steve-jobss-best-quotes/</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=2J0no_hta_A:lfDTYrJrKLU:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=2J0no_hta_A:lfDTYrJrKLU:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>How P&G uses Innovation to underpin its marketing?</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:17:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"> <p>P&G is certainly a marketing powerhouse. It just announced that it would raise its already record-setting global ad spending by another $700 million to total $9.3 billion by next summer. If ever there were a full-employment act for marketers, P&G would be its patron saint.</p> <p>What's it got to tell the world that's so important?</p> <p></p> <p>Enter innovation. New products that address new needs, and old products that address old ones in new ways. P&G has been innovating since the early 20th century, like when its researchers set out to replace the flaky performance of laundry detergent and discovered synthetic surfactants. Named Tide, the company kept improving its formulation every year after introducing it in 1946, and invented a new social marketing medium -- "soap operas" on TV -- to promote it, wrapping its marketing with guilty-pleasure characters and weekly cliffhanger endings. The stuff was dumb. It made the <a class="body" href="http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/spice-s-love-affair-serves-sales-purpose/228943/" title="Old Spice's Love Affair With Itself Serves No Sales Purpose">Old Spice YouTube campaigns</a> look like Kurosawa. <a href="http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/p-g-s-biggest-innovation-fashioned-functionality/229179/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+adage%2Fcomplete+%28Advertising+Age+-+Complete+Feed%29" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/p-g-s-biggest-innovation-fashioned-functionality/229179/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+adage%2Fcomplete+%28Advertising+Age+-+Complete+Feed%29" title="Advertising Age" target="_blank">Advertising Age</a> By: <a href="http://adage.com/results.php?&endeca=1&searchprop=AdAgeAll&return=endeca&search_offset=0&search_order_by=score&search_phrase=innovation&D=innovation&Nty=1&Ntk=AdAgeAll&N=25+4294951502&Ntt=innovation"" title="Refine your search to content written byJonathan Salem Baskin, only">Jonathan Salem Baskin</a></p> </div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=rUW58V7K8kE:tJe8BXkQPGM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=rUW58V7K8kE:tJe8BXkQPGM:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>8 Ways Entrepreneurs Should Be Networking Right Now</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:28:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"> <p>Entrepreneurs like to spend their time thinking about new products and their grandiose vision. But though these are key drivers for any startup, there's another task that's of the utmost importance: networking.</p> <p></p> <p>1. Be active on social media<br />2. Get on a niche social network<br />3. Attend industry events<br />4. Keep your elevator pitch primed and polished<br />5. Get referrals, and trade contacts with others<br />6. Be reachable 24/7<br />7. Always follow up<br />8. Cultivate every relationship</p> <p><a href="http://www.openforum.com/articles/8-ways-entrepreneurs-should-be-networking-right-now?extlink=em-openf-SBdaily" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.openforum.com/articles/8-ways-entrepreneurs-should-be-networking-right-now?extlink=em-openf-SBdaily">Open Forum</a></p> </div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=1ftgo9U4ME0:dSlLP6J0upg:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=1ftgo9U4ME0:dSlLP6J0upg:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Universal flu shot on the horizon, eliminating need for annual shots</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:02:00 GMT</p> <p>Universal Flu Vaccine Almost Ready</p> <p>“Universal” flu shot is not too far off. Scientists are close to developing a vaccine that would treat all different strains of the flu, making annual flu shots unnecessary.</p> <p></p> <p>Flu viruses are able to mutate rapidly in response to new vaccinations, something that has forced doctors to develop new treatments for every flu season. But Dr. Francis Collins, head of the National Institutes of Health, <a href="http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/medical/coldflu/story/2011/07/Long-term-universal-flu-shot-on-horizon/49671698/1" target="_blank">told USA Today</a> that he was "guardedly optimistic" about the prospects of developing an all-encompassing vaccine within the next five years. <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/187926/20110727/universal-flu-vaccine-flu-vaccine-cure-for-the-flu-treating-the-flu-what-is-the-flu.htm" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/187926/20110727/universal-flu-vaccine-flu-vaccine-cure-for-the-flu-treating-the-flu-what-is-the-flu.htm" title="IBTimes - Health" target="_blank">IBTimes - Health</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=GoSrVdJWp0c:FB9-9O0rCMY:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=GoSrVdJWp0c:FB9-9O0rCMY:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Being Open to Creativity and New Possibilities</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:23:00 GMT</p> <p>Why doesn’t innovation and right-brain thinking is not welcomed in the work world? </p> <p>Because we don’t promote and do not understand that we must know that we don't know all that we need to know. Therefore, why would you ever want to say no to something that will show you the way to grow. </p> <p></p> <p>In other words, experiment, persist, don't give up, and learn to fail fast. And when down on your knees, you will now know what works and what doesn’t work to move forward. </p> <p>Life is too short to being relegated to the world of 'no'. </p> <p>Be home at ‘yes’. Be a visitor at the home of ‘no’.</p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=QjIVaSd36K8:jp2NrFZliJs:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=QjIVaSd36K8:jp2NrFZliJs:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Google acquires 1,000 IBM patents</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:32:00 GMT</p> <p>Google has acquired 1,000 patents from IBM.</p> <p>According to the SEO by the Sea blog, which <a href="http://www.seobythesea.com/2011/07/google-acquires-ibm-patents-in-july/">first reported the purchase</a>, Google bought patents that stretch across several different markets, including one for "Web-based querying" and another for the "fabrication and architecture of memory and microprocessing chips." Google's newly acquired patents also relate to servers and routers, The Wall Street Journal <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904800304576475663046346104.html">reported</a>.</p> <p></p> <p>The price tag for the patents hasn't been publicly disclosed.</p> <p>Google's acquisition of IBM's patents is a consolation prize for the search giant. Late last month, Apple, Microsoft, Research In Motion, and a few other companies announced that they <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-20075977-92/apple-rim-in-group-buying-nortel-patents-for-$4.5b/">had acquired 6,000 patents and patent applications</a> from bankrupt telecom-equipment company Nortel Networks. Google had initially offered $900 million for that patent portfolio. <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20085418-17/google-acquires-over-1000-ibm-patents/" title="Read more" target="_blank">Read more</a></p> <p>Source: <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-20085418-17/google-acquires-over-1000-ibm-patents/" title="CNET News" target="_blank">CNET News</a></p><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=rR5juSMCSac:ChBeo4DqRiI:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=rR5juSMCSac:ChBeo4DqRiI:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Using Ink Jet Technology to "Print" Organs and Tissues</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:52:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"> <p>Just recently, researches have successfully “printed” a living blood vessel using a fluid containing a brew of blood-vessel cells and muscle cells. This is an ingenious application of 3D printers — remarkable devices that can create three-dimensional objects by applying multiple layers of a liquid construction material. </p> <p>Printing organs and tissues may sound like science fiction. But, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (<a href="http://www.wakehealth.edu/Research/WFIRM/Bioprinting.htm">WFIRM</a>) laboratory is using modified ink-jet technology to do just that. They have utilized inkjet printing technology to build heart, bone, and blood vessel tissues.</p> <p align="center"><param name="src" value="http://www.wakehealth.edu/video/player-viral.swf" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="flashvars" value="&file=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wakehealth.edu%2FuploadedFiles%2FUser_Content%2FResearch%2FInstitutes_and_Centers%2FWF_Institute_for_Regenerative_Medicine%2FAssets%2FVideos%2FBioprinting_Short.flv&plugins=viral-2d&title=Using%20Ink%20Jet%20Technology%20to%20" /></p> <p>Living tissues are composed of multiple cell types arranged in a very specific order in three-dimensional space. Maintaining this structure is important to ensure that engineered tissue and organs have normal function. </p> <p>Inkjet printing technology offers a possible solution to this complex problem because it allows us to precisely arrange multiple cell types and other tissue components into pre-determined sites with high precision. Multiple cells types are placed in the wells of a sterilized ink cartridge and the printer is programmed to arrange these cells in a specific order. </p> <p>Printed blood vessels could have tremendous applications in surgery. For instance, a patient awaiting bypass surgery could have blood vessels printed in the days leading up to the procedure — with the vessels made from a small sampling of his or her own cells. The ultimate vision is to print complete organs — even new hearts — as an alternative to transplants. </p> <p>For military applications, WFIRM will develop an adapted ink-jet printer to provide on-site "printing" of skin for soldiers with life-threatening burns. Skin cells will be placed in the print cartridge, along with a material to support them, and will be printed directly on the wound. </p> <p>Source: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (<a href="http://www.wakehealth.edu/Research/WFIRM/Bioprinting.htm">WFIRM</a>)</p> </div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=AX02vVDjYDQ:h7soaCyKYzM:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=AX02vVDjYDQ:h7soaCyKYzM:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Infographic: How Educated Are Successful Entrepreneurs?</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 15:41:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"> <p>Is there a correlation between entrepreneurial success and a founder's educational background? A survey conducted by the Kauffman Foundation attempted to find out. Below is a visual representation of the results.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"></p> <p style="text-align: left;">Source: <a href="http://www.openforum.com/articles/infographic-how-educated-are-successful-entrepreneurs?extlink=em-openf-SBdaily" title="Open Forum" target="_blank">Open Forum</a></p> </div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=pNh4arO4lUY:tnCy6kXvGeE:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=pNh4arO4lUY:tnCy6kXvGeE:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Cool Innovation: Toyota's New Steering Wheel Knows If You're Having A Heart Attack</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 20:08:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"> <p><strong>Toyota to Integrate ECG Sensors Into Steering Wheels</strong></p> <p>Toyota ECG steering wheel Hypochondriacs, rejoice. Toyota is reportedly working on a steering wheel with an electrocardiogram (ECG) built in. In the future, your car will be able to tell you if you have arrhythmia--or even if you're having a heart attack.</p> <p>With a built-in ECG, the new wheel could stop the cars of people under distress, and also serve as a mini-checkup every time you turn the keys.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"></p> <p>Hypochondriacs, rejoice. Toyota is reportedly working on a steering wheel with an electrocardiogram (ECG) built in. In the future, your car will be able to tell you if you have arrhythmia--or even if you're having a heart attack.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"></p> <p>The setup is simple: Contact sensors embedded in the steering wheel detect abnormal heart rhythms via the driver's hands. Toyota recently showed off a Prius outfitted with the steering wheel to a group of reporters at one of its Japan facilities, according to <a href="http://medgadget.com/2011/07/toyota-to-integrate-ecg-sensors-into-steering-wheels.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+Medgadget+%28Medgadget%29" target="_blank"><em>Medgadget</em></a>. The ECG info was shown on the in-car navigation screen--meaning that one day, you could casually check your heart rate along with the weather and local news.</p> <p>Toyota isn't the only automaker that wants to put health-related technology in its vehicles. Ford is also working on a car seat with a built-in heart rate <a href="http://mobihealthnews.com/11014/ford-research-unveils-heart-rate-monitor-seats/" target="_blank">monitor</a>, which can measure the human heartbeat through clothing without any need for skin contact. ...<a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1769265/toyotas-steering-wheel-knows-if-youre-having-a-heart-attack" title="read more" target="_blank">read more</a></p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/1769265/toyotas-steering-wheel-knows-if-youre-having-a-heart-attack" title="FastCompany" target="_blank">FastCompany</a></p> </div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=Uos-sfSda7w:-In2H600Y_c:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=Uos-sfSda7w:-In2H600Y_c:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> <article> <h1>MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH: Human organ constructed and implanted</h1> <p>Jatin DeSai — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:27:00 GMT</p> <div style="font-family: verdana; font-size: small;"> <p>Many patients don’t survive the waiting list for a donor organ.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p> <p>Recently, medical community announced that a patient received a trachea (“windpipe”) that was created with the patient’s own stem cells. (Stem cells are a versatile type of cell that can transform into many types of cells. <a href="http://1.usa.gov/ubcAp" target="_blank">http://1.usa.gov/ubcAp</a>)</p> <p>The trachea was constructed with an artificial “skeleton” of a spongy material which was then immersed in a solution of stem cells. The cells grew into the sponge material, creating a living organ in less than two weeks. The resulting trachea was then implanted into the patient (who was suffering from tracheal cancer). The patient’s body accepted new-formed organ as if it was the original trachea.</p> <p>In theory, the same process could be used to create other, more complex organs: glands, liver, lungs, heart, etc. </p> <p>This is lot like when the NASA space program started in 1960s with small experiments of unmanned flights. We are very early in the stages of ‘manufacturing human organs’ as an industry. But based on this breakthrough, it is very likely within next 25 years, that our children easily will have access to such constructed organs as easy as knee surgery today.</p> <p>For more information and additional photos, take a look at a recent article at CNN <a href="http://bit.ly/qAibNI" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/qAibNI</a>.</p> <p><strong>Source:</strong> CNN</p> </div><div class="feedflare"> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=0RrC-JDILks:LY-rrDiMCkY:yIl2AUoC8zA"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/InnovationExecutionBlog?a=0RrC-JDILks:LY-rrDiMCkY:-BTjWOF_DHI"></img></a> </div> </article> </main></body></html>