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November 17, 2006

Microsoft is looking for the winning idea

As part of a search for the most creative small business idea in the country, Microsoft has launched the ideaWins contest. The contest has been designed to spur the imagination and spirit of entrepreneurial activity that drives small business, with winners receiving $100,000 in cash and free retail space in New York City, as well as infrastructure and software to run the business for 12 months. Plus, as an added bonus, every participant in the Microsoft-sponsored contest will receive a free Microsoft Office Accounting Express 2007 software package. The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2007.

[image: Microsoft ideaWins]

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Aerobic activity can reduce brain shrinkage

According to a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois-Urbana, regular aerobic activity can reduce the typical brain shrinkage that starts to occur after age 40:

"The researchers said patients who engaged in three or more hours of aerobic exercise weekly experienced increases in their brains' volume of gray and white matter, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The team studied 59 adults, age 60 to 79, in three groups: one group that received aerobic training, one that engaged in non-aerobic stretching-and-toning training and a group that did not exercise.

The non-aerobic exercise group and the group that did not exercise did not experience any change in their brains, but "the aerobic group showed a substantial increase in brain volume," Illinois' Arthur Kramer told The Journal. "After only three months," Kramer said, "the people who exercised had the brain volumes of people three years younger." Kramer said the subjects who exercised aerobically had better working memories, better abilities to switch between mental tasks and were more adept at screening out distractions than those who did not exercise."

[image: Jamie Lee Curtis in "Perfect"]

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Tech leaders gather for innovation summit

The third annual TechNet Innovation Summit took place this week on the campus of Stanford University, attracting some of the biggest names in the technology sector - including Bill Gates, Jerry Yang, and venture capitalist John Doerr. (Oh, and the Governator made a surprise appearance as well.) The four-hour event was staged as a live taping of "The Charlie Rose Show," episodes of which will appear at a later date. As the San Jose Mercury News explains, the event focused on how to compete during a period of rapid innovation and globalization:

"The third annual innovation summit, where industry leaders talked about emerging trends and government technology policy, was organized by TechNet, an advocacy group that lobbies on behalf of tech executives. Much of the discussion centered on how American companies and workers will compete in an era of rapid innovation and globalization.

"The United States has been spoiled by being a global leader for so long that there may be an adjustment," Gates told the audience of nearly 2,000, a mix of suit-and-tie executives and college students in hooded sweatshirts. "We've got to get used to the fact that our relative share of everything -- our ability to exercise unilateral decision-making, military power, and economic power -- won't be as out of line with our 5 percent share of world population as it is today.''

[image: Bill Gates chats with Charlie Rose]

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Larry King has never used the Internet

This is, frankly, very disturbing: Larry King has never used the Internet and never plans to, either. Not even to buy a book on Amazon, to download a song from iTunes, or to perform a simple Internet search. It's understandable that maybe Larry King has never read a blog or watched a video on YouTube, but it's a bit embarrassing when even Roseanne Barr is telling him to use the Internet:

Last night CNN’s Larry King confessed to Roseanne Barr that he’s never used the Internet. King expressed doubt that the Internet was a viable political medium because “there’s 80 billion things on it.” When Barr said she liked the Internet, King acknowledged that “I’ve never done it, never gone searching.” Barr said King would love the Internet if he tried it. King replied, “I wouldn’t love it. What do you punch little buttons and things?” Barr even offered to show King how to use the Internet. King declined."

Shouldn't all pundits - as a prerequisite for appearing on national TV - be forced to show a minimum amount of Internet literacy?

[video clip: Think Progress]

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In memoriam: Milton Friedman, free-market economist and philosopher

Milton Friedman, (1912-2006), the Nobel Prize-winning economist who helped to popularize notions of free-market capitalism all over the world, passed away yesterday at the age of 94. He was the author of countless economics classics, such as Capitalism and Freedom and A Monetary History of the US, 1867-1960, before eventually winning the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1976. Between 1966-1984, Friedman wrote a regular column for Newsweek, where he helped bring economic analysis into the mainstream. As a prominent public intellectual, he helped to spread the doctrine of free markets and monetarism while popularizing phrases such as "there's no such thing as a free lunch." His teachings and business thinking while at the University of Chicago influenced a range of business thinkers and politicians - including Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. During his career, he advised countless numbers of government and business leaders on how to think about economics, laissez-faire capitalism and personal freedom. As might be expected, a number of news websites have already posted online tributes to one of the greatest thinkers and intellectuals of the past century:

The Financial Times called him "the last of the great economists to combine possession of a household name with the highest professional credentials."

The San Francisco Chronicle called him "one of the most influential economic thinkers of the 20th century."

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer called him "the rare public intellectual whose ideas extended from the ivory tower to seats of power around the world."

Finally, Marshall Loeb of MarketWatch called him "an intellectual Goliath, an original thinker and one of the most influential economists of the 20th Century."

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Those Cambridge grads and their amazing Rube Goldberg machines

Back in June, the Business Innovation Insider linked to a number of strange-but-true Rube Goldberg videos. Now, it looks like several graduates from the University of Cambridge in the UK have landed at the advertising firm of Baynham & Tyers, where they are offering to create similar types of Rube Goldberg Machine videos to market products and services. For example, this video clip of a Rube Goldberg Machine in action was created when the graduates were still at Cambridge. The video was eventually featured on Slashdot, generating such a large volume of downloads that the University server crashed. Anyway, look for a "much larger and more complex" video soon on the way from Baynham & Tyers!

[image: Baynham & Tyers]

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The world's fastest biofuel-powered car

Not only is the Lotus Exige 265E the most powerful road version of the Exige ever, it runs on bioethanol. The 265E is capable of rocketing from 0-60 in just 3.88 seconds, making the experience of driving the car "electrifying" and "explosive." If you check out the TechEblog site, there's also a five-minute video of a road test with the car (although, at times, it sounds more like a bio-ethanol advertisement). Car Magazine has more details on this biofuel wonder:

"This is the Exige 265E - the fastest ever Exige and the first bio-ethanol Lotus. The digits 265 denote the 265PS power output, or 261bhp in old money – up 46bhp over the standard car. The 'E' informs people that this car runs on ethanol, alcohol made from the fermentation of crops, mixed with petrol. Using this greener fuel results in a claimed 70 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

The Exige 265E is a development prototype created by Lotus Engineering, the Norfolk firm's fiendishly clever consultancy arm. In only five weeks between July and August 2006, its engineers completely re-engineered the Toyota engine powering the standard Exige S to run on the wheat-derived fuel.

The result is the fastest road-legal bio-ethanol car (and the fastest Exige) ever built. Performance is sensational - 0-60mph flashes up in only 3.88 seconds before running out of puff at a mind bending 158mph. Who says being green is boring?"

[image: Lotus Exige via Car Magazine]

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November 16, 2006

Creating the products of tomorrow in Inventionland

What if you worked on a pirate ship, in a cave with fake deer and fish, in a giant baby crib or a tree house instead of an office? Chances are, you'd be more innovative and creative. That's the premise behind the creation of the fantastical new "invention factory" of Davison Design and Development. Inventionland, which opened its doors on November 8, was built to "free the creative mind" and create the "products of tomorrow." As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette explains, Inventionland is a leading-edge design and innovation incubator that feels much like stepping into an adventure from Alice in Wonderland or a Hollywood movie set:

"The pirate ship, crib, rock cave and tree house are just four of the 15 fantastical sets that comprise the company's offices, now known as Inventionland. The "magical wonderland" is the work of company founder George M. Davison, who believes that creativity is best fostered in an imaginative environment. Many of the designs harken back to his childhood -- the concept behind the office is not unlike Story Book Forest at Idlewild Park, which Mr. Davison, 42, visited frequently as a child. "Growing up, it was one of my favorite places to be," he said, watching the indoor waterfall he built outside the rock cave."

Davison Design and Development's services include everything from research, industrial design, virtual reality, and product samples to packaging, presentation for possible licensing, and royalty management. For more on this invention wonderland, check out the collection of photos on Flickr here.

[image: Inventionland]

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Dick Harryvan of ING on innovation

With less than two weeks to go before the start of the FORTUNE Innovation Forum in New York City, Dick Harryvan, an Executive Board Member of ING Group who is responsible for ING Direct, joins the Business Innovation Insider for a special Q&A on innovation. At the FORTUNE Innovation Forum, Geoff Colvin will interview Dick Harryvan as part of the "FORTUNE Interviews a CEO" series.

Q: Who should be responsible for innovation inside of a large corporation? Why?

Dick Harryvan: General management must create the right conditions and make a commitment, after which all employees are empowered.

Q: What is the most important thing that needs to happen before innovation inside a company can occur?

Dick Harryvan: All employees must feel empowered to express their ideas and management must listen and show commitment.

Q: Is there an innovation success story within your business that you are most proud of?

Dick Harryvan: ING Direct is an innovation success within ING Group, despite negative advice by consultants.

Q: Is there a formal process for tapping into the knowledge of your workforce?

Dick Harryvan: We have a 'simplify' program, as well as Lean Six Sigma and self-assessments throughout ING Direct globally. The objective is to make things simpler for employees and, most importantly, for clients. Employees can submit an idea to make something easier. Employee engagement was high in many simplification processes.

Q: How much do you rely on research and analysis to guide the development of new innovative services and products?

Dick Harryvan: All new products have to go through market research, resulting in a positive business case before we implement them.

Q: What innovative companies do you most admire?

Dick Harryvan: IKEA, Google, Nokia.

Q: Can you innovate without having access to large amounts of capital? If so, how?

Dick Harryvan: Absolutely, innovation is driven by creativity and can lead to cost savings rather than requiring capital.

Q: How can failure lead to innovative breakthroughs in business?

Dick Harryvan: Failure leads to innovative ideas to remove barriers to success.

Q: Does the importance of innovation to your organization vary depending on where you are in the business cycle?

Dick Harryvan: If an innovation leads to value creation the investment case can be approved even in tight phases of the business cycle.

[image: ING Direct Cafe]

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Francesco Cara of Nokia explains the concept of "organic innovation"

The Putting People First blog has provided extensive commentary and notes from the European Market Research Event in London, complete with real-time blogging updates from a number of the sessions. On Day 1 of the event, Clive Grinyer, Director of User Design at France Telecom Orange, reflected on the relationship between usability and design, while Francesco Cara, Director of Nokia Design, Insight and Innovation, explained the process of "organic innovation":

"Cara, who has a cognitive science background, provided a talk on organic innovation, where innovation is created in dialogue with the end-user, in an open, interactive way. Nokia, argues Cara, advocates a human approach to technology, with a strong emphasis on dialogue. Fast prototyping and ethnography are crucial, with the latter assuming a strategic role.

Cara provided the case study example of Skype, which is a typical example of convergence, bringing together voice telephony, instant messaging and broadband access. The ethnographic and contextual interview study, which took place in Germany and Brazil, explored who the Skype users really were and how they used the service. Some of the learnings showed that Skype should not be seen as a replacement but as an additional that has a number of quite distinct features: such as openness (the channel remains open), targeted and intimate, low virality and enriched communication."

Other speakers at the event included Flemming Ostergaard, Marketing Innovation Director at Lego, and Anne Kirah, senior design anthropologist at Microsoft’s MSN Customer Design Centre.

[image: Nokia Display]

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This is what executing an extreme innovation program looks like

I stumbled across these amazing "extreme wheelchair" photos on Flickr using the tag thrillseeker. Could they perhaps be a pictorial metaphor for the process of setting up and executing an extreme innovation program at your company?

It's all good, dude. "No Fear" - we've read Tom Peters, Jack Welch, and Peter Drucker. We know what a Long Tail is, and we know the power of Blink. We've even got an elite consulting company behind us that is up-to-date on innovation "best practices." Now's the time to put all that training to work and execute that innovation program!

Oops! What happened to the consultant? He's staying behind? Is this what Malcolm Gladwell meant by The Tipping Point? Yo, strap me in, this is gonna be a ride to remember!

We've reached the point of no return! Hey, you folks peeking over the edge of the building, aren't you going to help?

At least somebody's got my back! This thing might actually work? Hey, is that consultant still around?

Hey, we risked everything for this? Only a smattering of people even cared about what we did? We risked everything - our life, our career, our reputation - and all we get is a little write-up in the company newsletter?

[images: TonUp Boy, "Thrillseeker" photostream]

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INSEAD creates new centers for entrepreneurial research

According to the Wall Street Journal (sub req), French business school INSEAD is in the process of establishing new centers for studying entrepreneurship in Israel, India and China. The B-school's International Centre for Entrepreneurship in Singapore will oversee and coordinate the work of the three entrepreneurial labs:

"Entrepreneurship has always been a challenging topic to research. French business school Insead hopes to glean better knowledge by going to the source and observing entrepreneurs in their own backyards. In May, the Versailles-based business school set up the first of three planned entrepreneurship-research centers in Israel. A second center is expected to open in India by January, and a third is planned for China in the middle of next year. The three centers aim to serve both academics and the global business community alike..."

The goal of the new initiative is to be able to observe entrepreneurs in real-time, starting from as close to the point that they start a company as possible. In addition, INSEAD hopes to shed light on the variations in entrepreneurship that are specific to certain countries and regions.

[image: INSEAD's Singapore campus]

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Jack & Suzy Welch on Innovation

As a follow-up to the #1 business bestseller Winning, Jack & Suzy Welch recently released a companion book called Winning: The Answers, a compendium of answers to the "74 toughest questions in business today." As might be expected, the very first question in the book concerns the topic of innovation. With the emergence of low-cost competitors in places like China, what can U.S. companies do to confront this threat? As Jack & Suzy Welch explain in the book, it all starts with innovation:

"The answer is simple: innovation. There are, of course, other ways to compete, but without doubt, innovation is the most sustainable in today's global marketplace. Luckily, there are two ways to innovate, and together they can deliver a real knockout punch. The first form of innovation is exactly what you would expect: the discovery of something original and useful - a new molecule, a breakthrough piece of software, a game-changing technology...

But there is a second, less glorified way of innovation that is just as effective. It is the continuous, aggressive improvement of what you already sell or how you already do business. Yes, people must innovate by discovering totally new concepts... But companies can (and must!) also innovate by searching for best practices, adapting them, and continuously improving them."

In other words, incremental innovation trumps disruptive innovation.

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Princeton closes down "psychic phenomena" lab

According to the most recent issue of the Princeton Alumni Weekly, Princeton finally plans to shut down the Princeton Engineering Anomalies (PEAR) Laboratory, a "little-known but sometimes-controversial participant in the university's research community." After 27 years of exploring mind-matter interactions (i.e. psychic phenomena), the lab could no longer find the funding for current operations. Located in the university's engineering department, the laboratory was first proposed by mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Robert G. Jahn back in 1979. At its peak, the lab employed 7 full-time researchers. During its nearly quarter century of work, PEAR produced over 200 academic papers, including some that appeared in the Journal of Scientific Exploration (the same publication that routinely covers astrology, UFO sightings and Big Foot).

[image: Professor Robert G. Jahn]

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November 15, 2006

Tony Ulwick knows what innovations customers want

On his Idea Port blog, New Zealand-based innovation guru Roger Dennis has published an informative interview with Tony Ulwick, the author of What Customers Want. The new book from Ulwick, which details processes for repeatable and disruptive innovation, has been praised by the likes of Clayton Christensen, who says that the outcome-driven programs described within "can bring discipline and predictability to the often random process of innovation." Below, Ulwick describes the process of outcome-driven innovation from the standpoint of a practitioner:

"In my recent book, What Customers Want, I reinforce the theory that customers buy products and services to get jobs done... If a company wants to think like a customer, it too must focus on the jobs the customer is trying to get done. This point has far-reaching ramifications.

When the job is accepted as the unit of analysis it means that companies must not capture requirements on a product or service – rather they must capture requirements on the job or jobs that the product or service is intended to perform. This means that instead of asking customers about improving a product, practitioners must be more process focused and (1) deconstruct the job the customer is trying to get done into process steps, and (2) determine what metrics customers use to measure the successful execution of the job.

We call these metrics the customers’ desired outcomes. We have developed over 40 rules regarding the structure, content and format of these statements. Precision is the key to removing variability from the process. A customer need, then, is defined as the customer’s fundamental measures of performance associated with getting a job done. This is a critical point, because after these metrics are uncovered, they are prioritized to reveal which are highly important and poorly satisfied (underserved) – thus revealing the best opportunities for growth. This valuable information is then used to prioritize the development pipeline, brainstorm new ideas, evaluate product concepts, communicate a products value, etc."

[photo: Tony Ulwick]

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A Q&A with Yvonne DiVita on innovation

In the weeks leading up to the FORTUNE Innovation Forum in New York City on November 29-30, the Business Innovation Insider is pleased to present a regular series of interviews with innovative thinkers in business and academia. Below, Yvonne DiVita, the president and founder of WME Books (a division of Windsor Media Enterprises) and a leading innovator in marketing to women online, joins us for a special Q&A on innovation:

Q: What are some examples of innovative ways that companies are marketing to women online?

Yvonne DiVita: I'm most impressed by companies that are using new technology - and creating new technology - to reach their market. Naturally, I think women should be dominant in any company's market...because women are the managers of home, house, yard, car, supply cabinet, bathroom, basement, bedroom, and everything in-between. In the last year, I've watched some companies jump on the blogging bandwagon - with a certain measure of success. You have to be willing to be real (admit you're human) for that to work. Recently I convinced Purina pet foods to sponsor a blog about pets, that I would manage and write. As I expected, the blog is becoming popular with pet people. The best thing is that these people are delighted to know Purina is sponsoring the blog. It elevates Purina in their eyes. Since women are big pet owners - and pet lovers - this is an opportunity for Purina to really engage in a dialogue with their customers. They have lots of great stuff on their website, but none of it is interactive. I'm creating an interactive, one-on-one space for pet people to talk pets - and converse with a giant in the pet food world.

Another place marketing to women online works is in books. Blooking, marketing your book via blog, is a win-win because it combines reading (something women enjoy more than men) with conversation, which women also enjoy more than men. Using the online model, how hard would it be for companies to ask publishers for space inside the "search inside this book" feature, to place ads? Relevant ads designed to be eye-catching but not intrusive? For instance, why isn't Dove placing their back to beauty campaign ads in women's books? Not just novels, but business books? Women are desperate to connect with other women! Use this opportunity to show us you really get it!

The truth is - today's interactive market allows companies to go beyond a blog to create connections...by showing us something, instead of just telling us about it. Show us videos and give us music! That's really basic advice dating back to my creative writing days - when we lowly fiction writers struggled to "show, don't tell!" without quite knowing what that meant. Now, it's easy to show-off. You have MySpace, Flickr, and YouTube - with all the ability to be outrageous but effective. Look at the laughing babies - now, there's a way to a woman's heart! Or, the viral email campaigns with puppies and kittens in them! I must get those once a week! I can tell you one way companies are NOT successfully marketing to women online - and that's in the unappealing design of many websites aimed at women. If you're selling jewelry, show me a woman wearing jewelry, like there is on the Simona Fine Italian Jewelry site! AND THEN...connect it to a blog where I can really meet the designers!

Another place that I think bears witness to the innovative nature of marketing online is the rising popularity of sites like Second Life, where you can create a whole new you - i.e. a Second Life that is more controllable than your current life. Second Life avatar-living is taken very seriously by its 1.3 million members - and offers a wide-variety of marketing options. There is ample room for innovation in this "pretend" world - with its real money exchange opportunities. Is this good for marketing to women online? I don't have stats or figures yet, but this growing phenomenon is definitely female-friendly - after all, having complete control over your world - what women doesn't want that?

Q:. What were some of the takeaway lessons from last year's Fortune Innovation Forum?

Yvonne DiVita: Last year's conference was inspiring. The energy emanating from the stage was inspiring - each speaker was very committed to his or her topic. I especially enjoyed Sir Ken Robinson - with his delightful talk on creativity and children. Recently I was recounting that talk with a networking group, and I was surprised by the number of people who felt this focus on creativity and how to be innovative, was off the mark. It was sobering - which means I wasn't presenting it properly - Sir Ken would no doubt have convinced them of the power of innovation, had he been the one speaking. It does go to the reality of language and how people perceive language, though, doesn't it? Innovation to me might be something totally different to you. On the Internet, you need to be thoughtful about that - are you really being innovative - or, is your new campaign insulting or misunderstood? Remember: words have nuances that people read in facial expressions and body language - but on the Net - that often gets lost.

Q: Who are some of the most innovative women in business today?

Yvonne DiVita: First, Ask Patty! is one smart, creative, and totally innovative lady. She's focused on real life experiences for women in the automotive industry. I was privileged to meet her at the Blogher.org conference last July, and she's energetic, fun to be with, but also serious about supporting women and women's issues. Her blog and her website offer a bright, refreshing voice on ways women can excel at life - from new career ideas, to managing a business, to just stepping out of their comfort zone. Patty is so 21st century!

Second, I look at women like Susan Getgood of Getgood Marketing, as the epitome of innovation. Susan is a no-nonsense kinda gal, but she has personality galore! I love shopping with Susan - and just listening to her opinions on life, liberty and the pursuit of chocolate! She works with companies on innovation by learning their innermost secrets - well, by listening and by using creativity to turn things upside down, if need be. Susan isn't out to 'make friends'...she's out to get results. Today, you can't get results without innovating. The key is to know your strengths and weaknesses - and to have someone like Susan there to guide you off that old beaten path leading nowhere, on to a bumpy road that will shake things up. Susan has shown me, time and again, that it's the bumpy road that gets the results. You gotta be willing to innovate to achieve - and innovation takes work. It's not more of the same old, same old. Just ask Susan - she takes no hostages.

Third, my good friend Andrea Learned is tops when it comes to innovation. Why? Because she has the eye and the ear of the younger woman. I'm a baby boomer, and I think we boomers rock and roll - but, I also have two daughters, and they can run rings around me on any given day. I'm not talking Gen X or Gen Y or Echo Boomers. Puh-lease! Can we dispense with the labels? I'm talking real live, gum chewing, pizza eating girls (young women) who have opinions, desires, wants, needs - you name it - that are not being met by marketing today. These young women grew up with technology, they were taught by their Moms (like me!) not to accept anything less than exactly what they asked for. They were told they could be anything they wanted to be, when they grew up (including a doctor, a lawyer, or a truck driver). They adopted their own unique style and approach at a young age, and...now that they're adults, they demand innovation. They're shaking up the status quo by ignoring trends, and by refusing to be tied to labels that say they're one thing or another. When I need to understand this generation better (and when don't I? how can I innovate, connect, grow - without knowing them?), I hop over Andrea's blog and read up on the women who are changing the face of business today - by inspiring the world to innovate on their behalf.

Fourth, and last, my daughters, Chloe DiVita and Maggie DiVita. Chloe is a wife and mom, and in her spare time, also a business woman who is intent upon achievement. She's totally innovative. She started her own blog this year - knowing that this was an opportunity to do something unique in her field (she's the owner of DiVita and Associates, a bookkeeping firm in Colorado) but also because she felt she had something to contribute to clients and small business owners. Chloe makes me proud - beyond expression. As one of the strongest members of the group Andrea writes about, Chloe creates innovation everywhere she goes - merely by using her experiences as a measure of what companies need to do to achieve greater results. Her talent isn't just in connecting the numbers, it's in understanding the problem - and how to solve it with more than math.

Maggie is an overachiever. Most young women with boomer moms are! Maggie is still in school...so she's technically not a businesswoman, but...let's not discount Maggie, and others like her. They're the consumers we all want to reach with our marketing message. Maggie lives in a world of black and white - right and wrong - good and bad, according to her rules. She looks at innovation with a critical eye: is it worth it? Is it real? What's it for? I'm amazed by Maggie's insight into the world of business - when she and I talk. She's studying epidemiology - whew! that's even hard to spell, let alone say!- so business isn't something she's much interested in, per se. She's part of the group of young women who need to be courted by marketers. Innovation only works with her if it's clever, eye-catching, convenient, and worth her time. If you want to know whether or not you're innovative marketing campaigns, or your new, innovative business plan, or your focus on innovation in R&D, is working - get Maggie to look at it. She won't pull any punches. Not even for her old Mom. Makes me shudder, sometimes, but... today, honesty is the best policy. Maggie is honest to the hilt.

Q: What types of questions would you like to ask this year's speakers?

Yvonne DiVita: There are several questions I would ask. What are you doing, today, to work with the real economic powerhouses companies of America - the small and mid-sized businesses - to help them succeed? I mean, are you mentoring small and mid-sized business owners in your industry? Are you reaching out to the core of American businesses and connecting with them to share innovative ideas? MOST of these companies are women-owned - according to the Center for Women's Business Research - and I know for a fact that they are eager for advice and help - and financial support. Whose going to step up to the plate and tackle that job?

Next, What are you doing to encourage young women to become leaders in your company? This year's election has turned the economic and political climate of this country in a new direction - all eyes will be on Nancy Pelosi, I'm sure, and all the talk of Hillary running for president in 2008 is exciting but...within the business environment young women today are disenchanted with the idea of a corner office. And, their significant others (mostly husbands or boyfriends) are standing tall next to them, demanding a change in how business is conducted. Are you embracing that change - or are you stuck in that old Dick and Jane century - where everything was done just so?

Thirdly, Where are your blogs? Come on, now. ALL of you should be blogging. There is no excuse. If you are unsure, unclear, or think blogging isn't for you - we need to talk. Because if you aren't blogging, if your company isn't in the blogosphere (actively or passively), you're in danger of becoming insignificant - at least to women. If we can't reach you - (the real you, not the corporate you) - if you aren't connecting one-on-one with us - we're outta here. Bye-bye!

My last question is about giving back. This question is especially aimed at the women speakers. We just came out of a big election that promises big change. The media is eager to talk about Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton and other newly elected women in office - but, who remembers how that came to be? Who, among you, can stand up and say, "I have Susan B. Anthony to thank for this privilege - of voting in a democratic election." All of you should. If so, how many of you are supporting the Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester, NY? This is an historical building - a thriving part of American history - and of women's rights. The Susan B. Anthony House stands for more than the right to vote - Miss Anthony was a suffragist, a strong believer in women owning property and being independent - she paved the way for all the success we women have today. Yes, I'm championing for the Susan B. Anthony House. I'm championing for national attention and recognition for a woman who put her life and liberty at peril - so we could be equal in the eyes of the law. I'm asking you to build connections to Susan B. Anthony with your employees. Let's all work to make the Susan B. Anthony House a strong a presence in business and politics... let's strive to remember who she was, what she stood for, and why we must never let her hard work be forgotten.

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Michael Arrington: How to appear on TechCrunch

As part of a 45-minute interview with Michael Arrington of TechCrunch ("Silicon Valley's newest power broker"), Guy Kawasaki asks the question on every entrepreneur's mind: How do we get on TechCrunch? As Arrington explains, there are five basic ways to improve your odds of appearing on the TechCrunch site:

(1) The most effective way is to get a referral from a venture capitalist or someone “known” who can speak on your behalf;

(2) The key is how good the company is, not the “slickness” of the pitch. For example, an unpolished pitch for a great company will get through. Also, a great pitch for a lousy company won’t;

(3) Do not use descriptions such as “revolutionary,” “Web 2.0,” “huge,” “change the way you’ll use the Internet,” and “disruptive.”

(4) To describe what you do, you should provide a tangible frame of reference;

(5) Finally, only the first two or three sentences count. If you don’t capture him that quick, you’re most likely out of luck.

[video clip: Guy Kawasaki on Google Video]

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In Austria, an innovation for cancer patients

Austrian innovation blogger Hannes Treichl reports on a new development for children cancer patients that recently won an Austrian multimedia award for innovation:

"The St. Anna Children's Hospital is specialized in fighting cancer for children. They recently won the Austrian multimedia award for an innovation that combines technical knowledge with an understanding of the emotions experienced by children and parents. One major problem is the large psychological burden that results when doctors diagnose cancer. For children who have to stay in the hospital, they provide pets and teddy bears with RFID chips. Whenever a patient narrows to one of the many flat screens, the menu there offers customized and individual information about the children's disease, documentaries, stories, tales, games and much more. This greatly supports communication between the hospital, children and their families."

For a full translation of the article into English, click here.

[image: St. Anna Children's Hospital]

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IBM's $100 million innovation agenda

IBM plans to spend $100 million on 10 new innovation initiatives over the next 24 months, thereby opening up its world-renowned R&D labs for collaboration with partners and customers all over the globe. IBM hopes that the decision to open up its "crown jewels" to the world will have big pay-offs later down the road:

"IBM is thinking big when it comes to solving next-generation business problems. The company said Tuesday that it will spend $100 million over the next two years creating 10 new offerings that will gird a host of advanced consumer and business products and services ranging from portable, electronic health records and blackout-proof electricity grids to 3-D virtual worlds in which consumers can play games and businesses can hold meetings and collaborate with partners.

IBM CEO Sam Palmisano unveiled the plan before a meeting of 6,000 company employees in Beijing. "We opened up our labs, said to the world, 'Here are our crown jewels, have at them,'" said Palmisano, referring to IBM's plan to partner with customers and other tech players in developing the solutions. "Collaborative innovation models require you to trust the creativity and intelligence of your employees, your clients, and other members of your innovation network," he said."

[image: IBM sign]

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The scientific mystery of the family that walks on all fours

This is simply too bizarre and disturbing - there was a TV special on NOVA last night about a family in a remote area of Turkey that walks on all fours. According to the biologists, psychologists, neurologists and anthropologists who have studied the five family members extensively, the most likely explanation for the bizarre behavior is that these individuals did not receive the gene that codes for "walking upright." As a result, they are stuck in a form of "backwards evolution," crawling around their village on their hands and feet.

Given the sparkling reputation for quality programming at NOVA, I doubt this is some kind of Borat Sagdiyev prank or desperate attempt for international publicity from a group of Turkish mischief-makers. However, this whole notion of a "scientific mystery" deep in the remote area of Turkey of a family that walks on all fours sounds like some kind of set-up for a story about the mysterious Sasquatch. What do you think? Is there really a family that time (and evolution) forgot?

[images: NOVA]

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Forget the corner office, I want the garden office!

What do you give the CEO who has everything? How about a purpose-built garden office that provides a comfortable and professional working environment without the usual distractions associated with working from home? Trend-following newsletter Springwise has the details:

"For everyone who'd like to escape office politics and the daily commute, iscape manufactures and sells purpose-built garden offices. The British company has created two modular buildings, or 'iscapes': Miana and Winola. Both are multi-use outdoor living spaces, but the Miana was specifically designed to be used as an office.

Every garden office (from GBP 4,995 including installation and delivery) comes complete with integral electrics and includes sockets and lighting. Constructed from panels, the Miana can be ordered in a range of sizes, with door and window positions meeting a customer's specific requirements. Customers can choose from 60 colors for timber and plastic coated steel finishes, and iscapes are insulated to high standards for all-year round comfort. The modular designs are pre-fabricated and can usually be installed on site in just one day..."

[image: iscape miana]

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November 14, 2006

Alfie Kohn: Should we reward innovation?

In the weeks leading up to the FORTUNE Innovation Forum in New York City on November 29-30, the Business Innovation Insider is pleased to present a regular series of thought pieces with innovative thinkers in business and academia. Alfie Kohn, who writes and speaks widely on the topics of human behavior, education, and parenting, joins us for a special Q&A on innovation. He is the author of eleven books, including The Homework Myth and Punished By Rewards, and is a highly-regarded speaker at education conferences, universities and corporations. Below, he offers his insights on innovation.

Q: You have been an outspoken critic of competition and rewards, as well as the fallacy of "bribing students to learn." Is it also a fallacy to "bribe" workers to become more innovative?

Alfie Kohn: One of the most frequently replicated findings in social psychology is that the more you reward people for doing something, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do to receive the reward. To understand how this can be true despite our conviction that incentives "motivate" people, we have to realize that there are different kinds of motivation.

Psychologists distinguish between intrinsic motivation, which means an interest in the task itself, and extrinsic motivation, which means doing something in order to secure a reward (or avoid a punishment). It's not just that extrinsic motivation is different from intrinsic. And it's not just that intrinsic is more powerful than extrinsic, although it surely is. (No artificial inducement can compensate for a lack of excitement about what one is doing.) What matters is that extrinsic motivation is corrosive; it tends to undermine intrinsic motivation. To that extent, we might say that it doesn't matter how motivated workers are. What matters is *how* they're motivated. It's the type of motivation that counts, in other words, not the amount. And the type that's fueled by bonuses, incentive plans, "performance management" systems, and other residues of Skinnerian psychology is the sort likely to be unhelpful, if not counterproductive -- particularly since intrinsic motivation is the single best predictor of innovation.

Q:. What type of environment is most conducive to building a culture of innovation?

Alfie Kohn: The absence of rewards is necessary, but not sufficient, to create a culture of innovation. What we also need is what I like to call the "3 C's": choice, collaboration, and content. Choice means that employees should be able to participate in making decisions about what they do every day. Collaboration concerns the need to structure effective teams to facilitate both an exchange of ideas and a climate of support. Content refers to what people are asked to do. (As Frederick Herzberg put it many years ago, "If you want people motivated to do a good job, give them a good job to do.") A workplace characterized by these three features is one where the focus is on working *with* employees to solve problems and devise solutions -- as opposed to doing things *to* employees by treating them like pets.

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