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My Book on Strategic Decision Making

My Book on Strategic Decision Making
Applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

1991-2011 (20 Years of Globalization) - from Profession to Passion and other trends

The 1991 -2011 one can safely proclaim - 2 decades of rapid globalization that we have seen

Some personal observations

  • In 1991 it was about "what is your profession?" today it is really about "what is your passion?"
Today when we hire - we look for candidates who r overflowing with "passion" - (atleast thats what we do at Crafitti (www.crafitti.com)

  • In 1991 it was about "Multi-criteria decision making" - today it is about Multi-perspective and Multi-dimensional decision making

  • In 1991 it was all about "competition" - How do I compete - It become "how do I collaborate" - now it is about how do we co-create

  • In 1991 it was "Me too" today it is "We All"

  • In 1991 it was "buying a Car" {or buying anything} - it became "selecting a Car" today it is "Demanding My Car"

  • In 1991 it was all about "consuming" today it is all about "embracing"

  • In 1991 it was all about "watching from the sidelines" - Today it is all about "Immersing in the action"

  • In 1991 it was "My Mohalla" (My street) today it is "Global Mohalla"

Monday, December 20, 2010

Globalization - The World in a Flux -2011 will it be the defining year of the decade?

The World in a Flux - Globalization

It is remarkable that two important violent events separated by the decade that ushered us to the new millennium have been the catalysts in defining and shaping the world that we have been calling globalization. When Iraq annexed Kuwait in August 1990, it was considered a defining moment of shift from cold war of bipolar era. January 1991 Gulf War – operation desert storm and unique ways in which it was conducted by the United States resulted in multiple experts proclaiming the start and application of a Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA). The unprecedented interplay and cohesion obtained by integration of precision technologies, networks, and information technologies was a remarkable demonstration of extent to which new military operations will depend upon knowledge and networking. This was a shocking surprise to military commanders who were still indoctrinated in the old ways of mass destruction and mass combat power to defeat massed armies.

Ten years later it was the turn of the have-nots to attack the very seat of economic power represented in the twin-towers of the world trade center thereby reducing it to rubble. The permanent etching that Osama Bin Laden has left in the world’s especially US psyche despite the powerful US defense forces perfecting the RMA’s that they created, has once again reiterated the power of knowledge and networks. The way September 11, 2001, was executed against the most powerful nation of the world, speaks of three main capabilities – Globalization, Complexity and Innovation.

These two violent events are just a sample, albeit with very violent results, of the interplay of the three capabilities of the new world. This world is based on the ability of each one of us to leverage and exploit knowledge and connectivity. Success in this new world requires ability to search for knowledge, create new knowledge, identify the knowledge pieces, convert these pieces into creating new value in terms of solutions, and flow it through the networks of globalizing world in an efficient manner, so that it reaches the site of the problem in space and time in a least wasteful manner.

1991 we had the Gulf-War.

2001 we had the 9/11.

2011 - we will have what - A world war - North-South Korean war - I hope not!

Monday, December 06, 2010

Ideas and Thoughts

7 plus minus 2 is the upper limit on human mind's info processing - http://www.musanim.com/miller1956/ - Lets assume every second these 9 thoughts in our mind change completely - then in a day our mind pass through 24 x 3600 x 9 =777600 thoughts (maximum). If we can catch one of it and develop it - everyday we can actually develop one idea! Only problem - we need to prepare our mind to catch the thought which may be the genesis of an Idea!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Innovation Postcard - Your Heart Moves and then your Slippers



Conversation with Myself - Innovation

Q1. Innovation is currently the most overused (or some say abused) word in the popular press. In the hype surrounding Innovation, do you really think focused Innovation initiatives have any specific value? One could as well say it as the R&D initiative, why innovation initiatives is really the question?

Answer: Innovation has not only seen proliferated press coverage, it has become a major fashion trend as well (laughs). In the new world innovation is increasing in multiple dimensions which is unprecedented. Further, technology is just one component, albeit an important one, of innovation proliferation. From my point of view I am looking at the world as increasing globalization is changing the way the world works – with location, geography, position, hierarchy and mass loosing ground rapidly to virtualization, any-location, any-position in the enterprise, networking, connectedness and ignition of individual minds. These shifts as I are coming to the surface as the most important ingredients of value creation.

However, increasing globalization increases complexity manifolds. One may globalize for value but may end-up creating more complexity which engulfs the enterprises into downward spirals. Innovation – or what I call successful exploitation of ideas - is the only way to meet the future head-on. I realized it – it is not about old structures or old metrics – it is about crafting value where nothing exists – it is about engaging each mind that works with and for your enterprise into value creation – it is all about continuous all-round innovation. It is not only about adapting to the changing world, it is about shaping the world by creating changes that manifest as value. We need to strive continuously to achieve synergies with all the minds who work with us.

Q2. Do you really propose to develop “How to …Innovate” cook-books? Designing Innovations or Innovation processes – looks like an oxymoron as most of us believe – it just happens, and it is really not a systematic step-by-step process. Your comments.

Answer: I am a researcher as well – with interests right now in the interplay of globalization, innovation and complexity. In this journey I have experimented with multiple techniques, methods for ideation, idea fructification, idea evaluation, problem solving, etc. I sincerely believe one process, one method, one metric, or, one system is not the right answer. Thus, we are creating frameworks using many of existing techniques to come up with generic set of frameworks – I call them the Innovation Crafting frameworks which combines many of existing methods and some home-grown ones as well to help enterprises/individuals in enabling innovation inside the organization These frameworks have been quite successful and we are continuously developing them further at my company Crafitti Consulting Private Limited http://www.crafitti.com

Q3. Well, are there any specific techniques or methods that you are using as part of these frameworks?

Yes, as I said my research, experimentation and explorations indicates five key winners are emerging per-se. These are the Lean Thinking from Toyota Motors, The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) from the work of a Russian patent engineer, who studied patents and came out with this theory of problem solving and third winner is the so called network science movement – social computing, open source, open innovation, open life, network analysis – the networked way of connecting to and developing ideas. Besides there are many specific techniques in the new field of decision engineering I have found useful in developing such Innovation frameworks. Finally, I think the systems thinking - the holistic approach to understanding multiple problems, systems, scenarios or even organizations is assuming a central role in creating the new approaches to solving problem or creating value in what I call the GIX Bang (Globalizing Innovation Complexity) world.

Q4. This looks like a set of esoteric research tools – does large globally distributed enterprises as you put it – find them useful or will find them useful? Pardon me for being little skeptical.

Answer: (Laughs) Our experiments indicate that most of large enterprises - they happen to be Globally Distributed Enterprises, as I put it (smiles) – are really struggling to cope-up with complexity. Old ways, methods and frameworks which succeeded in the past are failing – failing miserably. The command and control structures designed with so much fine-grained details in the last millennium are shaking – in fact crumbling when faced with individuals self-organizing to create value – the new open world. These individuals feed on thoughts, ideas and empowerment through technological and other forms of almost real form connectivity with others of their ilk. It is a new world – fundamentally a new world – the new world as you know demands new ways. Someone really has to study, explore, experiment and make solutions for the new enterprises in the new world. Which is what we at Crafitti (http://www.crafitti.com) are doing – we are choosing those techniques or those parts of methodologies that are working in our explorations – work in the new world is experimental – so as one can say is living – it is not about predictability of the old world – it is about thriving in continuous change.

Q5 Interesting. How can Crafitti’s existing or future clients leverage these frameworks? Do you intend to share or work with the clients or these are for Crafitti alone?

Answer: These frameworks help us and our clients to solve problems – differently; Or may be solve different problems. These techniques or most of them anyway are available in open literature and practice. Our value lies in creating and converting them into integrated frameworks that are working. We offer these for our clients, suppliers, employees and who so ever is interested. We believe by sharing and developing these frameworks. Together we will co-create the future that will generate richer value for all stakeholders. Hence these are available to be explored, developed, and deployed with our clients.

Q6. How will Crafitti do it? I mean, do the clients need to come here to study, you will go to clients or do we work through virtualization as you said? What is the process – really?

Answer: See- you are coming again to Innovation Process (smiles). Seriously, we are open to multiple engagement models – besides all the three models that you articulated – we can become our client’s extended Innovation labs. We are ready, eager and in fact propose fluid teams from Crafitti clients and our partners to come to gether create value, learn and have fun together. I believe it is important to have a metric which measures, tracks and increases the average life of ideas in the enterprise. Our vision is to empower ideas together.

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