This blog is all about making product developers, managers, and innovators more successful and their organizations successful with them. As I do each week, below is a roundup of articles around the web with insightful product development, management, and innovation practices, tips, and examples – and sometimes controversial ideas.

Around the Web

Does culture eat innovation for breakfast? “The Whack-a-Mole culture is destined to produce no innovation and undermine any strategy other than make employees as miserable and disengaged as possible while simultaneously increasing employee turnover.” Read more from Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/larrymyler/2014/09/05/innovation-culture-and-some-insights-from-twitter/

3 hacks for startups to be more innovative. “If your company is struggling to innovate, evaluate your company’s current way of fostering great ideas. Then, consider implementing some simple steps you may be overlooking, namely…” Read more from Fast Company http://www.fastcompany.com/3035442/hit-the-ground-running/3-simple-innovation-hacks-your-startup-may-be-overlooking

How Ashley Still, senior director of product management at Adobe, manages. “’I push product managers to think differently based on where they’re at,’ Still says.” Read more from Fast Company http://www.fastcompany.com/3035547/agendas/the-managers-guide-to-leading-with-a-light-touch

Consolidation reduces research and development – example from the pharm industry. “Dr. John LaMattina, former president of global research and development at Pfizer, said Wednesday that as the number of players in the industry shrinks, the amount of money devoted to research and development of new drugs also drops dramatically.” Read more from Middletown Press http://www.middletownpress.com/business/20140910/mergers-hamper-innovation-ex-pfizer-exec-says

How CIOS contribute to innovation. “Innovation is sometimes difficult to control. For some organizations innovation is part of the overall culture, while in others, innovation needs to be specifically addressed and coaxed along in order to bring out the best.” Read more from The Enterprises Project https://enterprisersproject.com/article/2014/9/how-cios-can-spot-innovative-ideas

Why Kodak, Nokia and others lost their edge – don’t blame innovation. “Products and companies do not differentiate winners from losers; it is the right business models that do.” Read more from Financial Times http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b2ef363c-31c4-11e4-b377-00144feabdc0.html

An advertiser’s advice for innovation. “I believe that if you are trying to achieve true innovation in an agency-brand relationship, you should keep in mind some of the following principles that I have found to be helpful guideposts.” Read more from Click Z http://www.clickz.com/clickz/column/2363782/innovation-lies-promises-and-powerpoints

Why asking customers what they want results in failed products. “Asking customers what they want is a “solution-first” approach that places the burden of innovation on the customer’s shoulders.” Read more from Entrepreneur http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/237200

Annual innovation conference taking place in Denver, CO Oct 18-22. “The five-day conference, from Oct. 18-22 at the Grand Hyatt Denver, includes an annual research forum and the inaugural training sessions for the International Innovation Management Standard, announced this summer by PDMA.” Read more at Market Watch http://www.marketwatch.com/story/pdma-announces-innovation-application-programs-for-2014-product-innovation-management-conference-2014-09-09

New product pricing survey – lazy pricing killing new products. “72% of all new products don’t meet their revenue targets. And a quarter of companies, according to the same survey, confess that not one of their new offerings met its profitability goals.” Read more from Harvard Business Review http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/09/the-silent-killer-of-new-products-lazy-pricing/

Why innovators need to speak the language of money to clear organizational roadblocks. “Most innovations fail because they don’t get buy-in from the people who take them to market at key points in the process – and in words that motivate them. These marketers and product managers speak the language of money.” Read more from Innovation Excellence http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2014/09/09/financial-speed-bumps-for-innovation

 

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