Welcome to our initial blog post. Our blogging will focus on topics related to driving technology based businesses. We’ll cover corporate strategy, marketing, collaboration, innovation, new product introduction (NPI), business development, etc. So why these topics? What can possibly be new here? Well, in our view, these topics are fundamental to how we approach the management of our companies and with the increasingly connected-Web2.0-Web3.0 world we live in, there is plenty of new ground to cover and discuss related to creating and driving corporate success. Our blogging will attempt to address broad questions such as:
- How will companies learn to adopt or create a more social, collaborative enterprise harnessing their own mini-crowd of employees, partners, suppliers & customers?
- How will this mini-crowd impact corporate strategy formulation and execution as well as other business areas such as sales, marketing and NPI?
We don’t believe we can rely on “strategic planning as usual”, especially given the state of the world economy. Strategy doesn’t come from a calendar-driven process; nor can it simply be the product of a systematic search for ways to earn above average profits; strategy needs to come from viewing the world in new ways. Strategy starts with an ability to foster new and unconventional thinking.
Charles Leadbeater’s book, We Think, explores how the web is changing our world, creating a culture in which more people than ever can participate, share and collaborate ideas and information. According to Leadbeater, “Ideas take life when they are shared. That is why the web is such a potent platform for creativity and innovation. It’s also at the heart of why the web should be good for : democracy, by giving more people a voice and the ability to organise themselves; freedom, by giving more people the opportunity to be creative and equality, by allowing knowledge to be set free.” The video below outlines the concepts behind Leadbeater’s thinking.
In our view, these concepts can also be applied to how companies are driven and governed as the power of their mini-crowd is realized. We believe resolving the conflict between the rising surge of mini-crowd based collaboration and attempts to retain top down corporate control will be key to the growth and success of new more progressive companies. How is your company harnessing its mini-crowd? Do you think it needs to?
I REALLY love this blog: “Mini-Crowds Will Drive Your Strategy … We believe resolving the conflict between the rising surge of mini-crowd based collaboration and attempts to retain top down corporate control will be key to the growth and success of new more progressive companies.”
OH MY GODDDD … YESSSSS!!!
At the same time, that’s where the real fun and fulfillment/job satisfaction is … in achieving alignment of people to strategy … all people needed to ensure success.
Setting aside, “fun,” business-wise most would agree that it’s not particularly useful to “get somewhere” … “anywhere” … only to find you’re all alone, right? Applies to both private and public sector business. A great idea is only great if it’s shared by all.
The old-style command and control type of leadership doesn’t work anymore. Things have changed way too much. Not only has web-based, etc. information-sharing/overload changed things but societal values have changed a lot too. Over the last 15 to 20 years, what have kids been learning in school? They’ve been learning about values and different/more evolved approaches to ethical thinking. Zero tolerance for bullying … how important respect is and that respect includes listening–with a view to truly understanding and caring about–the perspectives of others.
These “kids” are hitting the workforce now. While it is true that they bring with them a more “organic” way of thinking (due to exposure to internet, social networking, etc.) it is also true–and perhaps more important–that they bring with them new attitudes. They don’t want to be told what to do and how to do it; rather, they want and expect to contribute their own ideas … to have influence and to feel good about what their contribution to the greater good.
No surprise, right? That’s the way we raised them
.