The Ultimate Skill

The Ultimate Skill
How To Innovate, Create, and
Motivate Everything from Nothing
Innovation
in·no·va·tion
n.
1.
2.
3.
( n
-
v
sh
n
)
The act of introducing something new.
Something newly introduced.
1: a creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and
experimentation [syn: invention] 2: the creation of something in
the mind [syn: invention, excogitation, conception, design] 3: the
act of starting something for the first time; introducing something
new; "she looked forward to her initiation as an adult"
-- www.dictionary.com
The Lipkin Motivational
Innovation Model
Possibility
High-Bred Hybrid
Toyota
The 2006 Prius with Hybrid Synergy Drive
combines a gas engine and an electric motor to
allow up to 650 miles between fill-ups.
Toyota's leading-edge hybrid technology meets
market needs and manufacturing technologies
with features like Bluetooth wireless access
and backup camera.
-- Business Week online
Hit Me Again
Starbucks boasts a growing network
of more than 11,000 stores, with
plans to nearly triple in size, and
possibly top hamburger giant
McDonald's as the largest fast-food
brand in the world. Credited for its
ability to intelligently market a 50
cent commodity as a $3 experience,
Starbucks entices with laptop
stations and WiFi access.
-- Business Week online
• Creation of a "third place"
• Extension beyond coffee to create a lifestyle brand
Our Philosophy
Never settle for the best
"The perfect search engine," says Google co-founder Larry Page, "would understand exactly what you mean
and give back exactly what you want." Given the state of search technology today, that's a far-reaching vision
requiring research, development and innovation to realize. Google is committed to blazing that trail.
To that end, Google has persistently pursued innovation and pushed the limits of existing technology to
provide a fast, accurate and easy-to-use search service that can be accessed from anywhere.
Ten things Google has found to be true
1.
2.
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4.
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7.
8.
9.
10.
Focus on the user and all else will follow.
It's best to do one thing really, really well.
Fast is better than slow.
Democracy on the web works.
You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.
You can make money without doing evil.
There's always more information out there.
The need for information crosses all borders.
You can be serious without a suit.
Great just isn't good enough.
Search Team
There are a lot of search
engines, but there's only one
Google, which trumps its
competition with apps like
Google Earth: By
combining satellite imagery,
maps, and the power of
Google Search, it allows
users to zoom in on any
place in the world.
-- Business Week online
Fire
"Do Not Imitate." The mandate of Soichiro Honda echoes in the
minds and hearts of everyone at Honda. At Honda, we are
constantly challenging ourselves to seek out new initiatives and
stay at the forefront of innovation.
As an organization dedicated to the advancement of mobility, we
have always targeted leading-edge technologies. From our racing
spirit and our commitment to "Safety for Everyone," to our
dedication to environmental leadership and the advanced potential
of ASIMO, it is our mission to develop forward-thinking
technologies that anticipate and satisfy the needs of people in the
future.
We believe in making a difference. In our customers' eyes,
Virgin stands for value for money, quality, innovation, fun
and a sense of competitive challenge. We deliver a quality
service by empowering our employees and we facilitate and
monitor customer feedback to continually improve the
customer's experience through innovation.
We look for opportunities where we can offer something
better, fresher and more valuable, and we seize them. We often
move into areas where the customer has traditionally received
a poor deal, and where the competition is complacent. And
with our growing e-commerce activities, we also look to deliver
'old' products and services in new ways. We are pro-active and
quick to act, often leaving bigger and more cumbersome
organisations in our wake.
Game Plan
IKEA
• Customer-focused marketing and product
offerings keep customers coming back
• Has changed the way people buy products in
the traditional furniture industry
• Brought design to the masses
-- Business Week online
Ikea: Swedish for invincible
It's remote, inconvenient, and lots of
assembly is required. IKEA breaks
all the rules of retail. So why can no
one compete?
Macleans.ca
Swedish Meatballs
IKEA, with 231 stores in 33 countries, is famous for its
affordable furniture which consumers must assemble for
themselves. Its customer-focused marketing and product
offerings keep them coming back.
Expect more of everything: More great design, more choices, more convenience, more service
and more clothes, housewares and designer-created items that you’ll never find anywhere else.
And pay less. It’s as simple as that.
We team up with world-class designers in home, fashion, accessories, beauty, furniture and
outdoor living and create exclusive products to decorate and delight—people like Michael
Graves, Amy Coe, Sonia Kashuk, Liz Lange and Isaac Mizrahi. And since it’s at Target, you
know you’ll always find it at a reasonable—or even surprising—price that lets you add highquality design to your life, in every room, every day.
Easy Sweep
• Employs "Connect & Develop"
model to leverage external resources
to drive innovation
• Great brand manager
• Nimble enough to push quickly to
market, despite its size
• High patent rate
-- Business Week online
Procter & Gamble gives hardwood floors
a hassle-free cleanup with the complete
Swiffer Sweeper System. The Swiffer's
dominance (and its extended product
line) shows P&G's brand-management
skill and its ability to quickly establish
new product categories.
Southwest
• Crafts new approaches to
different markets to stay ahead
of its competition
Sky High
Southwest's one-make, one-model airplane
fleet makes for low-cost maintenance and
easier training. The discount airline is the
third-largest carrier in the world, and has
been profitable every year since 1973.
• One-make, one-model plane
fleet makes for low-cost
maintenance and easier
training
• Has set the standard for
efficiency in its industry, in
part by drawing on the ideas of
employees
• "Remained profitable even
after 9/11"
-- Business Week online
Action
Idea Flow
IDEO has helped design scores
of products. But more than any
single project, the company is
known for its approach to
innovation, involving
brainstorms, rapid prototyping,
and cross-functional teams.
-- Business Week online
Innovation at IDEO is grounded in a collaborative methodology that simultaneously examines user
desirability, technical feasibility, and business viability. Our innovation engine employs a range of
techniques to visualize, evaluate, and refine opportunities for design and development. Among
these techniques are:
Observation
Brainstorming
Prototyping
Implementation
Our mission is to be the most essential global Internet service for consumers and businesses. How we pursue that
mission is influenced by a set of core values - the standards that guide interactions with fellow Yahoos, the principles
that direct how we service our customers, the ideals that drive what we do and how we do it. Many of our values were
put into practice by two guys in a trailer some time ago; others reflect ambitions as our company grows. All of them
are what we strive to achieve every day.
Excellence:
We are committed to winning with integrity. We know
leadership is hard won and should never be taken for granted.
We aspire to flawless execution and don't take shortcuts on
quality. We seek the best talent and promote its development.
We are flexible and learn from our mistakes.
Teamwork:
We treat one another with respect and communicate openly.
We foster collaboration while maintaining individual
accountability. We encourage the best ideas to surface from
anywhere within the organization. We appreciate the value
of multiple perspectives and diverse expertise.
Innovation:
We thrive on creativity and ingenuity. We
seek the innovations and ideas that can
change the world. We anticipate market
trends and move quickly to embrace them.
We are not afraid to take informed,
responsible risk.
Community:
We share an infectious sense of mission to make an impact
on society and empower consumers in ways never before
possible. We are committed to serving both the Internet
community and our own communities.
Customer Fixation:
We respect our customers above all else and never forget that
they come to us by choice. We share a personal responsibility
to maintain our customers' loyalty and trust. We listen and
respond to our customers and seek to exceed their
expectations.
Fun:
We believe humor is essential to success. We applaud
irreverence and don't take ourselves too seriously. We
celebrate achievement. We yodel.
Transformation
Beyond shoes, our apparel unifies innovative designs and high-performance fabrics,
like FIT technologies that manage temperature and moisture to help athletes train and
compete in any conditions. In our equipment -- watches, eyewear, carry gear, even
socks and underwear -- athletes find a passionate focus for design and functionality.
As human potential evolves, so must our products. For three decades, we have been
committed to giving athletes of every make, model and body style, who compete and
recreate in ways never before imagined, the very best performance product. Products of
the pure imagination. Products that move the needle of performance. Products that help
us be the athletes we know we are.
Nike and Apple Launch Nike + iPod Sport Kit
Running Will Never Be the Same After Tomorrow
Beverage Science & Innovation
The science of beverages and our understanding of their role in health are constantly
evolving -- paving the way for more choice, added nutritional benefits and better tasting
beverages.
Beverage Science & Innovation is about:
Finding new ways to help people feel better, perform better, and lead healthier lives.
Staying on top of emerging nutrition science and health trends and understanding how
they relate to people's health and wellness needs.
Using nutrition expertise, scientific capabilities and consumer insights to deliver the
nutritional benefits that consumers want in great-tasting, convenient and affordable
beverages.
Creating Beverage Solutions to Nutritional Challenges
Consumers' needs and preferences are at the center of everything we do in beverage innovation. By listening to consumers
and applying what we know about nutrition research, beverage formulation and consumer lifestyles, we strive to create
'beverage solutions' that address the nutritional challenges people face.
Here are some examples of our beverage solutions and how they can help:
•Lower cholesterol. Noting the evolving science around plant sterols and health as well as the challenges people face in
trying to manage blood cholesterol levels, The Coca-Cola Company developed Minute Maid Premium Heart Wise™
orange juice, the first orange juice clinically proven to help lower cholesterol.¹
•Ensure adequate vitamin D intake. Recognizing that many people are not getting all the vitamin D they need, we
worked to gain US Food and Drug Administration approval to add vitamin D to calcium-fortified juice sold in the US. As
a result, Minute Maid became the first national brand to add vitamin D to its calcium-fortified orange juice, making it
easier for people to get this nutrient essential for bone health.
•Manage calorie intake. The Coca-Cola Company innovations like convenient 100-calorie cans and new, great-tasting
low-calorie beverages like Coke Zero, Dasani flavored water beverages and Minute Maid light beverages are making it
easier and more enjoyable for people to manage their beverage calories.
•Prevent micronutrient deficiencies. The Coca-Cola Company developed Nurisha™, a water-soluble bundle of 12
essential vitamins and minerals that can be added to beverages, as a simple but effective method for delivering the
vitamins and minerals that growing children need.
The future of beverage innovation is limitless. Your needs are changing. Your tastes are changing. And The CocaCola Company is changing right along with you. That's what Beverage Science & Innovation is all about.
Environment
Few companies have embraced the open innovation model as widely as IBM, No.
10 on our list. While the company's proprietary technology is still a force to behold
-- Big Blue remains the world's largest patent holder, with more than 40,000 -- the
company is opening up its technology to developers, partners, and clients. Last year
it made 500 of its patents, mainly for software code, freely available to outside
programmers. And in November it helped fund the Open Invention Network, a
company formed to acquire patents and offer them royalty-free to help promote the
open-source software movement.
Why the generosity? IBM believes that by helping to create technology
ecosystems, it will benefit in the long run. "We want to do things that encourage
markets to grow," says Dr. John E. Kelly III, senior vice-president for technology
and intellectual property at IBM. By helping nurture those markets, says Kelly, "we
know we'll get at least our fair share."
-- Business Week online
Environmentology
Honda thinking in action
When it comes to talking about the environment, we let our products speak
for themselves. In 1974, Honda introduced the ingeniously simple Civic
CVCC. World-changing for its fuel efficiency and low emissions, the CVCC
demonstrated our spirited commitment to environmentally responsible
technology. Many other firsts were to follow, such as the first hybrid vehicle
sold in North America and the first government-certified fuel-cell car. This
legacy of innovation and acting on our beliefs is what we call our
Environmentology. And it's seen in every Honda product, like the 2006 50mpg* Civic Hybrid.
Honda's legacy of innovation is unmatched in the vehicle industry. As
always, our attention is focused on the future. For example, a California
family is already driving a limited-production Honda FCX hydrogen fuel-cell
car in the Los Angeles area on a daily basis. It's all part of Honda's
Environmentology.
YouTube overtakes MySpace
The rise and rise of YouTube
Mark Sweney
MediaGuardian.co.uk
YouTube: its reach outgrew that of the BBC's websites in May
YouTube has established itself at the top of the league of the new generation of community websites by becoming even
more popular than MySpace, according to research.
The video sharing site has taken a 3.9% share of global internet visits a day compared with 3.35% for MySpace,
according to internet analysis company Alexa.
YouTube's popularity has grown immensely over the first six months of the year. In May its reach outgrew that of the
BBC's websites.
According to Nielsen/NetRatings, YouTube's American user base grew by 297% in the first half of the year.
Its success has been such that a price tag of as much as $1bn (£536bn) - far more than the £332m that Rupert Murdoch
paid for MySpace - has been put on the company and rumours are circulating of a possible initial public offering.
YouTube's reach - the number of users per million that visit a particular site - has increased by 155% in the past three
months.
In contrast, MySpace's growth appears to have slowed, increasing by just 9% in the same period.
"YouTube has a far more universal appeal, being pure entertainment with a global appeal," said Dan Calladine, the
research director at digital agency network Isobar.
"MySpace's levels have been moving within the same range since April, but YouTube seems to be climbing more
steeply than ever."
The average visitor spends 28 minutes on YouTube, with men 20% more likely to visit the site than women.
Play it Again
Apple
The iPod -- which has become a cliché of
innovation -- evolved from playing songs to
displaying pictures to running video, even as
it became lighter and thinner. Oh, and it also
sparked the podcasting craze.
-- Business Week online
Starbucks is committed to a role of environmental leadership in all facets of
our business.
We fulfill this mission by a commitment to:
Understanding of environmental issues and sharing information with our partners.
Developing innovative and flexible solutions to bring about change.
Striving to buy, sell and use environmentally friendly products.
Recognizing that fiscal responsibility is essential to our environmental future.
Instilling environmental responsibility as a corporate value.
Measuring and monitoring our progress for each project.
Encouraging all partners to share in our mission.
"It's not just about results. It's how did you lead
people to get to those results."
Susan Schuman, CEO of Stone Yamashita Partners