There’s no question CPG executives need to understand their organizational culture to assure the success of strategic initiatives. Culture provides groups with their identity, their differentiating qualities and a way to preserve themselves. The culture within the organization can have a dramatic impact on results. But the culture outside the organization can also define success […]
Innovation is the fuel for growth in business. For you Star Trek fans, it’s the “dilitium crystals” for the starship Enterprise. Yet research reveals only a few companies in a few industries are producing anything innovative. The National Science Foundation Business R&D and Innovation Survey showed that only 9% of public and private companies in […]
This 216 year look at commodities implies they may be peaking. Chart provided by Business Insider and can be found here.
Two recent articles, one by Kevin Randall at Fast Company (How Hollywood Studios Harness Your Brainwaves to Win) and the other published by Booz & Co. (That’s the Way We [used to] Do Things Around Here) show the continued emergence of neuroscience in business. Can Minority Report style selling be far behind? I was first […]
A.G. Lafley, former Chairman of the Board of Procter & Gamble, apparently knows that if you “always do what you’ve always done, then you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten”. He is credited for the redesign of P&G that turned it around and created a relentless focus on the consumer. His redesign apparently worked. During […]
(Concluding remarks in our brief tangent from the three part series on Real Differentiation at Oscar Mayer…) A recent blog post defined culture1 and identified three of the roles culture serves for a group: identity, differentiation, and preservation. It’s that last aspect, preservation, which becomes the nemesis of change. Culture experts (e.g., Edgar H. Schein […]
(A brief tangent from the three part series on Real Differentiation at Oscar Mayer…) It’s only whispered about in the hallways or talked about behind closed doors. It keeps strategies from being executed, major initiatives from succeeding, and leaders from reaching their goals. It’s devious and touts its success. It subdivides and infiltrates all parts […]
(This is Part 2 of a 3 part series about how companies gain competitive advantage by creating real differentiation in the marketplace, how advantage is lost, and what must be done to get it back.) I have a Macbook Pro, an iPad, an iPhone, and an iPod (which I don’t even use anymore). A little […]
It appears newly elected Governor Scott Walker has a sound recipe for securing a healthier economic future for Wisconsin: growth and productivity. And to make it happen, he is quickly focusing on changing the design of the business environment. Hmmm… where have we heard that before? Growth and productivity through better design… Wisconsin Bankers Association […]
This will be good for Bryan and for Mattel. Besides the fact Bryan is a terrific leader and strategist, it also sets the stage for a truly integrated global business model; a competitive necessity these days. Changes should be accretive to shareholder value in time. Mattel Announces Appointment of Bryan Stockton as Chief Operating Officer […]
