Innovation in Big Companies - Roadblocks

Working for a big company I have had exposure to some of the roadblocks to innovation, from my experience I have seen groups struggle with the following.  

1)      Daily workload.   The company can set up all the initiatives they want if employees aren’t given the time and/or resources to do their brainstorming and initial development work it will be not be successful.

2)      Appetite for Risk.  It can often come down to the management team or even individual managers, if they are not willing to take risks on new idea and have historically not given them the attention they need to move forward,  then employees may not feel empowered to work and present these ideas to the business team.

3)      Culture and Attitude.  This is very important and some aspects of it ties to #s 1 and 2.  But to add another dimension to it, this can be driven by the team members themselves.  If you have ever known a true inventor you will know how critical the attitude of the individual is – they must be creative, driven, and willing to fail before they can succeed.  Having members of your group that have this kind of attitude can inspire others to think outside the box.  Where if the group is burdened with the opposite - check the box, do my work and go home type, especially when those individuals are senior members it can stifle the creativity level of the group.

Inbound Marketing Only?

First I think it’s important to clarify the difference between inbound and outbound marketing.  I think of outbound marketing as traditional marketing, it includes advertisements, conferences, cold calls, etc.  Basically it is when the company is reaching out to the potential customer base to spread the word about the product or brand.   Inbound marketing is different in such that the customer is the one searching for you, for example a customer goes online performs a search that leads them to your website. Both types of marketing are very important but the relative importance of each will be driven by the type of product. 

In terms of inbound marketing it is feasible to have inbound marketing only if the product or service is only sold online.  This is emphasized for the product or service if it could be considered a commodity.  The first thing that came to mind for me was invitations.  Say you are planning a baby or wedding shower and you go online and do a search for invitations there are several websites that will come up.  Your first impression on the way that these websites look and the ease of use when trying to navigate will influence whether or not you will use the site, often even if the prices are lower.

Outbound marketing is more important if:

1)      Trying to promote the brand

2)      Convert customers from a competitor

3)      The product is unavailable online

4)      The consumer base in unlikely to do an Internet search for the product

An example of this would be in new technology development.  If the consumer doesn’t know to search for it then the inbound marketing would be useless.  An example of this is online insurance.  When this industry was new it was extremely important to have a combination of outbound marketing for brand promotion to get the word out and inbound marketing so once they have gotten to the site it is visually attractive, easy to use, and providing a service of value.

Pain-Gain Map - One Goal Console

Elevator Pitch:   For the active hospital staff, who has too many separate systems, monitors and wires, The One Goal Console, is a medical console that will allows for secure wireless integration from several different medical equipment types into one system that can also securely transfer information into patient’s electronic medical records.  Unlike other systems which either have their own separate monitors, or centralized monitors that only display vital signs, The One Goal Console, can accept wireless information from other systems (in addition to just vitals) over an encrypted channel with compatible software and store/display in a safe place that can be accessed across the hospital by authorized users as it is recorded.

Persona Pain-Gain Map for a Nurse at a busy hospital

·         What does a bad day look like for her?  Some examples of bad day would be when they are understaffed and overloaded or patients with poor outcomes.  This could be because of poor scheduling, someone calling in sick, patients that require a lot of attention.   Poor outcomes could be very many reasons many of which are out of the nurses’ hands, but would easily lead to a bad day.

·         What is he afraid of?  He is afraid of making a mistake, forgetting to do something, or neglecting their patients in some way.

·         What keeps her awake at night?  Making a mistake that would result in a poor outcome for her patient’s.

·         What is he responsible for?  He is responsible for all nursing activities for their patients,  some examples include but are not limited to:  administering medication, changing dressings, monitoring vitals, maintaining IVs, respirators, feeding pumps, etc (as appropriate), and updating patient medical records.

·         What obstacles stand in her way?  Too much to do, not enough time!  Complicated and ever changing equipment and supplies, changing hospital policy, inadequate recording keeping

·         What does this person want and aspire to?  I hope it’s to be the best nurse they can be!  In general, technically competent, compassionate, and reliable.

·         How does this person measure success?   Success is measured through positive patient outcomes, feedback from superiors and peers, completion of daily tasks, patient feedback, and the ability to manage several patients at the same time.

·         What can we offer this person?  We can offer nurses an easier and less complicated way to track, control, and record patient information quickly with less room for error by creating a single interface that allows equipment and software integration.

Toyota's A3 Report

Toyota's A3 report process is an excellent example of how standardization can help expand your thought process.   Maybe people think that free thinking, brainstorming and innovation are stifled by standardizing but this example proves that this is not always the case.

The A3 report does provide a standard template and process - but what it really does is it provides a framework to work through a problem.  It triggers the user to ask themselves certain questions and document assumptions as you move through the steps of the process.  Because it is an iterative process it allows for the user and others (maybe a mentor) to also circle back and question those conclusions and assumptions as more information becomes available.  Having a structured process to work through a problem can help to make sure that you are not missing anything.  Another example of a similar type of idea is the DMAIC process.  In this process you Define - Measure - Analyze - Implement - Control.  DMAIC is most commonly used for manufacturing processes but can often be adapted to tackle other problem types.  A structured approach will allow you to organize your thoughts in a more concise manner for investigation and analysis.

Another reason why I like the A3 report template it is allows for a snapshot.  This template is an easy way to walk through the situation with someone who is not involved in the details in a one page document.  Management teams for every company are always looking for metrics and scorecards that enable them to understand the situations quickly and make decisions.

7 Sources of Innovation

Below you will find the 7 Sources of Innovation (Peter Drucker) and some examples of each.  Of course each of these have an infinite number of examples but here are a few that came to my mind.  Thoughts?

7 Sources of Innovation	Examples
1.      The unexpected (success, failure, or outside event)	Many historical medical discoveries (for example penicillin).  Another common example is the Post-It note.
2.      The incongruity – between the reality as it actually is & reality as it is assumed	Southwest Airlines,  Apple Computers
3.      Innovation based on process need	Self check-out lines at the grocery store
4.      Changes in industry structure or market structure that catches everyone unaware	The shift to mobile EVERYTHING (banking, mail, shopping, etc).
5.      Demographics	As the baby boomers began to age 55+ neighborhoods that are not assisted living facilities are increasing rapidly
6.      Changes in perception, mood, meaning	As people are become more health conscious and active clothing companies are developing new clothing lines that  better suited for activities such as running and yoga – and are charging much higher prices and getting them!
7.      New knowledge, both scientific & unscientific	There are so many – iPhone, Skype, FastLane, DVR to name a few.

Last Name

Hi Professor - I know you asked during last week's lecture but just to confuse everyone a little more my Google account was set up before I got married so my comments etc.  Say Chelsey Fontaine.  Just to clarify my new last name is Elliott.  Thanks!

Google SWOT Analysis

 My first Blog post for ETR500 is to give a SWOT analysis for Google.  Here are some general thoughts on their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats and how these can be built upon to take advantage of their Strengths and Opportunities while minimizing their Weaknesses and Threats.  Some of the things mentioned in the table below may be considered obvious or generic but for the purposes of this review important not to ignore.  Please share your thoughts! 

Google SWOT Analysis