Can ecosystems be engineered or are they by default out of control of individuals? Can companies be founded on the explicit intent to nurture ecosystems of value creation? How do you counter disruption and turn it into a force for company growth rather than a ticking time-bomb of eventual corporate demise? From brands to ecosystems The opportunity…
Category: LEGO
Powerful brands cannot be controlled
Someone asked me a while ago about how we can control the LEGO brand given that it has such a vibrant community? I tried not to laugh, because the person had a very straight look on their face and besides, laughing would be rude – it is actually a serious question that many brands…
Learning to think in systems – using LEGO bricks.
What does Google’s Pagerank, the scientific citation index and the taxonomy of plants, animals and insects have in common with LEGO bricks? They are all systems. A post over at the MIT Technology review examines the history of the Pagerank algorithm and shows that in fact, this thinking had been around for quite a…
The full value of lead-user innovation
Last week I had the pleasure to be at the Front End Innovation Europe conference, to give a key note on moving towards an eco-system of value creation with consumers. An interesting subject inviting speakers from a range of industries, this was bound to be a fascinating session. Prior to the conference the speakers…
Debunking Popular Myths about Creativity
Like innovation, there are plenty of misconceptions about creativity out there, which makes it all the more confusing when people are extolling the importance of creative skill in the 21st century. To continue my quest to unravel these complex topics this instalment is all about explaining what creativity is NOT. You have to be…
The Rules of Creativity According to Kids
Recently I had the pleasure to meet Mitchel Resnick, a professor at the MIT, and listen to his presentation of the Lifelong Kindergarten project. Resnick is famous for his book Turtles Termites and Traffic Jams where he outlines how control emerges from apparently independent behaviour. Another book, by Kevin Kelly, called Out of Control also…
From Insights to Innovation
Just back from a conference in lovely Amsterdam on the subject of ‘Converting Insights into Actionable Results’, my mind buzzing with two days’ worth of presentations from the likes of Coca-Cola, Volvo, Sony-Ericsson, Procter & Gamble etc. on how they use insights in their respective companies. In some respects it really sounds like Insights…
