Akio Toyoda – Toyota’s plan to repair its public image – washingtonpost.com

In an article in the Washington Post,  Mr. Akio Toyoda laid out
Toyota’s plan to repair its public image.  Within this article, he lays out four steps to fix the R&D and quality processes (Review existing ops; Improve quality control; Listen to customers; Share data):
First, I have launched a top-to-bottom review of our global operations to ensure that problems of this magnitude do not happen again and that we not only meet but exceed the high safety standards that have defined our long history. As part of this, we will establish an Automotive Center of Quality Excellence in the United States, where a team of our top engineers will focus on strengthening our quality management and quality control across North America. 
Second, to ensure that our quality-control operations are in line with best industry practices, we will ask a blue-ribbon safety advisory group composed of respected outside experts in quality management to independently review our operations and make sure that we have eliminated any deficiencies in our processes. The findings of these experts will be made available to the public, as will Toyota’s responses to these findings. 
Third, we fully understand that we need to more aggressively investigate complaints we hear directly from consumers and move more quickly to address any safety issues we identify. That is what we are doing by addressing customer concerns about the Prius and Lexus HS250h anti-lock brake systems. 
We also are putting in place steps to do a better job within Toyota of sharing important quality and safety information across our global operations. This shortcoming contributed to the current situation. With respect to sticking accelerator pedals, we failed to connect the dots between problems in Europe and problems in the United States because the European situation related primarily to right-hand-drive vehicles

It is an interesting plan, however, I am not sure how easy it is to implement.  There are fundamental cultural traits that drive behavior (both R&D culture and national/ethnic culture).  I once consulted with a Japanese multinational with operations in the US.  There was significant conflict between the two operations and the engineers in the US felt powerless to do anything to customize products for local demand.  I have heard about how difficult it was for the Japanese to understand the US pick-up truck market.
Reviews are only useful if there is a concrete plan and metrics to implement the changes identified.  Quality control has to be tied to R&D in the first place to actually deliver.  In a multiorganizational complex automotive development, it is extremely difficult to get a handle on all the R&D and communicate it effectively to quality.  Finally, it is easy to say that we will share information, but very difficult to do.  More information is not necessarily better – one needs ability to drill down to the necessary information and context for what the information means.
How would you try to change R&D management to drive change?

CCNA CCNP Voice IT Certifications Exam VCE: https://www.4itexam.com/ Jobs, Employment
CCVP stands for Cisco Licensed Voice Skilled. I believe if you wish https://www.4itexam.com/ to recertify your CCVP, take any 642 examination that doesn’t belong to the ccnp dumps previous CCNP monitor or another outdated exams. In addition to retiring 210-260 CCNA certifications, Cisco has made one other transfer to retire CCNA Voice certifications as of October 20, 2018. Skilled-stage Cisco certifications embrace: CCNP, CCSP and CCVP, all of which are associated ccnp switch 300 115 dumps with common salaries above $one hundred,000, according to the 2018 Salary Survey performed by ccnp switch Certification journal.
Quantity six on the list of the highest paying certifications is the Cisco ICND1/CCENT Licensed Voice 100-105 dumps Skilled. Alongside the exams, Cisco additionally provided transitioning assist for ICND1/CCENT licensed employees at the time. Incomes a Cisco certification validates a strong set of abilities in implementing, working, configuring, and troubleshooting a converged IP community.
5. Possibly we (present CCVP’s) will have to take one of many new exams 200-105 dumps within the eight.0 observe. Current Cisco ICND2 candidates who re-certify will routinely become Cisco CCNA Voice licensed. In an effort to obtain Cisco CCNA Security certification, people had to efficiently full five exams. Though there have been cisco 210-260 some vital modifications between Cisco CCNA Security certification, some key issues ccna security 210 260 dumps stayed the identical in proving your telepresence knowledge.
Little did I do know on the time that my first take a look at, Troubleshooting Unified Communications, had recertified my Cisco CCNP Collaboration and triggered the upgrade to a CCNP:Voice. That a certification 300 075 dump within the “old” CCNP exams, will be valid as part of 300-075 Implementing Cisco IP Telephony & Video Part 2 v1.0 the brand new CCNP Voice certification. • Cisco Certified Voice Skilled (CCNP): This certification is designed to check all elements of Web telephony.
Some of the fascinating modifications between Cisco CCNA certification icnd1 dumps and ccie certification seems to be the annual salary of licensed people in Kings Park 400 101 dumps and worldwide. For example, I would search CCIE, and individually search “cisco voice”. I was confused on this CCIE 400 101 particular occasion with the CCIE: Voice because the certification website by no means mentioned something 300-075 dump about there being an improve path from my 4.2 CCVP to the eight.x CCNP: Voice.
I think we need some clear solutions quickly because ccna security 210-260 pdf personally I will be very upset if I pass my 210-260 exam right now and it does not recertify my Cisco CCNA Security or give me a Cisco CCNA – Voice. In keeping with several pay-grade web sites, CCNP licensed users 300 101 dumps earned up to $eleven,000 greater than CCNP professionals in some areas. Should you have been trying to receive a Cisco CCNP certification, you’ll have to go for the CCNP Collaboration certification instead.
NetCom Learning gives ITIL V2 vs ITIL V3 itil v3 foundation Voice (Previously referred to as ITIL V2 vs ITIL V3) training utilizing Official Curriculum. I believe Cisco are mistaken to alter the title of cissp dumps cissp Voice it does not make sense cissp is established and other people know what it means, its hard sufficient to get non techies to understand what these acronyms stand for without changing their identify on a regular basis.
Not to point out that the average salary will 300 115 dumps increase by virtually $20,000 between a CCNP Switch Verison 2.0 licensed particular person. The CCNP exam expects that you just absolutely know, understand, comprehend, the exam targets and test prep are makes you able to ccna exam the Cisco Certified Voice Professional data. I have CCNA certification, now I wish to renew my CCNA certificate to CCNA Collaboration.
As we speak when to see my test historical past 210-260 dumps and discover out that I obtained (3) three of the take a look at beneath CCNA Security 210-260 Official Cert Guide Voice and the opposite (2) two test under CCNA Security, huh. This should have been left open until current CCVP’s where migrated to CCNP – Voice or till the twenty eighth Feb 2011 and then convert folks. On October 19, 2010, Learning@Cisco introduced 210 260 dumps the evolution of the CCNA Security certification, renaming it CCNA Security Voice.


Impact of IT on R&D management

MIT Sloan Review has an article on “The Four Ways IT Is Revolutionizing Innovation.”  The factors according to the article are:

Measurement, experimentation, sharing and replication.

Of these factors, sharing and replication are clearly universal drivers enabled by IT.  Most industries are benefiting from improved sharing and replication of information across R&D organizations.  The impact of other two is not universal.

The examples given in the article are mainly Internet and networking companies.  Clearly, they have the luxury of using IT for measurement and experimentation.  A lot of their data is easily available and IT can really support experimentation. 

In many other industries (high-tech, electronics, bio-tech, aerospace and automotive, etc.), IT does not actually measure R&D results or aid experimentation.  In fact, a lot of the challenges in managing R&D stem from the difficulty in measuring R&D results and finding ways to experiment with R&D processes/tools to improve efficiency.  Any thoughts?

This makes even larger orders with many alternative shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and polos a https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ straightforward process for coaches as it offers every team member the opportunity to place of their two kids replica football kits uk cents and have their shirt customized printed their approach (e. g. with their monogram, mascot or picture). So, if you want to get this wonderful picture about Lamp Thought Icon Png Luxury 13 Sporty football football Icons Bayern Munich Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 Freebie Pinterest, simply click save button to save lots of this photographs to your laptop.
So go forward and order your custom soccer hoodies , girls Inter Milan Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 football T-shirts, Referee Tee and customized womens shirts and rock on your match. We will work with you carefully to give you the right set of football designs for your Inter Milan Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 group and then ship the order to our manufacturer. This glorious image collections United Kingdom Cheap Football Shirts shop:https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ about Lamp Thought Icon Png Luxurious 13 Sporty football Football Icons Freebie Pinterest is on the market to download.
For many who want fully bespoke customized football shirts, we also present a ‘design your cheap Juventus football shirts individual’ tool that will help you personalise your shirts and make them utterly distinctive. Designing customized fan shirts Juventus Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 aren’t only for youth or high school groups, many fantasy soccer enthusiasts are searching for methods to show off their digital staff spirit.
One of the best and widest number of Navy t-shirts is the Kid Juventus Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 official Navy Store. You’ll find that our touch soccer shirts, contact football shirts , touch football shorts , contact football singlets and touch soccer uniforms work great for winter leagues, corporate groups, school teams, and in addition on a regular AC Milan Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 basis wear for the individual. Allow us to worry about your soccer shirts solution so that you simply and A.S Roma Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 your workforce can consider the challenges ahead.
There are 74,044 customized football shirts suppliers, primarily Borussia Dortmund Home Football shirt 2018/2019 located in Asia. Whether or not you desire a printed emblem or an embroidered badge, design yourself a custom soccer kit and those soccer tournaments will fly by that cheap Paris Saint Germain football shirts little bit easier. I managed to supply some glorious fabric from Sugini manufacturing unit in Thailand, who now manufacture all my custom football shirts and sportswear.
Our custom soccer uniforms are made with Paris Saint Germain Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 premium fabrics and can feature any design you want. Save your designs and shirt or shirt templates, share Paris Saint Germain Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 them along with your crew mates and let them vote on their favourite uniforms (or sweatshirts, or polos, or jackets or…), colours and designs. Remind your league that humility just isn’t an possibility and cheap arsenal shirt signify your fantasy soccer team the proper method with a personalized shirt from Fantasy Champs.


Making cost cuts stick

According to one recent study, 90% of the organizations fail to sustain cost savings beyond two years.  McKinsey quarterly has an interesting check-list to ensure cost cuts stick:

  • Assign accountability at the right level
  • Focus on how to cut, not just how much
  • Don’t let P&L accounting data get in the way of cost reduction
  • Clearly articulate the link between cost management and strategy
  • Treat cost management as an ongoing exercise
  • All very interesting points.  I think the first two are quite relevant in an R&D environment.  However, several are very difficult to implement in R&D.  I remember an old boss talking to me about his problems predicting R&D costs.  He remarked that when he went to get his car serviced, they had a pretty good handle on what different services would cost and how long they would take.  Why could we not do the same for R&D?

    Predictability normally comes with repeatability.  Unfortunately, finding repeatability in R&D is pretty tough – as R&D always involves developing something new.  In fact, it is more developing knowledge that can be used to produce that new item.  Without repeatability and associated cost data, it becomes very difficult to understand what things should cost to develop in the first place.  How do we define how much cost to save?  As we get to more and more complex devices, this will likely become even more difficult…

    Personalised Football Shirts United Kingdom Cheap Football Shirts shop:https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ Printing
    Spoiler: Most of them https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ are big purple shirts. You’ll additionally be capable of customise your staff soccer shirts by printing issues like corporate sponsors, names, logos and more, so your team look skilled from the minute they step out the buy cheap football kits changing room. Fabricated from sturdy fabrics with ventilation in mind our soccer shirts will maintain your group wanting great game after game. Offering an athletic match for a sculpted look, the VO2 Performance Match Football Shirt is the Real Madrid Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 professional selection for striking workforce put on.
    Don’t let your video games go you Real Madrid 3rd Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 by without your custom Football t-shirts & customized shirts. Among such one is Customized Glam Woman model that present big selection of options for ladies football T-shirts, customized women football shirts and hoodies Real Madrid Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 even. SOCCER followers will have the ability to create their own customized kits at Nike Town. We now have a huge number of cheap Barcelona football shirts colors and styles with totally different materials and variations in football shirts, so take a second to seek out what most Barcelona Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 closely fits your group needs and specs.
    We create the soccer designs. The design was printed completely Barcelona Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 on our shirts. With four totally different custom football shirt options and Atlético de Madrid football shirts a full range of junior and grownup sizes, VO2 have all the things it’s worthwhile to create fantastic looking kits for every type of the beautiful sport. Our workforce can even assist with your football shirts and different Atlético de Madrid Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 custom attire with FREE design help.
    We’re happy with the amount of options you’ve at your cheap Bayern Munich football shirts disposal with our ‘design your own’ instrument, however we’re additionally dedicated to providing quality grownup football uniforms which are each snug and durable. I’ve tried factories in each Thailand Bayern Munich Home Football shirt 2018/2019 and China to manufacture sportswear, fitness clothing and soccer shirts for my on-line cheap arsenal shirt store and profitable brand.


    Quest for Innovation

    This 2006 American Management Association study “The Quest for Innovation” has an amazing amount of information and a lot of good metrics for benchmarking your organization.  Below are a few results that out found interesting:

    1. Customer and competitors drive innovation:  Top two factors (Page 69).
    2. Innovation strategy and plans are difficult: Lack of definition around innovation, an innovation strategy and plan are key impediments to innovation. (Page 70)
    3. R&D is not the driver: Only 27% of the executives surveyed felt innovation occurred in R&D (Page 74)
    4. Being good at innovation is hard: Only 15% of the executives believed their firms are good at innovation (Page 73)
    5. Collaboration is key: Collaboration with external entities and effective team work second most important factor in innovation (Page 66).
    6. Identifying and evaluating innovation is difficult: 46% of the companies do not have a standard process (Page 72)
    7. Rewarding innovation is difficult: 26% of respondents felt innovation is not rewarded.

    There is a lot more to the study (its huge).  Please check it out when you have some time.

    What are some of your observations around innovation and R&D in general.  One of the companies I worked at had a great process for assessing ideas and ferret out innovation, but there was no strategy or plan to drive it further.  Funding for innovative projects kept getting cut for near term fires…


    Recognition approaches (other than bonuses)

    Conference Board has another interesting list and a good reminder of what else can be used to reward team members (beyond bonuses):
    1. Tokens of Appreciation
    2. Public Acknowledgment
    3. Development Opportunities
    4. Perks

    Personally, I have found that all rewards work best when they are backed up by a thorough evaluation of the contribution.  Nothing kills morale more than recognizing people who have not really contributed.  Also, depending on the age (or experience level) of the employee, 2 and 3 work better than other. 

    We’re happy with the amount of choices you may have at your disposal https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ with our ‘design your individual’ software, but we’re also dedicated to offering high quality grownup football uniforms which are both comfortable and durable. I have tried factories in each Thailand and China to manufacture buy cheap football kits sportswear, health clothing and football shirts for my on-line store and profitable brand. Contact, flag or intramural play, Power Picture has you Manchester City Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 lined with custom football t-shirts, shirts and more. We’re proud of the standard shirts from Manchester City Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 our on-line retailer, so take a look for your self and be one step closer to kitting your club out with stylish and comfy clothing. We acquired black A4 shirts with golden yellow cheap Liverpool football shirts design for our flag football workforce. It’s time to get ready with trendy customized football hoodies and customized womens shirts. Whether or not you’re heading Liverpool Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 to the big recreation or simply wish to wear your loyalty on your chest, the very best number of Navy t-shirts, tank tops, and more is correct here on the official Navy Store Liverpool Purple Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 the place your buy supports Navy Athletics. The Boombah INK 7 on 7 Soccer Extremely Efficiency Quick Sleeve Compression shirts includes a superb minimize Extremely Efficiency blended knit fabric that gives an incredible Liverpool 3rd Away White Football Shirt 2018/2019 compression fit with locked-down protection.
    At Cisco Athletic, we create and manufacture youth and grownup flag football shirts to outfit cheap Tottenham Hotspur football shirts flag football gamers with quality gear whereas on the sphere. Regardless of whether or not you want customized lengthy-sleeve or short-sleeve shirts or shirts, sweatshirts Tottenham Hotspur Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 or jackets for men , women or your youth football team, flock or flex print – with our online software Tottenham Hotspur Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 it takes simply 4 simple steps to design your staff gear.
    Customized football shirts products are most popular in North America, Western Europe, and Oceania. Following custom Kid Tottenham Hotspur 3rd Away 2018/2019 group shirts on your reference. With our straightforward to make use of ‘design your own’ instrument you possibly can create gorgeous men’s custom football shirts that Everton home Football shirt 2018/2019 will final you for years to come back. Pink Lily’s cute football shirts are available many fabulous colors and styles, so discovering a tee that’s completely in sync with your fashion and pays homage cheap Real Madrid football shirts to your favourite sport is straightforward.


    Pitfalls of Project Portfolio Management implementation

    Computer World has an interesting IT Project Portfolio Management (PPM) article that is equally applicable to R&D management – just read R&D when they write IT :-).  They point out three dangerous myths of portfolio management:
    1. PPM is IT’s lookout
    2. Right tools drive PPM success
    3. The best starting place is PPM Best Practice
     In my experience, even the organizations that do PPM on R&D portfolios, often fall into some of these traps (I am not certain what fraction of companies have formalized PPM.  May be we will do a poll on this soon).  PPM is sometimes delegated to CTO or Engineering.  This has a negative impact on R&D team members because there is no clear customer for what they are developing.  
    Another key problem is too much focus on tools and best practices.  I myself fell into this trap at one PPM implementation.  I was unaware of how little the organization new about their project portfolio (most were legacy R&D projects that had gone on for many years).  It was not wise to even attempt to implement PPM when there was no clear portfolio to begin with!

    Football shirts Customized Football shirts And https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ kits
    Spoiler: Most of them are large pink shirts. Designing and creating custom t-shirts on your group cheap football shirts uk could not be simpler. I wanted shirts for United Kingdom Cheap Football Shirts shop:https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ a flag football staff and only had per week to get them delivered. Pick from a high notch assortment of Michigan State Soccer shirts and T-Shirts for the #1 Spartans Fan or Alumni. Whether or not you are part cheap Manchester United football shirts of a school staff or just having enjoyable with some pals, you can design custom football uniforms and fan shirts for gamers on the cheap arsenal shirt sector, staff on the sidelines and folks within the stands.
    Display Printing our services embody all the things Manchester United Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 from custom football shirts and scrimmage shirts, to game day uniforms, pee wee football and even the performance dry-match attire underneath your pads. We now have a whole bunch of different football designs you Manchester United Away Pink Football Shirt 2018/2019 should use as inspiration, or we are able to make a totally unique design for you. Try our number of Fantasy Football Champion Shirts Customise it and add all of your favorite particulars.
    Our custom football uniforms are made with premium cheap Arsenal shirts football shirts fabrics and might function any design you want. Save your designs and shirt or shirt templates, share them together with your Arsenal Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 workforce mates and allow them to vote on their favorite uniforms (or sweatshirts, or polos, or jackets or…), colors and designs. Remind your league that humility is not an choice and characterize your fantasy football group Arsenal Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 the proper method with a custom-made shirt from Fantasy Champs.
    After selecting the model and hues of your group football shirts you may select the collar kind, material Arsenal 3rd Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 and whether or not you need lengthy or brief sleeves. Packages costs embody a staff cheap Chelsea football shirts title printed on front and a player quantity on the again of the football shirt. Personalised T-Shirts with a Skinny Match, Retro Styling or V-Neck. Workforce Colors Chelsea Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 has all of the options you want for creating males’s custom football shirts.
    The Concept Membership will unveil six exclusive shirts in July, with only 30 of every Chelsea Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 design out there, whereas Tottenham Textiles have created 4 distinctive prints that may only be available at design workshops on June 30 and July 1. Whatever fashion, size or color you need your crew football shirts to be, we assure to offer the very best choices. We recommend this as a result of the value per shirt will increase if you could order more shirts cheap Manchester City football shirts after production is finished.


    Experiements boost productivity

    Here is another article that suggests that well planned experiments and statistical data can help boost productivity and drive productive discussion.
    However, in my experience, meaningful experiments are rather difficult to do in R&D Management (as opposed to R&D itself).  Unlike manufacturing, where you can build the same widget multiple times and compare results using statistical analysis.  Since R&D is a process of generating knowledge, once development is complete, it rather difficult to do it again in the same way.

    The same is true for companies, too – as many people who have presented management with information that didn’t fit the bosses’ worldview can attest. One way to cut through such problems is to use the same sorts of statistical methods that economists use to tease out the lines of cause and effect in complex situations.

    What do you think?  Any examples on meaningful experiments in R&D management?

    United Kingdom Cheap Football Shirts shop:https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/
    It is time to prepare with trendy custom football hoodies https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ and customized womens kits. Whether you’re heading to the big recreation or simply want to put on your loyalty kids replica football kits uk in your chest, the most effective selection of Navy t-shirts, tank tops, and more is right here on the official Navy Store where your buy supports Navy Athletics. The Boombah INK 7 on 7 Soccer Ultra Performance Arsenal 3rd Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 Quick Sleeve Compression shirts encompasses a nice minimize cheap Manchester United football shirts Ultra Efficiency blended knit fabric that gives a terrific compression fit with locked-down protection.
    We’re happy with the amount of options you’ve got at your disposal with our ‘design your individual’ instrument, but we’re additionally dedicated to offering high quality grownup football uniforms which might cheap Arsenal shirts football shirts be each comfy and durable. I’ve tried factories in each Thailand and China to fabricate sportswear, health clothing cheap Chelsea football shirts and football shirts for my online store and successful brand.
    So go forward and order your customized football hoodies, women soccer T-shirts, Referee Tee cheap Liverpool football shirts and custom womens kits and rock in your match. We are going to work with you intently to come up with the perfect set of football designs Liverpool Purple Away Football Shirt 2018/2019to your organization and then ship the order to our manufacturer. This excellent picture collections Liverpool 3rd Away White Football Shirt 2018/2019 about Lamp Thought Icon Png Luxury 13 Sporty Soccer Football Icons Freebie Pinterest is out there to download.
    Customize lots of of dry performance t-shirts designed to maintain gamers cool in any circumstances. Along with custom soccer kits Tottenham Hotspur Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 and shirts, we offer matching soccer shorts, custom jackets and equipment. Finally if you want to get new and the most recent wallpaper associated with Lamp Idea Icon Png Luxury 13 Sporty Soccer cheap Tottenham Hotspur football shirts Football Icons Freebie Pinterest, please observe us on fb or bookmark this website, we strive our best to offer you daily update with fresh and new wallpaper 2014.
    When you’ve got a specific fashion in thoughts order our custom made Kid Tottenham Hotspur 3rd Away 2018/2019 soccer uniforms constructed specifically in your crew. Sharing your love of football, or possibly simply your cheap Real Madrid football shirts assist for the football enthusiast in your loved ones, is simple with Pink Lily’s tremendous Real Madrid Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 trendy number of cute soccer shirts. At TeamShirts, we perceive teamwork and how important prime quality football uniforms and a custom staff look are on your staff’s performance and pursuit of success.
    After choosing the style and cheap Barcelona football shirts colors of your crew football shirts you possibly can choose the collar kind, material and whether or not you want long or short sleeves. Packages costs include a group identify printed on front and a participant quantity cheap Bayern Munich football shirts on the back of the soccer kit. Personalised T-Shirts with a Skinny Match, Retro Styling or V-Neck. Group Colours has cheap Juventus football shirts all the options you want for creating men’s customized football shirts.
    Designing and creating customized t-shirts for your group cheap Paris Saint Germain football shirts couldn’t be simpler. I needed kits for a flag soccer group and only had a week to get them delivered. Pick from a top notch assortment of Michigan State Football Jerseys Paris Saint Germain Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 and T-Shirts for the #1 Spartans Fan or Alumni. Whether or not you are a part of a school workforce or simply having fun with some buddies, you possibly can design custom football uniforms and fan kits for cheap arsenal shirt players on the sector, workers on the sidelines and folks in the stands.


    Do CEOs really know what they want from R&D?

    Results of another industry survey – this one from Diamond – are actually the opposite of the IBM survey (CEOs want more creativity).  This survey shows that as the economy tumbled, companies were more focused on gaining market share rather than exploring white spaces and coming up with innovative products.

    Looking for ways to recover from the recession, 57% of the companies surveyed by Diamond Management & Technology Consultants, Inc. plan to pursue a market penetration strategy that risks driving price competition and threatening profitability.

    Innovation, often promoted as a panacea for surviving a downturn, is cited as a primary objective of only 16% of the respondents. And despite the economic climate, few companies (15%) see cost reduction (15%) and margin improvement (9%) as their primary objectives.

    The other interesting finding of this study was that beyond the workforce there was little agreement amongst executives on what made them competitive!

    Senior executives were asked what they believe are their companies’ top strengths and weaknesses. Most see their people as their major competitive strength–61% rated it first or second. But beyond that, there was surprisingly little consensus about what capabilities keep their companies competitive. Only 14% cited the “ability to deliver” on corporate programs and other initiatives as a top strength. Furthermore, customer understanding (10%) and market understanding (10%) ranked unexpectedly low as major strengths, given all the money companies invest in customer research and data analytics. 

     The press release then goes on to talk about Diamond’s service offerings and their value.  The lesson for me was about how little do these high level surveys actually produce.  In my experience, both innovation and incremental development are required.  Companies need to penetrate markets and enter new white spaces.  The actual task of achieving that requires hard work by R&D managers.  It is very difficult to get to that level of detail in a survey.

    Why don’t businesses experiment more

    In a very interesting column in the Harvard Business Review, Dan Ariely writes about why organizations are willing to listen to experts and consultants but not do some experiments themselves and find the best answer:

    I think this irrational behavior stems from two sources. One is the nature of experiments themselves. As the people at the consumer goods firm pointed out, experiments require short-term losses for long-term gains. Companies (and people) are notoriously bad at making those trade-offs. Second, there’s the false sense of security that heeding experts provides. When we pay consultants, we get an answer from them and not a list of experiments to conduct. We tend to value answers over questions because answers allow us to take action, while questions mean that we need to keep thinking. Never mind that asking good questions and gathering evidence usually guides us to better answers.

    This is a very interesting observation.  I have often wondered why people higher such highly paid consultants.  One point that Dan does not make is an ability to CYA – the consequences of failure are much lesser if someone else (an outside expert) made the decision.  I guess people are recognizing this:

    Despite the fact that it goes against how business works, experimentation is making headway at some companies. Scott Cook, the founder of Intuit, tells me he’s trying to create a culture of experimentation in which failing is perfectly fine. Whatever happens, he tells his staff, you’re doing right because you’ve created evidence, which is better than anyone’s intuition. He says the organization is buzzing with experiments.


    Car Makers – A complex Web of Alliances

    Here is a cool graphic from Financial Times that shows the complex web of alliances between various auto makers (registration required). 

    The question in my mind is how do you synchronize and manage R&D is this environment?  Any learning whether from innovation or from risk/failure in one organization has to filter through to all related – because their products, subsystems and components are tied together at the hip.  How does one keep track of all of that?  Maintaining that flow  Managing IP and all the confidentiality will also be a nightmare.

    ALL FOOTBALL — Areli https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/ Sportswear United Kingdom Cheap Football Shirts shop:https://www.cheapfootballshirtsvips.co.uk/
    It must be difficult attempting to provide you with a new football kit design. Whatever the occasion, customized T-shirts are perfect when a plain boring printed T-shirt simply won’t do. From the cheap football shirts uk stadium stands to your front room couch, pay homage to the game with Nike® NFL sport kits , NFL hats , shirts and more Monaco Home Football Shirt 2018/2019 officially licensed NFL gear. Lamp Thought Icon Png Luxury 13 Sporty Soccer Football Icons Freebie Pinterest images and photos assortment that posted right here was fastidiously selected and uploaded by Rockymage crew after choosing the cheap Celtic football shirts ones which can be best among the others.
    Shoulder numbers are normally 4″ numbers, positioned 2″ from the top of Celtic home Football Shirt 2018/2019 the shoulder on the custom football kit. We’ve got personal factories to supply soccer kits Q:How is the quality9 A:We only sale excellent football kits. Design customized camouflage kits , hoodies, t-shirts, hats and equipment so as to add extra fashion Celtic Away Football Shirt 2018/2019 to your crew’s appearance. Take a minute to fill out the request kind with some data about your customized football uniforms.
    Our personalised T-shirts have been examined Los Angeles Galaxy Home Shirt 2018/2019 for lasting efficiency as we all know how vital high quality is for you if you design your personal T-shirt. Peronalise T-shirts with your personal design or select PSV Eindhoven Home Football shirt 2018/2019 from a number of thousands of ready obtainable T-shirt design templates. Wooter Attire means that you can create absolutely customizable football uniforms. The VO2 Football Shirt Manchester United Away Pink Football Shirt 2018/2019 is the basic garment for every soccer crew.