Monday, September 14, 2009
Innovator's Dilemma: E-Commerce Innovations - What's Now and What's Next
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/68106.html?u=JohnBaRoss&p=ENNSS_f294eed7bcd33a42fae7dcb495e98c35
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Innovators Dilemma - They said it was Impossible
Memo to: Innovators
Re: Never ending uphill battle
Consider:
“Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances.” Dr. Lee DeForest, “Father of Radio & Grandfather of Television.”
“The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives.” - - Admiral William Leahy , US Atomic Bomb Project
“There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom.” Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1923
“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.” Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
“I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.” The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
“But what is it good for?” Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
“640K ought to be enough for anybody.” Bill Gates, 1981
"....Only the construction industry may need wireless phones..." - AT&T Officers and McKinsey Consultants. this conclusion, arrived at near the dawn of the wireless revolution, influenced their decision to sell off their wireless business to McCaw (before later buying it back for 10x the price, only later to have AT&T split off Wireless (& AT&T Broadband/Comcast) before old RBOC SWB/SBC figured it out.
“The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible,” A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)
“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper,” Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”
“A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make,” Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.
“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out,” Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible,” Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.
“If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this,” - - Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M “Post-It” Notepads .
“Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy,” Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.
“Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” - - Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University , 1929.
“Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value,” Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre , France .
“The super computer is technologically impossible. It would take all of the water that flows over Niagara Falls to cool the heat generated by the number of vacuum tubes required” Professor of Electrical Engineering, New York University
“I don’t know what use any one could find for a machine that would make copies of documents. It certainly couldn’t be a feasible business by itself.” the head of IBM, refusing to back the idea, forcing the inventor to found Xerox.
“Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.” Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse , 1872
“The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon,” Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873.
Re: Never ending uphill battle
Consider:
“Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances.” Dr. Lee DeForest, “Father of Radio & Grandfather of Television.”
“The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives.” - - Admiral William Leahy , US Atomic Bomb Project
“There is no likelihood man can ever tap the power of the atom.” Robert Millikan, Nobel Prize in Physics, 1923
“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.” Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949
“I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.” The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
“But what is it good for?” Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
“640K ought to be enough for anybody.” Bill Gates, 1981
"....Only the construction industry may need wireless phones..." - AT&T Officers and McKinsey Consultants. this conclusion, arrived at near the dawn of the wireless revolution, influenced their decision to sell off their wireless business to McCaw (before later buying it back for 10x the price, only later to have AT&T split off Wireless (& AT&T Broadband/Comcast) before old RBOC SWB/SBC figured it out.
“The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible,” A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)
“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper,” Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”
“A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make,” Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.
“We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out,” Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible,” Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.
“If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this,” - - Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M “Post-It” Notepads .
“Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy,” Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.
“Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” - - Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University , 1929.
“Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value,” Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre , France .
“The super computer is technologically impossible. It would take all of the water that flows over Niagara Falls to cool the heat generated by the number of vacuum tubes required” Professor of Electrical Engineering, New York University
“I don’t know what use any one could find for a machine that would make copies of documents. It certainly couldn’t be a feasible business by itself.” the head of IBM, refusing to back the idea, forcing the inventor to found Xerox.
“Louis Pasteur’s theory of germs is ridiculous fiction.” Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse , 1872
“The abdomen, the chest, and the brain will forever be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon,” Sir John Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen Victoria 1873.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Innovator's Dilemma - Quote of the Day
"If I asked people what they wanted, they would have told me faster horses." - Henry Ford
Friday, March 6, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Innovator's Dilemma - Intel's Andy Grove
Some important observations from Intel's former Chief Executive & Chairman, a man recognized as having a monumental role in the success of Intel and Silicon Valley. As summarized in the 1/12/09 issue of Business Week, he is credited with saving the U.S. chip industry and Intel in the 1980's. Currently an advisor to Intel, here are some of his tidbits of wisdom:
- Only the paranoid survive.
- The Valley's techies don't worry enough. He sees shortsightedness and shortage of ambition in Silicon Valley.
- What really infuriates him is the concept of the "exit strategy". That's when leaders of startup companies make plans to sell out to the highest bidder rather than trying to build important companies over a long period. "Intel never had an exit strategy."
The greed being bemoaned in our culture today isn't limited to the banking/brokerage industries. There's a pervasive mentality - human nature I suppose - to cash-in/get rich quick. The growing sophistication of the global economy (see Friedman's The World is Flat), and the global economic tsunami that became headline news beginning back in September 2008 all heighten the importance and value of Grove's observations and guidance.
- The Valley's techies don't worry enough. He sees shortsightedness and shortage of ambition in Silicon Valley.
- What really infuriates him is the concept of the "exit strategy". That's when leaders of startup companies make plans to sell out to the highest bidder rather than trying to build important companies over a long period. "Intel never had an exit strategy."
The greed being bemoaned in our culture today isn't limited to the banking/brokerage industries. There's a pervasive mentality - human nature I suppose - to cash-in/get rich quick. The growing sophistication of the global economy (see Friedman's The World is Flat), and the global economic tsunami that became headline news beginning back in September 2008 all heighten the importance and value of Grove's observations and guidance.
Innovator's Dilemma - Hometown friend, inventive genius
A neighborhood friend from kindergarten days and a classmate through high school years, grew up to become one of the world's driving forces behind unleashing innovation that has and continues to impact lifestyles globally (i.e.: Palm Pilot, Handspring's Treo & more): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Hawkins
Now his current company is on a quest to create a break-through computer that thinks like a human brain (a concept some sci-fi'ers think has parallels to stories behind the blockbuster movie The Terminator or even The Matrix Trilogy).
Innovator's Dilemma - Innovation economics
(http://www.innovationeconomics.org/) “Innovation economics” recognizes the reality that a global, knowledge-based economy requires a new approach to national economic policy based less on capital accumulation, budget surpluses, or social spending and more on smart support for the building blocks of private sector growth and innovation.
When examining how the economy creates wealth, "innovation economics" is focused on a different set of questions:
Are entrepreneurs taking risks to start new ventures?
Are companies investing in technological breakthroughs and is government supporting the technology base (e.g., funding research and the training of scientists and engineers)?
Are regional clusters of firms and supporting institutions fostering innovation?
Are research institutions transferring knowledge to companies?
Are our trade policies working to ensure a level playing field for American companies?
Are workers getting skilled & r companies organizing production in ways that utilize those skills?
Are policymakers avoiding erecting protections for companies against more innovative competitors?
And perhaps most importantly, are policies supporting the ubiquitous adoption of advanced information technologies and the broader digital transformation of society and the economy?
When examining how the economy creates wealth, "innovation economics" is focused on a different set of questions:
Are entrepreneurs taking risks to start new ventures?
Are companies investing in technological breakthroughs and is government supporting the technology base (e.g., funding research and the training of scientists and engineers)?
Are regional clusters of firms and supporting institutions fostering innovation?
Are research institutions transferring knowledge to companies?
Are our trade policies working to ensure a level playing field for American companies?
Are workers getting skilled & r companies organizing production in ways that utilize those skills?
Are policymakers avoiding erecting protections for companies against more innovative competitors?
And perhaps most importantly, are policies supporting the ubiquitous adoption of advanced information technologies and the broader digital transformation of society and the economy?
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