Innovation @ Merage - UCI Paul Merage School of Business : Future, Innovation, Views on News

The Age of the Unthinkable: Why the New World Disorder Constantly Surprises Us and What We Can Do About It

Lynda Lawrence — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:49:00 GMT

By: Joshua Ramo: Little, Brown, 2009.

While it’s not strictly a business book, this is the best book for business that I’ve reviewed this year. It is, in fact, a whole new way of facing the future of any endeavor: Ramo suggests that the only way to deal with uncertainty is to accept that you can’t possibly predict anything.

He begins with an analogy from physics. When you methodically add single grains of sand to a pile, there is absolutely no way to tell which grain will cause an avalanche. Then, using examples from Google to Hizb’allah, he explains that no successful organization has a vision or strategic plan that can anticipate all the changes in a global and interconnected world. The successful ones, he says, are those that constantly adapt to change.

For most businesses, that attitude is too frightening to contemplate. Strategic planning, quarterly earnings projections, and overpaid executives are not guarantees of anything. Instead, he recommends that organizations think long-term, holistically and flexibly. It’s not innovation as a growth or survival strategy—it’s innovation as an organizational structure, a product and a philosophy.

This one gets a 9.8 on the LL innovation meter. I’d recommend it for anyone who wants to be part of a viable organization in the next few decades. And if any of our nation’s political leaders have the time, it should be on their reading lists as well.

TED Conference Videos: “Ideas Worth Spreading”

admin — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:42:00 GMT

Abstract: The annual TED conference brings together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less). This website makes the best talks and performances from TED available to the public, for free. More than 300 talks from our archive are now available, with more added each week.

Published: Ongoing

Authors: Hundreds of the world’s top thinkers covering subjects categorized into dozens of themes.

Link: TED

Designing the Future of Business

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:35:00 GMT

Abstract: Forget total quality. Forget top-down strategy. Design is the engine that can transform a company into a powerhouse of nonstop innovation.

Published: August 13, 2008

Author: Marty Neumeier

Link: BusinessWeek

The Innovation Imperative

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:30:00 GMT

Abstract: KM World Magazine interviews John Kao, author of Innovation Nation. Kao talks about innovation and its importance to our nation's future.

Published: July 11, 2008

Link: KM World Magazine

Obama on Innovation

admin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:49:00 GMT

Abstract: In this YouTube video filmed last fall, Presidential candidate Barak Obama presents his innovation agenda at Google's Mountain View headquarters.

Link: YouTube

Posted: November 14, 2007

How Nokia Users Drive Innovation

admin — Wed, 07 May 2008 02:39:00 GMT

Abstract: "Through online aps such as Sports Tracker and Nokia Beta Lab, the Finnish handset giant gathers customers' ideas from around the world -- virtually free."

Published: BusinessWeek, April 20, 2008

Authors: Jack Ewing with Kerry Capell

Link: BusinessWeek