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| The Big Idea |  |
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- Purpose can create profit
 Purpose-driven companies tend to be more successful and innovative, argues Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Pointing to firms such as IBM, Procter & Gamble and Banco Real, Kanter argues that these companies use a socially conscious mission to find problems the company can address, creating business opportunities along the way. "Many companies have a mission statement or statement of principles," she notes. But at purpose-driven companies the mission statements "are a little different; they don't just talk about creating great value." HBS Working Knowledge
(10/5)      
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 | Better, Faster, Smarter Innovation
PLM allows companies to achieve organic growth while managing profit pressures by creating a common collaborative environment that spans the entire lifecycle of a product. This brings together the people, processes and content necessary to conceive, design, manufacture, launch, and retire products.
Learn more in this free whitepaper. |
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- Using services to build customer relationships
It's easier for a company to build on existing customer relationships than to attract new clients, argues Larry Crosby. Creating services tied to a product is a great way to expand a business relationship, he suggests. Crosby points to Xerox as a firm that used its product line to launch a service operation that helped revitalize the company. Knowledge@W.P. Carey
(9/30)
- What does your org chart say about your company?
Examining a company's organizational chart can explain a great deal about its culture, values and core strengths, this article suggests. Two popular models include organizing departments by function or around specific product groups. Functionally structured firms often place more weight on a particular department, while product-based organizations tend to be more collaborative, the article suggests. Kellogg Insight
(10/2009)
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- How a Minnesota businessman became a successful Somali warlord
When Mohamed Aden returned to his homeland in Somalia, leaving his family and his business behind in Minnesota, he thought he was just going to help out with a drought for a few weeks. But soon tribal elders turned to him for leadership, asking him to stay and assume command of the area around Adado. In a year, Aden has managed to create one of the most stable, secure regions in the country by embracing the same tribal structures that undermine many other would-be leaders. NYTimes.com
(10/2)
- Give a presentation worthy of Steve Jobs
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is a gifted public speaker, says author Carmine Gallo -- because he's honed his style over decades using reliable techniques. Gallo analyzes Jobs' style, arguing that minimalism and impeccable organization are the secrets to his effectiveness. Jobs relies on pictures in his presentation slides instead of words, gives his audience ready-made headlines for every topic and uses dramatic tension to keep his audience engaged, he notes. CIO
(10/2009)
| Innovation and Creativity |
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- Steve Ballmer: If you want innovation, invest in IT
Superior information technology is essential to any innovation strategy, writes Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Better IT management creates efficiencies that allow innovation efforts to thrive, even in difficult markets, he notes. IT is also critical to enhancing productivity and collaboration, he writes. Forbes
(10/5)
- Psychology's most famous suppressed work sees daylight
Carl Jung's "Red Book" is finally being published, after being kept under wraps by his descendants since his death in 1961. The book details what Jung called his "confrontation with the unconscious" through 205 pages of elaborate illuminated text and illustrations of mythological figures. Jung worried that publishing the book during his life would undermine his credibility as as a scientist. Yahoo!/The Associated Press
(10/3)
 | Information technology enables organizations to respond to the new normal by achieving a new kind of efficiency that makes it possible to cut costs without crippling customer service or constraining workforce creativity."
--Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, as quoted by Forbes
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