Tuesday, July 10, 2018
ServiceNow: Another Example of the Link Between Simplicity and Innovation
Forbes magazine recently had a list of the most innovative companies in the world. One of the companies it profiled was ServiceNow.
They offer a work flow system that makes it easy for employees to easily request IT services.
As Forbes says:
"The special sauce—the thing that gives ServiceNow the fat 'innovation premium' that drives our ranking—comes from two product traits with the potential to scale: simplicity and customizability.
ServiceNow's IT tools don't require the IT department to set them up. Once running, they offer a single collection center for requests, data points and checkpoints, all of which in turn can be analyzed by algorithms to predict needs, flag concerns, and measure efficiency."
Now that ServiceNow has gotten into many large companies, they can leverage their IT service platform to move into other areas—to compete with other vendors such as Salesforce by offering the same process (simplicity, customizability) to other content areas.
As ServiceNow CEO John Donahue (former CEO of eBay) is quoted in Forbes on the "need to make complex processes simple and elegant":
"Millennials say, Why can I reset my PayPal password in 20 seconds, but to reset my work email takes 20 minutes and a phone call? Consumers want a seamless experience, and employees are the same way."
This last point is something that I've noticed in many of my clients: They focus on the user experience for customers (user simplicity), but they tolerate clunky interfaces for internal apps. I tell my customers that user simplicity is also important for your employees.
On Delegation
"Delegation is not a binary thing. There are shades of gray between dictatorship and anarchy"
- Jurgen Appelo
"Don't tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and let them surprise you with the results."
- George S. Patton
Monday, June 11, 2018
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Strong Economy Creates Long-Term Growth Opportunities for Smart Businesses
I was included in this press release from The Society for the Advancement of Consulting® (SAC):
https://www.expertclick.com/NewsRelease/Strong-Economy-Creates-LongTerm-Growth-Opportunities-for-Smart-Businesses,2018158141.aspx
Art Tatum and Strategic Innovation
What can we learn about strategic innovation from famous 1930's jazz pianist Art Tatum?
Art Tatum would get excited whenever he arrived at a club and found a broken or out of tune piano.
Strategic IT - Today All Companies Are Tech Companies
Today's business world requires a tight integration between business and technology. All companies are now tech firms—in the sense that technology is now central to their mission and a source of competitive advantage.
An example of Pivoting Your Business
Marlin Steel manufactured metal bagel baskets. But, around 1998, the Atkin's diet became popular and the demand for bagels (and bagel baskets) fell.
Then, Chinese bagel baskets came on the market that cost less than Marlin could manufacture them for.
The company was in trouble.
But then Boeing placed a surprise order for custom wire baskets to wash precise parts on an assembly line. The company owner then pivoted the company into making custom engineered containers for aerospace, defense, medical, and automotive companies.
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