News

• RIM’s (Research in Motion) Innovative Capacity in Reponse to a Crisis

  Co-Authors Paul White, P.Eng., FCMC, and Peter Farwell, F.C.A., CFA, examine RIM’s strategy and management practices in light of recent product development and management issues impacting RIM. Our conclusion, set out in a 36-page report, highlights the changes in strategy and the changes in management structure and performance that we believe will be essential to RIM’s future success. Download an Overview of Full Report. The full report is available, for fee, at: http/www.corporateinnovationonline.com under Profiles and Papers/Corporate Profiles – Innovation.

  Overall, we are not optimistic that RIM can survive in the current environment unless the real issues are addressed and quickly. So far there is little information from the company that the issues we have identified are being addressed and almost no information that the issues are understood let alone acted upon at this critical time. Stakeholders, particularly shareholders, deserve more than a ‘have-faith’ platitude.

  Posted on Friday, August 19th, 2011 at 2:44 pm in Best Management Practices, Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Idea management, Leadership, News, Rewards for Innovators, The role and place of R&D in innovation..

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  Tags: innovation, management practices, research in motion, strategy, tolerance, turnaround

• Massey-Ferguson Ltd., lack of innovation contributed to its demise.

  Our latest White Paper provides insight into the demise of Massey-Ferguson Ltd. (MF), once Canada’s largest industrial enterprise employing 68,000 people world-wide. Passing out of business in the 1990s, MF’ lacked innovativeness. Three ex-employees offer their insights into innovation during the critical period, 1960 to 1980, and conclude that the lack of innovativeness was a major contributor to MF’s demise. The then current management practices simply did not encourage innovation. Download the Massey Ferguson White Paper.

  Posted on Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 7:46 pm in Best Management Practices, Leadership, News, The role and place of R&D in innovation..

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  Tags: failure, innovation, Sick companies. Canada

• BP’s Newest Culture – what do we know?

  Tony Hayward’s initiatives were on the way to changing BP in a positive manner. Progress was disrupted by the Macondo drilling well disaster. Bob Dudley is again remaking BP; yet again changing priorities amongst safety, cost reduction and profit improvement. We comment on Hayward’s changes and his legacy, Dudley’s initiatives so far, and the potential impact on BP’s risk profile. Read more; Download BP’s Newest New Culture.

  Posted on Monday, November 1st, 2010 at 9:21 pm in Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Discussion, Leadership, News, Rewards for Innovators.

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  Tags: culture, innovation, innovative, performance, risk

• Toyota, hobbled, but retains its culture for innovation – post recall.

  The massive recall by Toyota of 8.4 million vehicles (8 million for unintended acceleration (which as of this date has not been adequately diagnosed) and 400,000 for brake problems is, according to the company, attributed to over expansion and insufficient attention to quality. Toyota’s organization was unable to cope with the building of upwards of 17 new production facilities since 2,000 on top of the need to supply and manage the current total of 75 production plants world-wide. The outcome is that Toyota became the largest auto maker in the world and was simultaneously hobbled with the largest recall in its history. Will the recall affect Toyota’s traditional innovative culture?

  We don’t think the mechanical problem itself is other than a very serious blemish on Toyota’s reputation but the manner in which Toyota has handled the issue is much more serious and needs to be addressed by Toyota. It is a management issue. It is Toyota’s first major glitch in its 20-year roll to become #1 in the automotive world. Over expansion is a part of the problem but not the root cause.

   

  It’s fashionable to criticize Toyota. The evidence of design, manufacturing, quality, and operational flaws is awesome and disturbing to management, regulators and, most significantly, for Toyota, to the consumer. Serious for sure, but is it the beginning of a downslide for Toyota; a company which has built a stellar reputation over its 53-year history? Not likely!

   Our conclusion is that Toyota remains in a strong position and will continue to being highly innovative in the auto industry while suffering some short term but significant adjustments to its innovative practices.

   

  For the full White Paper, visit http://www.corporateinnovationonline.com.

  Posted on Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at 4:30 pm in Best Management Practices, News.

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• GE – the decision to off load its media assets

  It should come as no surprise that GE is off loading its media assets. Why? One major reason is that the culture of GE is dramatically different from the media business and, over the long term, just does not fit. GE thinks long term, its initiatives are based on an understanding of R&D spending, and the company is steeped in technology and,  even more so, in its understanding of the role of science. No surprise here. It is just too bad the acquisition happened in the first place. A lot of investment and management effort would have been spent, wisely, elsewhere.

  Posted on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 6:39 am in Cultural Aspects of Innovation, News.

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• Latest ’scores’ suggest that those corporations with a score higher than 60 should have a close look at their culture for supporting innovation.

  A review of the latest results from the Check-Up, which show an average Total Score of 59 and a median of 59, suggest that those corporations with a higher total score should carefully examine their results. Ascertain which of the Factors are the major contributors to the high score and which of their own assessments, when compared to the Mean Ideal of all responses, is most out of line with the norm. By so doing, there is an indication that the company’s innovative culture could be improved by addressing the Factors which are most out of line.

  By completing the Check Up, the results from your own submission as well as the average for all others, by Factor, is made available.

  Posted on Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 at 5:43 pm in News.

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• Whirlpool Corporation is the latest nominee.

  Find out why Whirlpool Corporation has just been placed on the list ‘On the Top’ as one of the world’s most innovative companies.

  Posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2008 at 12:38 pm in News, Reviews.

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• Welcome.

  Welcome to corporateinnovationonline.com, the web site dedicated to achieving a better understanding and improvement to corporate innovation.

  This web site is intended to be used as a research and idea facility for those wishing to understand more about corporate cultures which support, or detract from, innovativeness. The notion is that by being able to profile ones’ corporate culture through the use of a survey called Check-Up, and thus having a better idea of the areas where the corporate culture may fall short, take steps which focus on improving the culture leading to improved innovativeness.

  The web site also provides both general and anectodal information from the world’s most innovative companies which can be used to stimulate ideas for improving innovativeness.

  You can also let us know your opinion on any management practices, policies, procedures, which you believe contribute to or detract from corporate innovativeness. Companies listed under the heading ‘On the Top’ are those that have explictyly identified management practices which, in one way or another, contribute to their innovativeness.

  Posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 2:38 pm in News.

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