Even if you'd rather swallow hot pokers than engage in small talk, there are a few things you can learn from party conversation about interviewing customers effectively.
Newsletter Archive: 2015
Volume 13, #6, November 2015
What a winning NFL coach can teach you about letting go and being nimble
Even if you don’t follow football, you can pick up some business tips from Belichick’s approach to running his team and winning games. He is good at both.
Volume 13, #5, September 2015
Hint: There is no one-size-fits-all definition of innovation
Rankings and ratings (of companies, schools, products, or anything else) can be interesting to consumers and potentially distressing to those who don't make the list or are near the bottom. We look at the recent Forbes list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies and why these rankings don’t give much concrete direction to companies interested in improving innovation.
Volume 13, #4, August 2015
Watch what can happen when you give your market research organization a seat at the innovation table
You probably have a good idea about what makes product development innovative. You may already have a plan to create a culture of innovation in your development organization. But are you overlooking a key part of the business that could contribute substantially to product development innovation?
Volume 13, #3, May 2015
How the interplay between customers and culture makes lean development effective—or not
“You can never be too rich or too thin.” This quote, usually attributed to Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, has a great hold on the popular imagination. Might it be relevant to the pursuit of lean activities in the business world?
Volume 13, #2, April 2015
What breakfast can teach you about your product portfolio
Radically rethinking your core business may be necessary at some point, whether you’re an established company in a mature market or a relatively new company in an emerging market, but better not to be in a position that requires rethinking in the first place. Here are three essentials we’ve found for keeping your product portfolio fresh and, ideally, a step ahead—rather than a step or two behind—current consumer preferences.
Volume 13, #1, March 2015
Charting a path to horizontal implementation excellence in vertically structured companies
On any given day, you could probably identify five or ten recurring implementation problems rooted in the interfaces between various groups within your company. Many of those problems are like uninvited guests who have outstayed their welcome. So why are they still around? Why haven’t you fixed them and given them the boot?