Sat.Aug 26, 2023 - Fri.Sep 01, 2023

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Three Maps to Innovation Success

Innovation Excellence

GUEST POST from Robyn Bolton Several years ago, my now-husband and I were in London.

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Demystifying Lean Six Sigma: A Tool for Continuous Improvement

Viima

53% of Fortune 500 companies use Six Sigma and up to 82% of those in the top Fortune 100 embrace the business improvement methodology. Research says that Six Sigma has saved companies over $400 billion. 40 years later the Six Sigma methodology is as popular as ever, with new variants and adaptations, like the Lean Six Sigma, making it more versatile for other industries and types of organizations as well.

LEAN 92
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Why We Glorify Overwork and Refuse to Rest

Harvard Business Review

None of us want to admit that we would rather feel overwhelmed than underwhelmed. In fact, we often experience a greater sense of our own value when we’re working than we do when we’re not. Working is not just a way to stay busy, but also to prove our worthiness – to others and to ourselves. The result is that without the right guardrails in place, we silently collude with employers who encourage us to overwork through intense pressure to perform.

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Accelerating Innovation Requires Strong InnovationOps | Sopheon

Sopheon

In my article, Mastering product management: What I have learned from my kung fu journey , I used my 12+ years of study and practice of kung fu as a lens to understand what it takes to master product management. Innovation is the lifeblood of progress and success in today's fast-paced business world. Accelerating innovation requires organizations to adapt, evolve and innovate continuously.

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Turn Payments Into Personalization: Unlock the Value of Transaction Data

Speaker: Loreal Lynch, Everett Zufelt, and Michaela Weber

Once upon a time, in the vast realm of online commerce, there lived a humble checkout button overlooked by many. Yet, within its humble click lay the power to transform a mere visitor into a loyal customer. 🧐 💡 Getting checkout right can mark the difference between a successful sale and an abandoned cart, yet many businesses fail to make payments a part of their commerce strategy even when it has a direct impact on revenue.

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The Dual Paths of Leadership: Immediate Gratification vs. Long-term Growth

Tullio Siragusa

The Dual Paths of Leadership: Immediate Gratification vs. Long-term Growth In the arena of leadership, two divergent paths often present themselves: one focused on immediate gratification and the other on long-term growth. While both paths offer their own sets of rewards and challenges, the choices made early on can dramatically impact the course of a leader’s career, as well as the destiny of their team and organization.

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Startup Scouting Process for Beginners

HYPE Innovation

Companies across the globe are under increasing pressure from multiple stakeholders, with many failing to meet expectations or outperform their competitors. In today’s increasingly volatile, uncertain, disrupted, complex, and interconnected environment, it’s more important than ever for companies to learn how to adapt faster than the rest of the market in order to survive.

More Trending

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If You Care About Change, You Need To Learn To Leverage Shared Values. Here’s Why:

Digital Tonto

Change always begins with a grievance—there’s something people don’t like and they want it to change. Yet the status quo always has inertia on its side and never yields its power gracefully. That’s why it’s so important to forge a shared purpose, because people need a common mission they can believe in to see themselves as stakeholders in a shared future.

Change 133
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How to Prepare for a GenAI Future You Can’t Predict

Harvard Business Review

Given the staggering pace of generative AI development, it’s no wonder that so many executives are tempted by the possibilities of AI, concerned about finding and retaining qualified workers, and humbled by recent market corrections or missed analyst expectations. They envision a future of work without nearly as many people as today. But this is a miscalculation.

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Big Tech and Media- The Future?

IdeaSpies

ChatGPT’s parent OpenAI will generate $1 billion in revenue over the coming year, the Information reports. The Microsoft-backed uber-unicorn is already banking $80 million a month. I recently predicted Microsoft’s valuation will rocket to $4 trillion , and warned news media that the window to do a deal was closing. Today, while they brief lawyers on copyright theft, Supervised reports how OpenAI is hauling ass to commercialising it.

Report 108
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AI Is Making Market Insights Accessible to Businesses of Any Size — Not Just the Big Names. Here's How You Can Use It.

Entrepreneur - Innovation

Unbiased AI algorithms can now analyze online chatter and discover emerging product trends before they go mainstream, providing valuable insights for entrepreneurs.

Trends 112
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Manufacturing Sustainability Surge: Your Guide to Data-Driven Energy Optimization & Decarbonization

Speaker: Kevin Kai Wong, President of Emergent Energy Solutions

In today's industrial landscape, the pursuit of sustainable energy optimization and decarbonization has become paramount. Manufacturing corporations across the U.S. are facing the urgent need to align with decarbonization goals while enhancing efficiency and productivity. Unfortunately, the lack of comprehensive energy data poses a significant challenge for manufacturing managers striving to meet their targets.

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Building Bridges for Innovation: ISO 56003 and the Power of Structured Partnerships

PlanBox Innovation

This article originally appeared on Forbes. In the rapidly evolving, interconnected landscape of the 21st century, no organization is an island. The increased interdependence has birthed countless collaboration opportunities, leading innovators to strategically weave a network of partnerships throughout their supply chain to continuously drive better, more sustainable results, especially when it comes to evaluating emerging technologies and engaging with startups.

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Are Collaboration Tools Overwhelming Your Team?

Harvard Business Review

Today’s workers feel numbed by a fragmented, unpredictable, and overwhelming collection of collaboration tools — the very things advertised to boost their productivity. They know they’re overloaded and feel exhausted but believe there is little or nothing they can do to slow the onslaught of communication. The authors explored how collaboration technology bloat impacts employees and tried to help people take control over their work.

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How Not to Get in Your Own Way

Innovation Excellence

GUEST POST from Mike Shipulski If you could get another good job at the drop of a hat, how would you work differently? Would you speak your mind or bite your tongue? If you didn’t care about getting a promotion, would you succumb to groupthink or dissent?

Design 98
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How Public Relations Can Help Your Company Build a Stronger Brand Identity and Stand Out From Competitors

Brunner

You know your company has great stories to tell. Maybe it’s how your engineering team helped a B2B customer solve a risky problem and finally land that big account. Or how your product group turned an inspired idea into a new item that millions of B2C customers are snapping up. But many companies don’t know how to share those stories. They’re frustrated by the lack of media recognition.

Company 98
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Peak Performance: Continuous Testing & Evaluation of LLM-Based Applications

Speaker: Aarushi Kansal, AI Leader & Author and Tony Karrer, Founder & CTO at Aggregage

Software leaders who are building applications based on Large Language Models (LLMs) often find it a challenge to achieve reliability. It’s no surprise given the non-deterministic nature of LLMs. To effectively create reliable LLM-based (often with RAG) applications, extensive testing and evaluation processes are crucial. This often ends up involving meticulous adjustments to prompts.

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What’s one thing health care executives should learn from Mark Cuban?

Christensen Institute

You might be surprised that the answer has nothing to do with health care. Instead, it’s articulating a singular focus for your organization, grounded in the progress customers are seeking. Frequent readers will notice I’m referring to the theory of Jobs to Be Done. Jobs Theory (Jobs) is a framework to better understand customer behavior. While conventional marketing segments a market by demographics and product attributes, Jobs focuses on the functional, social, and emotional drivers that

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Incorporating DEI into Decision-Making

Harvard Business Review

Most people believe in promoting DEI in the workplace. But implicit and unconscious biases — not to mention the constant juggling of priorities required at work — can lead to inequitable decision-making. In this article, drawing on recent research, the authors suggest that this problem can be addressed by making DEI more immediately obvious, or salient, to managers immediately before they need to make consequential decisions about such matters as hiring, promotions, and performance evaluation.

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Process Improvement Opportunities: How to Identify + Implement | KaiNexus

Kainexus

Business processes serve as the backbone of an organization, defining how tasks are executed, resources are allocated, and goals are achieved. In this dynamic and competitive landscape, embracing continuous improvement through effective process improvement plans is paramount.

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The Surprising Effects of Gratitude

Phil McKinney

Have you ever sat down and really thought about all the things you're grateful for? In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to take things for granted and forget to be grateful for what we have. Gratitude is not just a warm and fuzzy feeling but a powerful emotion that can transform our outlook on life and our relationships. The Power of Gratitude Gratitude is being thankful and ready to show appreciation for and return kindness.

Study 91
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How Mature Companies Are Scaling Transformational New Businesses

Scaling transformational innovations in large companies is challenging due to ‘Company Fit’ issues, which arise when the resources, processes, and priorities (RPPs) of the core business are not aligned with the needs of the new business. Many companies have learned how ambidexterity—the ability to both ‘exploit the present and explore the future,’ can help them address these issues for ideation and incubation of new innovations, but scaling transformative business innovations remains a challenge

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Navigate Uncertainty and Unveil the Certainties Hidden Within

Daniel Burrus

We live in an amazingly uncertain world, but that uncertainty is brimming with certainty! I know this may seem contradictory, but it is true, and worth the exploration. Yes, we do live in constant uncertainty. What will happen with certain businesses or industries if the economy shifts, if technology disrupts, or if a new product or service falls flat?

Agile 90
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Harvard’s Arthur C. Brooks on the Secrets to Happiness at Work

Harvard Business Review

Arthur C. Brooks is a bestselling author, Harvard University professor, and a widely read columnist for The Atlantic, whose writing draws from both science and philosophy and is aimed at providing insight and strategies on how we can live our best lives. He’s the co-author (with Oprah Winfrey) of the forthcoming book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier, and he joined HBR editor Adi Ignatius for this episode of New World of Work to share insights in how to be happier

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Aligning Your Culture for Digital Transformation

Innovation Excellence

GUEST POST from Geoffrey A. Moore A quote you often hear is, “Culture eats strategy for lunch,” typically attributed to Peter Drucker (whether correctly or not). Regardless, it puts a spotlight on the power of culture to resist even the most compelling strategic narratives.

Culture 87
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What Is Process Improvement and Best Practices? | KaiNexus

Kainexus

Business process improvement entails a systematic and intentional endeavor to identify, scrutinize, and refine the distinct stages, techniques, and interactions intrinsic to a business process. Its fundamental objective is eradicating inefficiencies, eliminating errors, amplifying productivity, and ultimately elevating an organization's overall performance and outcomes.

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How Retailers Are Transforming Customer Experiences with Data & AI

Speaker: David Azoulay, Marc Stracuzza, Román Tejada, and Guest Speaker Sucharita Kodali

Imagine a retail landscape where every interaction is personalized, every decision informed, and every opportunity maximized 🤔✨ Join us for an exploratory journey into the heart of AI-driven retail innovation. We’ll unveil the transformative potential of AI and data analytics in shaping the future of omnichannel personalization and e-commerce.

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Seeing a different Energy Future away from Fossil Fuel

Innovating4Energy

For me, the Energy Transition is a complex, multi-headed beast that always provides more challenge rather than less. We seem to be faced with Hydra. The Hydra was Hercules’s second labour. He attempted to cut off the heads of the beast, but every time one was cut off, two more would grow back in its place. Another challenge in killing the Hydra was that its’ breath was poisonous to all who crossed its path.

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Why Customers Leave Platforms — and How to Retain Them

Harvard Business Review

Companies often misunderstand the problem of users leaving their platforms. Disintermediation is a sign that your customers don’t think you are adding as much value as you think you are. Firms struggling with disintermediation can take simple steps to stop the bleeding before it’s too late — if they understand what’s really taking place. They should consider six factors: urgency, rake, risk, skill, frequency, and modularity.

How To 112
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Who is to Blame for Poor Customer Service?

Innovation Excellence

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken The short version of the story is this. At about 9:15 p.m., I pulled into one of my favorite fast-food restaurants. There was one customer ahead of me in the drive-through lane. I assumed he was placing an order. After several minutes, I realized something else was going on.

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Business Process Improvement Examples: 34 Actionable Ideas

Kainexus

When leaders consider implementing a structured business process improvement methodology , one of the challenges they often face is explaining to employees what types of opportunities to consider. Usually, there are some apparent needs that people attack immediately. Still, once those are addressed, it can be challenging to recognize the flaws in processes, especially ones you operate every day.

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How Automation is Driving Efficiency Through the Last Mile of Reporting

Speaker: Jamie Eagan

As organizations strive for agility and efficiency, it's imperative for finance leaders to embrace innovative technologies and redefine traditional processes. Join us as we explore the pivotal role of digitalization and automation in reshaping what is commonly referred to as the “last mile of reporting”. We’ll deep-dive into why digitalization is no longer a choice, but a necessity for finance departments to stay competitive in a fast-paced environment touching on: 2024 trends for the Office of

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Glowforge Plus 3D Laser Printer: Unleashing Creative Prototyping Potential

Phil McKinney

In the fast-paced ideation and rapid prototyping world, having a reliable and efficient tool is paramount. Enter the Glowforge Plus 3D Laser Printer, a game-changer in laser printing. As an avid proponent of creative exploration, I recently purchased this printer for my grandson (rationalization 😉 for the spouse) so that I could test its capabilities for prototyping ideas that emerge from brainstorming sessions.

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No, SCOTUS Did Not Make Your Company’s DEI Programs Illegal

Harvard Business Review

The most effective approach to DEI is also the best for controlling legal risk: Focus your DEI program on interrupting the bias that’s constantly transmitted through basic business systems. This is how most corporate DEI programs, which typically focus on trainings and tweaks to organizational systems to level the playing field, already work.

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3 Secrets To Good Teamwork

Innovation Excellence

GUEST POST from David Burkus Teams are how work gets done most of the time. In a knowledge work economy, up to 85% of an average employee’s time is spent in collaboration with other people—on one team or on multiple teams. And that makes effective collaboration and good teamwork a top tier skill.

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Find your Marketplaces; they can be the secret to your success.

Ecosystems4Innovating

The theory goes you identify an Ecosystem of like-minded businesses that share a common need to solve a vexing problem, challenge or concept. Then, one party sets up a platform or gains the agreement of one already available, a neutral platform, to use it. Hence, it has all the technology, governance and structure to enable the group to communicate, exchange and build the (emerging) solution to work and then have the structure for it to (rapidly) scale.

Design 64
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Implementing Intelligent Document Processing Solutions: Why It Works

See how companies like yours are tackling some of today’s most common business problems using AI-assisted automation for document processing. Manually capturing, extracting, and processing data within documents is a costly and outdated practice that’s holding your company back. IDP takes document processing to a whole new level so you can understand and use your data more effectively than ever before.