Friday 20 January 2012

Reference List

McLean A and Marshall J (1993), Intervening in cultures, working paper, University of Bath, England.

Hardy C.B. (1993), Understanding Organisations, fourth edition, London, England: Penguin

Mullins L.J (2010), Management and Organisational Behaviour, Ninth Edition, Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited. 

Sarah McInerney (2011), Sydney Morning Herald, [Online], Available from: http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/management/steve-jobs-an-unconventional-leader-20111007-1lcmo.html#ixzz1jvvXN6B0 Date accessed: 19/1/2012

 Canton J, (2011), Steve Jobs's Innovation Leadership at Apple: My Lessons Learned, Blog, [Online], Availiable from:http://www.globalfuturist.com/blog/2011/08/25/steve-jobss-innovation-leadership-at-apple-my-lessons-learned/ Date accessed:19/1/12

Rebecca, (2010), Richard Brason, [online] Availiable from : http://www.smarta.com/blog/2010/11/richard-branson-on-being-ticklish-negative-people-and-the-secret-to-his-success  Accessed: 18/1/2012

 Drucker.P, (1985), Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Harper & Row, New York
The seed of apples innovation (2004) , [Online] Available from: http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2004/nf20041012_4018_db083.htm Date accessed: 18/1/2012

Van Wulfen G (2011), Innovation management, , [Online ]Available from: http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2011/08/16/25-inspiring-innovation-quotes/ Date Accessed: 18/1/2012

Ditkoff M, (2010), Innovation excellence, , [Online] Available from http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/05/31/100-awesome-quotes-on-what-it-takes-to-innovate/, Date Accessed: 18/1/2012

Quotations book, , [Online] Available from http://quotationsbook.com/  Date Accessed: 18/1/2012

Voices reloaded, , [Online]Available from http://www.hpb.gov.sg/staff/voices/0805/innovation.htm Date Accessed: 18/1/2012

Bessant J and Tidd J, (2011) Innovation and entrepreneurship, second edition, Chichester, West Sussex, UK : John Wiley & Sons.

Bessant J and Tidd J, (2007) Innovation and entrepreneurship, Chichester, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons

Mayle D(2006) ,Managing innovation and change, London: Sage publications


Isaksen S and Tidd J (2006), Meeting the innovation challenge: leadership for transformation and growth, Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley and Sons, 56

Barsh J, Capozzi M, and Davidson J 2008,  Mc-Kinsey Quatrerly, [online] Availaible from: https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Leadership_and_innovation_2089 [Accessed 16/1/2012]
Mc-Kinsey Quatrerly, 2007, [online] Availaible from https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/How_companies_approach_innovation_A_McKinsey_Global_Survey_2069 [Accessed 16/1/2012

Answers, Steve Jobs, , [Online] Availiable: http://www.answers.com/topic/steve-jobs#ixzz1jpNQI9AF. Date accessed: 10/1/12

Free Enterprise Land, Richard Branson, , [Online]Available from : http://www.freeenterpriseland.com/BOOK/BRANSON.html. Date accessed: 10/1/12

Training and advice in creative thinking and creativity, 2009, [Online] Available: http://www.cocd.org/nl/node/822, Date Accessed: 10/1/12

 Drucker. P.F, (1985), Innovation and Entrepreneurial, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann

Product Development and Management Association, , [Online] Availiable here: http://www.pdma.org/view_webpage.cfm?pk_webpage=803#M ( Date accessed: 2/1/12)

 Tesco Clubcard, [online] Availiable from:  http://www.tesco.com/ Date Accessed: 17/1/2012

 Dunhumby, [online] Available from: http://www.dunnhumby.com/uk/our-clients-industry-focus Date Accessed: 17/1/2012

Promenschenkel G , 2009,  most impactful innovation in golf, , [Online], Available from http://thesandtrap.com/b/trap_five/most_impactful_innovations_in_golf Date Accessed: 17/1/2012

Diaz J, 2011, My five: most controversial innovations, , [Online] Available from http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2011-03/photos-my-five-polarizing-rules#slide=5 Date Accessed: 17/1/2012

Golf pro shop innovations, , [Online] Available from http://www.golfprogroup.com/main.htm Date Accessed: 17/1/2012

The top 60innovations of modern golf’s era, Golf digest, , [Online]  Available from http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2010-09/top-60-innovations-1 Date Accessed: 17/1/2012

 Bessant J and Tidd J, (2011) Innovation and entrepreneurship, second edition, Chichester, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

Bessant J and Tidd J, (2007) Innovation and entrepreneurship, Chichester, West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons.

Drucker. P.F, (1985), Innovation and Entrepreneurial, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann

Adair J 2007Leadership for Innovation: How to Organize Team Creativity and Harvest Ideas London: Talbot Adair Press

The seed of Apple’s innovation, 2004, , [Online] Available from http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2004/nf20041012_4018_db083.htm Date Accessed: 11/1/2012

Van Wulfen G (2011), Innovation management, 25 inspiring innovation quotes, , [Online] Available from http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2011/08/16/25-inspiring-innovation-quotes/ Date Accessed: 11/1/2012

Ditkoff. M, 2010, 100 awsome quotes on what it takes to innovate, , [Online] Available from http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/05/31/100-awesome-quotes-on-what-it-takes-to-innovate/ Date Accessed: 11/1/2012

Quotations book, , [Online] Available from http://quotationsbook.com/ Date Accessed: 11/1/2012

Steve Jobs: Key quotes, 2011, The Telegraph, , [Online] Available from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/steve-jobs/8810049/Steve-Jobs-key-quotes.html Date Accessed: 11/1/2012

 Dyson Airblade, , [Online] Available from http://www.dysonairblade.co.uk/  Date Accessed: 5/1/2012
Dyson Airblade , , [Online]  Available from http://www.dysonairblade.co.uk/technology/howitworks.asp Date Accessed: 5/1/2012

Dyson unveils faster hand dryer, 2006, BBC News,  , [Online] Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/5402024.stm Date Accessed: 5/1/2012

Dyson, , [Online] Available from http://www.dyson.co.uk/technology/airmultiplier.asp#HowItWorks Date Accessed: 27/12/2011

James Dyson explains his bladeless fan, 2009. Telegraphtv, youtube, , [Online] Available fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8he8afjQyd8 Date Accessed: 27/12/2011

Dyson, , [Online] Availiable from http://www.dyson.co.uk/fans/ Date Accessed: 27/12/2011

Coverdale. B, 2012, New cameras should capture faintest of edges – Hot spot inventor, ESPEN cricinfo, , [Online]  Available from http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/current/story/548170.html Date Accessed: 12/12/2011

Shaw.D, 2011, Toilet gaming technology targets urinal boredom, BBC NEWS, , [Online] Available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15923438 Date Accessed: 28/11/2011

Winter H, 2011, Goal-line technology in football comes closer as Southampton prepare for Hawk-Eye trials, Telegraph, , [Online] Available from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/8790733/Goal-line-technology-in-football-comes-closer-as-Southampton-prepare-for-Hawk-Eye-trials.html Date Accessed: 28/11/2011

Hawk eye innovations, , [Online] Available from http://www.hawkeyeinnovations.co.uk/  Date Accessed: 2/11/2011

O’Reilly L, 2011, NPD and refurbs boost McDonalds sales, Marketing Week, , [Online]  Available from http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/food-and-drink/npd-and-refurbs-boost-mcdonald%92s-sales/3031204.article  Date Accessed: 25/10/2011



Thursday 19 January 2012

Well that's it from me!

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the weird and wonderful innovations that are out there today as much as I did writing about them.

Doing this blog really has made me sit up and realise just how many fantastic innovations are out there and that they actually are there! Before,  I started this course I had always took innovations for granted never thought of them seriously and the ways in which they were designed and manufactured which I have found a lot out since starting this.

All in all, innovation is happening every second of the day with people searching for that opportunity to release their product in the market and searching for all those gaps in the market for them to capitalise on!

Thanks for reading!

Ryan Van Waterschoot

New Volkswagen advert

The all new innovative Volkswagen advert is amazing. This has took innovation to its heart and produced something that not a lot of people could have possibly thought of! They have made a trend and have a few other Star wars based adverts to promote their new range of cars and the company.

In the video Volkswagen have got 10 dogs which have barked out the imperial march theme tune from Star Wars! You can tell it has been edited to ensure the timing is right but it is fantastic. Take a listen!



Innovation Culture

Today's seminar really got me thinking and has driven me to publish another blog! 


The culture of a business in many aspects can be seen as the heart the way in which people go about their day to day activities and the rules/ guidelines in which they follow to complete these!

McLean and Marshall (1993) define culture to be the collection of traditions, values, policies, beliefs and attitudes that constitute a pervasive context for everything we do and think in an organisation. Which I feel is a really strong definition covering a lot of areas!

So looking at this it is simple to say that culture can really be defined for a company as the way we do things here. It can take so many terms as the way in which people do things too if looking more at employees.  This definition really does just sum the whole culture up as when comparing with the McLean and Marshall's definition each one of their points fits into this perfectly!

When looking at culture there are 4 well renowned types! Hardy (1985) researched into culture and wrote these 4 types of organisational culture.

    1)  Power Culture
                                                              i.      Occurs in small organisations
                                                            ii.      One major source of power
                                                          iii.      Decisions taken by key individuals
                                                           iv.      Success depends on the decision maker
                                                             v.      There are few rules and procedures

    2)  Role Culture
                                                              i.      The strength lies in its functions and specialities ( finance, purchasing, production and so forth)
                                                            ii.      Co-ordinated and controlled by a small group of senior executives
                                                          iii.      Job role more important than individual
                                                           iv.      Structure, procedures and rules determine what is done and how decisions are made.
                                                             v.      Civil Service, retail banking, oil industry

    3) Task Culture
                                                              i.      Teams operate together to achieve particular tasks
                                                            ii.      Teams exists until task is completed then members assigned to other teams
                                                          iii.      Key decision making body is the team
                                                           iv.      Heavily reliant on people involved
                                                             v.      Found in rapidly changing organisations
    4)  Person Culture
                                                              i.      Group of people decide that it is in the their own best interests to organise a collective
                                                            ii.      Individuals decide on their own work allocation
                                                          iii.      E.g. sharing the costs of office space, equipment and secretarial assistance.
                                                           iv.      Barristers, lawyers, doctors
                                                             v.      Organisation exists to satisfy members.


So you ask how does culture  relate to innovation?

Well its simple because. Culture needs leadership, especially culture change. To have a strong leader with the workforce on his side the business is able to do anything successfully. Culture needs a leader who is able to put his ideas to his workers and have them follow it with no complaints even when they are new ideas and new forms of working culture! Mullins (2010), defines leadership to be the relationship through which one person influences the behaviour or actions of other people. And this is exactly the key to success, if that leader can influence people getting them on his side anything can work.

I watched a video last year in Organisation Behaviour on a day in the life of Richard Branson. It was amazing to see that when he went into his office he knew the whole of his work force. He was able to speak to them all individually making jokes and knowing there names. The effect of this was obvious with the workforce smiling widely and looking happy to be there at work and when interviewed after they all expressed how they love to work for him, even though they aren't actually paid much! Now that shows leadership. Richard Branson is such a charismatic individual with always a smile of his face and a very eccentric personality and it really does rub off on his workforce. This could be why his innovations over the years have been so successful? As he has always had the backing of his workers who are willing to do bend over backwards to ensure his venture/innovation is a success!

There are many reports on Steve Jobs leadership style at Apple. Apple is the most innovative company in the world however when reading an article in the Sydney morning herald the author Sarah McInerney said that Steve Jobs was an unconventional leader he wasn't known for his consultative or consensus building approach. He was a "high-maintenance co-worker" who demanded excellence from his staff and was known for his blunt delivery of criticism. (Sydney Morning Herald,  2011). However I found another which I found to be very fascinating! Dr. James Canton worked at Apple headquarters in Silicon Valley in 1984 and was part of the team that launched the Macintosh computer. He spoke about Jobs's leadership style to be more innovative than anything he had seen and that which broke so many rules of leadership. Dr. James Canton said that "Steve first evangelized the Mac to us, the employees well before he sold the world. You have to sell the Big Vision first to your employees. If they don’t get it then customer will never. This seems obvious but too many leaders today have the right financial chops or seniority or even board support but don’t embody this lesson. Steve invented it.
Days before the Mac launch we sent around pictures of a Swiss Army knife, challenging ourselves that Mac was something else, not just a computer but a lifestyle appliance. Steve challenged us to think about the Mac as more then just a technology–it was a innovation in culture, lifestyle and learning." Jobs was making his workforce feel special, they knew that no body else knew about this and it was very clever of jobs as by getting his workforce on side allowed that product and Apple to become the great success of what is is today! He also went on to say how "Steve would remind us all that you have to enjoy the journey. Or don’t do it. He challenged us all to make a commitment to ourselves to do something big, important and meaningful. These lessons are as true today as in 1984." Steve Jobs had a very special culture at Apple, one that will never change.  
Overall, a culture of a business is all down to the innovative leaders that lead it. Having a innovative leader who gets that backing of the workers really is a massive bonus for any business and certainly in the two examples on Virgin and Apple it is apparent how well they have done through the innovative culture in which they lead. Steve Jobs's innovative leadership did surprise me he seemed the type to encourage his workers so charismatic like Richard Branson but I guess a man who has come up with so many fantastic ideas do people worry about what he is like as person? As a leader of course because you need a good organisational culture but somehow with his passion he has able to forward that on to his workers and now look where they are today. Top of the tree, most innovative company in the world. 
If you are interested, here is a list of the top 50 innovative companies in which all will have an innovative leader who will put forward his/her own innovative culture! Enjoy.

Hope you enjoyed reading this, I found it all very interesting anyway! Speak soon! 


Reference list

McLean A and Marshall J (1993), Intervening in cultures, working paper, University of Bath, England.

Hardy C.B. (1993), Understanding Organisations, fourth edition, London, England: Penguin




Mullins L.J (2010), Management and Organisational Behaviour, Ninth Edition, Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited

Sarah McInerney (2011), Sydney Morning Herald, [Online], Available from: http://www.smh.com.au/executive-style/management/steve-jobs-an-unconventional-leader-20111007-1lcmo.html#ixzz1jvvXN6B0 Date accessed: 19/1/2012



Canton J, (2011), Steve Jobs's Innovation Leadership at Apple: My Lessons Learned, Blog, [Online], Availiable from:http://www.globalfuturist.com/blog/2011/08/25/steve-jobss-innovation-leadership-at-apple-my-lessons-learned/ Date accessed:19/1/12

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Richard Branson

Found this this when browsing Richard Branson which made me laugh and in my opinion summed up a lot about innovators and about him! I was reading an interview on the website "smarta" ( I will post the link at the end) and one question stood out for me.

8. Favourite song?
In which Richard replied with, That has to be My Way.

Such a ironic answer due to how Richard Branson has gone about his business in the whole of his life! Everything he has done has been in his own way, for example the hot air balloon, looking to go into space being his publicity stunts and all of his business innovation ventures have all been done in his own way!

Here is that song below:



And here is the interview! It's a really good interview and makes a very interesting read! Enjoy!
http://www.smarta.com/blog/2010/11/richard-branson-on-being-ticklish-negative-people-and-the-secret-to-his-success

Innovators quotes

Here are some fantastic quotes by some of the biggest businesses in the world on the subject of innovation! Have a read through they are very aspiring!


We are always saying to our self.. we have to innovate.  We’ve got to come up with that breakthrough. (Bill Gates, Microsoft)

Microsoft – takes the view that it is always two years away from extinction!

Only the paranoid survive! ( Andy Groves, Intel)

Innovation is the successful exploitation of new ideas. ( Innovation Unit, UK Department of Trade and Industry, 2004)

“Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or service. It is capable of being presented as a discipline, capable of being practised.”(Peter Drucker, 1985, Innovation and Entrepreneurship)


“An innovative business is one which lives and breathes ‘outside the box’. It is not just good ideas, it is a combination of good ideas, motivated staff and an instinctive understand of what your customer wants.” ( Richard Branson – DTI Innovation lecture – 1998)

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

You can’t solve a problem on the same level that it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level.” –Albert Einstein

 “The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow” (Rupert Murdoch).

References: 



 Drucker.P, (1985), Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Harper & Row, New York

The seed of apples innovation (2004) , [Online] Available from: http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2004/nf20041012_4018_db083.htm Date accessed: 18/1/2012

Van Wulfen G (2011), Innovation management, , [Online ]Available from: http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2011/08/16/25-inspiring-innovation-quotes/ Date Accessed: 18/1/2012
Ditkoff M, (2010), Innovation excellence, , [Online] Available from http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/05/31/100-awesome-quotes-on-what-it-takes-to-innovate/, Date Accessed: 18/1/2012

Quotations book, , [Online] Available from http://quotationsbook.com/  Date Accessed: 18/1/2012

Voices reloaded, , [Online]Available from http://www.hpb.gov.sg/staff/voices/0805/innovation.htm Date Accessed: 18/1/2012