The theme of the conference was “the power of ecosystems,” and it very much reflected my longstanding interest in managing in complex (rather than just complicated) environments. While it would be too much to offer… Read more »
Archives for 2019
The Booming Business of Looking After Boomers
Plenty of people are gearing up to make a—ahem—killing in the senior care business. Is it an opportunity or a mirage? The World Is Getting Grayer One of the more interesting types of strategic… Read more »
Packaging: A $1.2 Trillion Sector Going Through a Rethink
We want it personal, digital, flexible, and eco-friendly, and we’re starting to turn away from plastics, but none of this is easy. We’re Asking a Lot More of Packaging Than We Used To—and Suppliers Are Responding As e-commerce continues its penetration into every corner of our commercial… Read more »
The Fast Changing, But Fickle, Competition in Consumer Packaged Goods
Digital has made a whole new kind of business model possible—and incumbents are reeling. Born-Digital Companies Are Going Direct They’re new, they’re nimble, and they’re communicating with your customers right under your nose, causing decades-long… Read more »
Venture Capital 2.0: This Time, It’s Different?
Venture capitalists are partying as if it’s 1999—and we know how that went. Entrepreneurship 101 says startups should conserve cash, keep costs flexible, and operate with parsimony. Way too many founders in the 90’s laughed… Read more »
Seeing Around Corners Named Must-Listen By Apple Books
I was delighted to discover that Apple Books has selected my new book, Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen, as one of this month’s Must-Listens! You can check it… Read more »
The Trouble With Consulting
Predicting the end of traditional management consulting has become something of a cottage industry, but so far the market leaders have retained their allure despite a world which has shifted underneath them. The Management Consulting Business: A Rich Target… Read more »
Business Scholars Should Write for Practitioners, Not Just for Each Other
There is a large chasm between what academics study and write about in business academia and what practitioners are eager and hungry to learn about. Interestingly, however, both sides are curious about what motivates and… Read more »
Staying Ahead of the Curve: How Mobility Clubs Are Driving Innovation
I was thrilled to attend the 2019 FIA Conference in South Africa earlier this year, where I shared insights into how clubs can forge a new path to success by quickly seizing opportunities, exploiting them decisively, and… Read more »
The Effect of Disruption on Hiring and Reskilling
When Amazon is prepared to invest $700 million to retrain its workers for more demanding jobs in technology, you know that something big is afoot. I would argue that this is a looming inflection point… Read more »
Digitization and Disruption in the Construction Business
$12.7 trillion! That’s the projected size of the global construction industry in 2022, according to one recent analysis. In the US alone, construction employs some 10 million workers. And while it’s a relatively slow-growth… Read more »
Building a Proficiency for Game Changing Innovation and Growth: Mastering the Opportunity Portfolio
When you ask why large companies have a problem building an innovation proficiency, you get back all the usual suspects: “We have silos.” “It’s nobody’s job.” “We’re afraid of failure.” “It’s unpredictable.” And what do all… Read more »