Final Exam ReviewInnovation Management (ISMT 537)
Note: You will be allowed one A4 sized sheet of paper as a “Cheat Sheet” for your reference during the ISMT537 Final Exam. You can fill out both sides, and there are no limits on handwriting, font, or techniques for the information you place on the page. No other materials will be allowed during the exam
What we have studiedDate Topic Innovation Practice* Technique
2-Nov-06 Ch 1:Innovation, Globalization and Commoditization
Create an Innovation that meets predefined specifications
Assumption reversals
9-Nov-06 Ch 2:Understanding Innovation Redesign a successful product or service; redifferentiate in the market
Feature Maps and Feature Segmentation
16-Nov-06 Ch 3:Recognizing the Potential of an Innovation
Quiz, Consumption Chain Analyze and Feature Map a particular innovation
Quizzing and Mind Maps
23-Nov-06 Ch 4:Business Models Design and map a successful business model for commercializing a given innovation
Morphological boxes
30-Nov-06 Ch 5:Assessing and Managing Your Capabilities
Assess the capabilities of a given firm; Identify suitable markets and innovation opportunities
Forced Connection
7-Dec-06 Ch 6:Understanding and Managing Creative People
Take an innovation of your choice to market; map activities over the first 5 years
Feature Fractionation
14-Dec-06 Ch 7:Adaptive Entry Strategies Managing when you have an 'Inventor' on your team
Brainstorming
21-Dec-06 Course Wrap-up and Final Examination
Classes of Things You have Learned
Concepts: Things you need to know before you think about innovating. These include:
Knowledge about previous successful and unsuccessful innovators (people and companies)
Theories and frameworks Facts
All of these underlie and motivate your activities.
Activities and Tasks: Things you (as an entrepreneur or intrepreneur) need to do in developing innovative products. These occur on both sides of the equation: Innovation = Invention + Commercialization Activities can either ‘Invent’ or they can ‘Commercialize’
Tools: Used to make decisions about ‘Inventing’ or ‘Commercializing’ These are the tangible mental exercises, models, spreadsheets, documentation, etc.
that support innovation activities and tasks.
Fundamentals
Definition: ‘Innovation’
An ‘Innovation’ is: Invention + Commercialization
Freeman, The Economics of Industrial Innovation A new way of doing things that is commercialized
Porter
The new knowledge in an innovation can be either Technological, or Market related
The Three Phases of Innovation
M ar k et E n tr yC h 7
O p p o r tu n it iesC h 1 , 2 & 3
C o m p eten c esC h 4 , 5 & 6
Ad ap tiv e E x ec u tio n
In n o v a tio n S u c c e ss
C h a rtin
g you r C
ompe ti
tive T
e rra
in
As s es s in g y o u r C o m p eten c es
Elements of Product Innovation
Ne w Pro du ct :
L o w c o s tI m p r o v ed q u alit iesN ew q u alit ies
C o m pe te n ce sa n d
A s s e t s
Ne wTe ch n o lo g ica l
k n o wle dg e
Ne w M a rk e tK n o wle dg e
The Purpose of a Business is to Create a Customer
-- Peter Drucker
Even if you create marvelous inventions Your customers won’t care Unless that is exactly what they need
Business customers are especially impatient With any product that doesn’t help them gain competitive
advantage
Yet your firm wants to build products that take advantage Of their Core Competences
What makes each of these companies Innovative?
Invention Generation
The opportunity register (OR) should be seen as a repository of ideas that can be pulled up at any time. If a particular idea isn’t working, you have the option
to switch to another OR Entry (i.e., another innovation) You can actually plan these milestones in
advance Hedging your bets By running many innovation projects
Simultaneously, or Sequentially
Inv e s t
D o n 't In v e s t
G o o d N e w s
B ad N ew s
G o o d N e w s
B ad N ew s
Sources of Innovation
How innovation arises Functional:
Innovations arise from thinking about the functional relationships between groups and individuals e.g., customer or manufacturer
Attribute Maps and Quizzing help identify Innovations arising functional relationships
Circumstantial: Innovations arise from thinking about the circumstances in which a product
(innovation) will be encountered e.g., a cooking innovation when it is consumed in a restaurant
Consumption Chain Analysis helps identify circumstantial Innovations
Where innovations arise Internal R&D External Markets (Customers) Competitors & related industries University, government & private labs Other nations / regions
The last two sources are strongly influenced by society and governments
Sources of Innovation
1. Internal R&D2. External Markets (Customers)3. Competitors & related industries4. University, government & private labs5. Other nations / regions
The last two sources are strongly influenced by society and governments
‘Complementarity of several sources may amplify and accelerate innovation
Innovation at the National level
Success in societies which: operate, manage and build instruments of production create, adapt and master new technologies impart expertise and knowledge to the young choose people for jobs by competence and relative merit promote and demote on basis of performance encourage initiative, competition and emulation let people to enjoy and employ the fruits of their labor, enterprise and creativity
Success where government does the following: encourage saving and investment enforce rights of contract secure rights of personal liberty against tyranny and crime provide stable government, though not necessarily democratic provide responsive government provide no rents or favors for government position have governments that are moderate, efficient and ungreedy
Science & TechnologyWhat are they? How are they related?
S c ien c e
T ec h n o lo g y
I n f lu en c e / f eed b ac k
I n f lu en c e / f eed b ac k
Ver b allyE n c o d edI n f o r m atio n
Ver b allyE n c o d edI n f o r m atio n
Ver b ally E n c o d edI n f o r m atio n * p u b lic a tio n s * p a ten ts
P h y s ic a lly & Ver b ally E n c o d edI n f o r m atio n * p r o d u c ts & s er v ic es * d o c u m en ta tio m * p u b lic a tio n s * p a ten ts
ComplementarityWhat other products are needed to complete your Commercialization?
Most economically significant modern products have little value on their own They require complementary
products from many firms to be of value Petroleum has little use without
internal combustion engines Or Cars without Roads (US Road
costs are around $5-10 per gallon of gasoline)
Or Electricity without Electric Motors
Or iPods without MP3s … you get the idea
What are your ‘Killer Apps’? The complements that sell your
product
In v en to ry o r p arty w ithb arg a in in g p ow er
In v en to r
H o ld er o fco m p lem en ta ry a ssets
P ro f it is D if f icu lt Hig h
L o w
F r ee o r Un im p o r tan t T ig h tly h e ld
C o m ple m e n ta ry A s s e t s
I m ita bility
Life cycle of an Innovation Development Determines Optimal Market Entry Strategy
Fluid phase Mainly lab based or custom applications of technology
Transitional phase Standardization of components, and consumer-producer interaction lead to dominant
design Specific phase
Products built around the dominant design proliferate; innovation is incremental
N ear C erta in tyN on techn ica l f acto rs
m ay be igno red
L ittle U n certa in tyL o w in f luence o f
non techn ica l f acto rs
M ed ium U ncerta in tyH ig h in f luence o f
non techn ica l f acto rs
H ig h U ncerta in tyH ig h in f luence o f
non techn ica l f acto rs
Hig h
L o w
E r a o f F er m en t E r a o f I n c r em en ta l C h an g e
S ta te o f Ev o lu t io n o f Te ch
C o m ple x ity
What sort of people are Innovators?
Idea Generators Can sift through large quantities of technological and market data to identify
‘innovations’ Gatekeepers & Boundary Spanners
Conduits for knowledge from other firms and labs Champions (Entrepreneurs, Evangelists)
Sell the innovation to the firm Sponsors (Coach, Mentor)
Senior level manager who provides behind the scenes support, access to resources, and protection from political foes
Project Managers Planners with discipline; one-stop decision making shop
Market side innovation
O p p o r tu n ityR eg is ter
In v e ntio n s
Ide a
s
Com
mercial O
pportunities
Inno va tio n
C o re C o m p etences :A ssessm ent & Investm ent
M ark et E ntra nce &C o m p etitive S tra teg y
A d ap tiveE x ecutio n
The Opportunity ‘Register’ Concept: Always keep an inventory of possible opportunities
so that you are unlikely to run out of ideas for making the next competitive move or capturing the next prospect for growth
Fields:
1. Business concept2. Relevant trends3. Key industry data4. Obstacles and barriers5. Company position6. Competition and Substitutes7. Sources for your information 8. What type of opportunity is this?9. Timing of proposed actions
•CommercializationDefines your market
Who is the target customer for the company’s product (age, income, medical history, and other demographics)
Support this with Attribute Maps and Consumption Chains
What will differentiate your innovation from competitors’ in the customer’s minds?
Quizzing
Detailed look at target customer usage and decision making regarding your product
Looks at the customers “stream of consciousness” Through a series of questions
Looks for ideas to Change the Customer’s Experience (i.e., redifferentiate your product)
Remember: Experience is dynamic So are the questions in quizzing
Over a time period prior to the first time customer is exposed to the product
To a time well after the customer has stopped using it
QuizzingWho?
… is with customers while hey use the product How much influence do they have
If we could arrange it, who would we want the customer to be with …
What? … Do our customers experience when the use the product … needs provoked our offering
What else? … might customers have on their minds When? … do our customers use this .. Where? … are our customers when they use this How? … do customers learn to use the product ..
Toolsets
Organize Answers with a Mind Map
Summarize your Quizzing by the Attributes of the Innovation that are important to the Customer
Basic Discriminator Energizer
Positive Nonnegotiable Differentiator Exciter
Negative Tolerable Dissatisfier Enrager
Neutral So What? Parallel
This provides a heuristic for ‘Functional Innovation’ (Eric von Hippel)
Consumption Chain Analysis
Aw ar en es so f n eed
S to r ag e an dtr as p o r t
In s ta lla t io na n d A s s e mb ly
R ec eip t
F in an c in g
P ay m en t
D eliv er y
O r d er an dp u r c h as e
S e lec tio nS ear c h
F in a l d is p o s a l
R ep air s an dR etu r n s
S er v ic e
Us e
Function of Consumption Chain Analysis A complement to quizzing …
And (perhaps) quizzing done from a different (more graphical) perspective
Consumption Chain Analysis Works from the premise that
opportunities for redifferentiation lurk at every step and decision that your customers take From the time they first become aware of their need for your
product or service To the time thy finally dispose of the remnants of the used up
product Rather than ‘stream of consciousness’
It is time-sequential
Consumption Chain Analysis A complement to quizzing …
And (perhaps) quizzing done from a different (more graphical) perspective
Consumption Chain Analysis Works from the premise that
opportunities for redifferentiation lurk at every step and decision that your customers take From the time they first become aware of their need for your product or
service To the time thy finally dispose of the remnants of the used up product
Rather than ‘stream of consciousness’ It is time-sequential It provides a Heuristic for ‘Circumstantial Innovation’ (Eric von Hippel)
Every Link in the Consumption Chain has its Own Attribute Map
The Attribute Map compares your product to those of others
Basic Discriminator Energizer
Positive Nonnegotiable Differentiator Exciter
Negative Tolerable Dissatisfier Enrager
Neutral So What? Parallel
Toolsets
Consumption Chain Analysis Determine the main steps in
consumption
Each step on the consumption chain has an attribute map
You should only list the 3 or 4 most important steps
These will determine whether the potential customer proceeds to the next step (good)
Or leaves the consumption process (not good)
Aw ar en es so f n eed
S to r ag e an dtr as p o r t
In s ta lla t io na n d A s s e mb ly
R ec eip t
F in an c in g
P ay m en t
D eliv er y
O r d er an dp u r c h as e
S elec tio nS ear c h
F in a l d is p o s a l
R ep air s an dR etu r n s
S er v ic e
Us e
C o n tin u e
Lea
ve
Toolsets
Overview of Feature Set
Prioritize and choose the major features of your innovation from the main branches of the Mind Map
Review the main innovation features with a feature-attribute map for the entire innovation
Basic Discriminator Energizer
Positive Nonnegotiable Differentiator Exciter
Negative Tolerable Dissatisfier Enrager
Neutral So What? Parallel
Toolsets
Feature-Attribute Map the 3-4 Key Steps in the Consumption and Manage those 3-4 Steps
Identify Discriminators and Energizers Describe how you will manage each of these
features of the consumption process
Basic Discriminator Energizer
Positive Nonnegotiable Differentiator Exciter
Negative Tolerable Dissatisfier Enrager
Neutral So What? Parallel
C o n tin u e
Lea
ve
What To Do with the Opportunity Register
When Competences start to matter
Assuming you’ve been religiously adding to your Opportunity Register
You should by this time have a lot of different ideas for new and marketable products
Then the question becomes:Which projects should you take on; emphasize; continue?
The answer depends on your competences
This is the point where Demand and Supply side of Innovation Meet
Business Models Matter
Telling a good story Part of selling your strategy / investment
Tying Narrative to Numbers Strategy becomes less philosophy More performance and outcome
When business models don’t work It’s because the fail either
The ‘Narrative’ test Or the ‘Story’ test
Business Models Matter A business model is not strategy
It doesn’t describe external forces: Competition Environment Scaling
It only depicts the systems that will be put into place to achieve a strategic objective
A good model is not enough The boxes on the value map need to be
understood in depth In order to develop a good strategy
R & D
C u s to m erR elat io n s h ipM an ag em en t
L ab o r C u s to m er s
F act o ry
W o r k
Production
Business Models Matter A business model is not strategy
It doesn’t describe external forces: Competition Environment Scaling
It only depicts the systems that will be put into place to achieve a strategic objective
A good model is not enough The boxes on the value map need to be
understood in depth In order to develop a good strategy
R & D
C u s to m erR elat io n s h ipM an ag em en t
L ab o r C u s to m er s
F act o ry
W o r k
Production
Vision
The initial and most general statement you make about your business model
What will your: industry market company
look like in 1, 2, 5, 10 years?
We will be #1; or the world’s largest…; or the world’s best… ; etc. ARE THE WRONG ANSWERS
Business Model A story about your business,
With narrative links to numbers i.e., key ratios, milestones, targets
The story may be laid out graphically in the Value Map Which shows the components and value flows between them of the business model
A Business Model is NOT Strategy Strategy defines how the vision will be attained The Business Model is the vehicle
The story should consider unique aspects of industry technology1. Network externalities (value of a network grows by the square of the number of
users)2. Technology acceleration (e.g., Moore’s Law; performance to price of key
technologies grows exponentially This leads to the Four Phases of Radical Innovation described in chapter 4 of the text.
(or four ‘collisions’ in Chris Anderson's ‘The Long Tail’)
Industry Dynamics
Unique aspects of industry technology such as Network externalities , and Technology acceleration
Are useful in predicting key ‘inflection points’ in a market
The most important of these ‘inflection points’ result from the so-called Innovator’s Dilemma Where existing competitors are locked in to an old
technology by their customers And new technologies can (at the ‘inflection point’) almost
instantly capture their markets
Framing the Challenge Targets and Goals
If I were to do something in the next 3-5 years That my firm and my company’s investors would regard as a major win What would this performance record have to look like?
If I were to do something in the next 3-5 years That my customers would regard as a major (disruptive) innovation How would I change their lives?
How would my relation with customers affect my performance?
Framing the Challenge: Strategy Drivers
These will be the major Performance Metrics that will be stated in your Milestone / Targets
For example Sales growth from 1% growth to the high teens R&D expense from 8% to 11% of Sales Reduce SGA expense from 27% to 19% Reduce tax rate 4% points Increase ROA from 0% to 1%
E n tr ep r en eu r ia lAc tiv ity
P er f o r m an c e( c u s to m er s , in v es to r s ,
e tc . )D r iv es
New Life from Old Competences
Redifferentiating and resegmenting
Redifferentiating Products The Dialectic
Innovation involves a dialectic: On the one-side are arguments about what the customer
wants (demand-side) Remember that the customer doesn’t care about us or our
products We have to make them care
On the other-side are arguments about what we can do (supply-side) These are determined by our core competences Which are to some extent determined by Mission and
Vision statements, and our Business Models
Resegmenting and Reconfiguring
Resegmenting Focusing on and better serving existing market segment
Reconfiguring Completely changing the existing basis for segmentations By reconfiguring existing value maps Or introducing entirely new kinds of solutions
Reconfiguring your Market
Reconfiguration is about Breaking down the Barriers (technological, regulatory or
organizational) That set limits on the Attributes you can offer Or on the way that Consumption Chains can be
configured It builds on your insights from the Consumption Chain
Analysis and Attribute Map Looking to remove the Limitations imposed by your existing
Core Competences
How to Resegment
Resegmentation addresses the Dynamics of Customer Usage of a Product It builds on your insights from the Consumption Chain Analysis
and Attribute Map Looking for new Segments to market to
Observe behavior To Uncover existing Customer’s Needs To find new Customer Groups within your existing customers Keep them from moving to competitors’ products
R&D and CRM
In the perspective presented in this course Customer Relationship Management (CRM) … and Research & Development (R&D)
Are two parts of the same overall process.
Customer Relationship Management serves several functions: Making sure that customers are satisfied with existing products; Make sure that they know about new and upcoming products; Asking them questions to find out what they want in new
products; Making them aware of new features that they didn’t know they
wanted These are essential parts of the R&D process
Production Side of Innovation
Resource based perspective of Strategy
O p p o r tu n ityR eg is ter
In v e ntio n s
Ide a
s
Com
mercial O
pportunities
Inno va tio n
C o re C o m p etences :A ssessm ent & Investm ent
M ark et E ntra nce &C o m p etitive S tra teg y
A d ap tiveE x ecutio n
Resource-based view (RBV) of firmsDominant approach to business strategy today Basis for Core Competences
The resource-based view suggests that a firm's unique resources and capabilities provide the basis for a strategy.
The strategy chosen should allow the firm to best exploit its core competencies relative to opportunities in the external environment.
E n v ir o n m en t 'sR es o u r c e S u p p ly C u r v e
& C o n s tr a in ts
O w n er o fS tr a teg y
( R - P - V S o u r c eo f C o m p etit iv e
Ad v an tag e )
E n v ir o n m en t 's D em an dC u r v e & C o n s tr a in ts
Valu eF lo w
{ v alu e t , v o lu m e t}
Valu eF lo w
{ v alu e t , v o lu m e t}
Valu e Ad d ed b y S tr a teg y( d if f e r en c e b e tw een tw o v a lu e f lo w s )
Core Competences
These are the things that the firm does That they do better than other firms That are the source of their competitive advantage
Firms establish their core competences by: Investing in people Investing in assets, plant and land Identifying and focusing their mission
The Firm’s core competences are often those of its CEO and management
Competences
You best (perhaps your only) opportunities to compete
are Where Product Market
Needs Cross with Competences
Y o u rC o m p eten ces
P ro d u ct M a rk etO p p o r tu n ities
C o m pe ti to r A'sC o m pe te nc e s
C o m pe ti to r B 'sC o m pe te nc e s
C o m pe ti to r C 'sC o m pe te nc e s
Yo u r C o m p eten c e
Delivering on 7-10 critical ‘Key Ratios’
This is what Investors and Venture Capitalists will look for The particular accounting statement measures That indicate whether your strategy is succeeding or not
The exact set of measures depends on your business model and your strategy
People
Innovations require a number of types of people for success – the invention is just the beginning of the process (and some might say the easiest part)
Five sorts of people (at least) need to be hired to develop a commercially successful product a. Idea Generators (i.e., those who can sift through large
quantities of technological and market data to identify ‘innovations’) b. Gatekeepers & Boundary Spanners (who bring ideas from one
department, company or industry, to another) d. Champions (entrepreneurs, evangelists and other promoters of
new ideas, even though they may not have very great technical knowledge)
e. Sponsors (coaches and mentors that can clear the way politically for an innovation)
g. Project Managers
Delivering on 7-10 critical ‘Key Ratios’
This is what Investors and Venture Capitalists will look for The particular accounting statement measures That indicate whether your strategy is succeeding or not
The exact set of measures depends on your business model and your strategy
Competences:
E.g., Dell’s Hyper-efficient supply chain
Dell is relentless in negotiating the best prices from suppliers, and
driving those savings through the supply-chain.
To do that, Dell replaces inventory with information.
Competences:
E.g., The FedEx Way
Compete for customers
Using new technologies
i.e., the increasing size and speed of jets
That restructure the geography of space
time
money
Competences:
Fedex: Overnight Delivery
Smith reasoned that he could turn Post Office economics upside-down
Post Office delivery optimized distance traveled
time was not a critical value,
package handling was cheap.
Smith saw that new air technology could let him ignore distance traveled
… and instead, optimize speed and handling to create new market value
What is an Innovation Worth?
Value ‘Happens’ in the Future Your ‘Vision’ of the Innovation Firm is the best source of information about this
future value From the ‘Vision’ you derive your ‘Business Plan’ From your ‘Business Plan’ you derive your ‘Strategies’ ‘Strategies’ comprise ‘Real Options’ which are conditional particular ‘Events’ occurring
in the future The feasibility of each ‘Event’ is ultimately ‘Discovered’ at some point in the future
Finance and accounting are geared towards measuring the past Strategy is designed to plan and control the future
To select the correct innovations from our opportunity register We need to assess how good our strategy will be
This is why Strategy Drivers The basis of our key ratios Are the basis of value as well
The move towards A Resource Based View of Strategy
O u tco m es
P ro cesses
P r o f it- m ax im iz in g
E m er g en tD elib er a te
P lu r a l
C la ssica lE v o lu tio n a ry
S ystem ic P ro cessu a l
1970 s
1980 s
1 9 9 0 s
C lassica l M ilitary S tra tegy
Easy and Difficult Industries
Deciding on investments in core competences for the future is easy as you move to the left on the line below
It is nearly impossible as you move to the right
W h e r e to u s e F in a n c ia l D y n a m ic s(a n d w ha t k in d s of corp ora te a ssets or serv i ces g en era te v a lu e)
P roperty,M ortg ages,M in in g & E x tractiveIn du stries
U tilities &V oice T eleph on y
In su ran ce,E lectron ic M arkets& R isk M an agem en t
S of tw are,V ideo gam es,C in em a , M u sic,N ew s
D ata T eleph on y,G loba l N etw orkS ervices (e.g . , sh ipp in g )
C om m odityM an u factu rin g(e.g . , paper)
C om p lexM an u factu rin g(e.g . , ca rs, ch ip s)
L oca l S ervices(e.g . , L ega l,G overn m en t)
R eta ilin g ,E du ca tion &P u re R & D
B ran ded-L u xu ryM erch an d ise
M a in ly Ta n g ible A s s e t s M a in ly K n o wle dg e - I n ta n g ible A s s e t s
D C F & Tra dit io n a lV a lu a t io n M e th o ds a re A ccu ra te
Fin a n cia l D y n a m ics is Ne ce s s a ryfo r A ccu ra te V a lu a t io n
Uncertainty and Decision Milestones
The Real Options decision tree (left) assumes that the manager makes a decision, then finds out what happens
Where this fails is when the manager finds out what happens (or at least guesses what might happen) prior to making a decision
In this case, scenario analysis (right) is better suited for the task of dealing with uncertainty.
G o o d New s
B ad N ew s
In v e s t
D o n 't In v e s t
In v e s t
D o n 't In v e s t
Inv e s t
D o n 't In v e s t
G o o d N e w s
B ad N ew s
G o o d N e w s
B ad N ew s
Business Models:Tying Narrative to Numbers
What activities, operations and products are within the ‘scope’ of the valuation analysis? (Bubbles: depends on audience)
What are the significant environmental influences? (Boxes: major competitive forces outside management control)
How does value flow through the relevant scope of the analysis? (Arrows: value metric)
R & D
C u s to m erR elat io n s h ipM an ag em en t
Lab o r C u s to m er s
F act o ry
W o r k
Production
Investment
Innovations are either funded internally, Or by banks, shareholders, bondholders, and other 3rd
parties They all want to know “where they will make their
money”
Adaptive execution defers expenses until the latest possible date And tries to learn as much as possible about the product,
service, market, technology, customer, etc. as possible At the lowest possible investment cost
Entry Strategy
O p p o r tu n ityR eg is ter
In v e ntio n s
Ide a
s
Com
mercial O
pportunities
Inno va tio n
C o re C o m p etences :A ssessm ent & Investm ent
M ark et E ntra nce &C o m p etitive S tra teg y
A d ap tiveE x ecutio n
CompetitionWho is competing in this product market?
1. How you will measure the usefulness or attractiveness of your prodict’s Attributes to the target customer.
This performance metric should be a numerical measure
2. Who are your innovation’s top competitor in each of these three Attributes
a company marketing a competitive product or service Are these companies profitable? How big (approximately) is their business?
Think: Low-cost or Differentiated Products?
Every product or service has multiple competitors … there are no exceptions
Two Realities
Competitors simply cannot allow you to go unchallenged and must try to erode your position
Understanding where to create a competitive position that cannot easily overcome is thus essential
You are not only competing with other organizations in customer markets You are also competing with them in the capital markets for
critical funds that you need to build future competitive position
You Convince Competitors and Financiers By … Proving that your ideas can perform on Key Metrics (e.g., Profit)
Show me the money!
This raises the question: “What are the important Metrics?”
The answer is complex … and is not necessarily “Profit” Accounting metrics like Profit
Measure the Past Competitors and Financiers are interested in your future!
Future Profits, Revenues, etc. are Unknown
Thus Other Measures both needed and More Important than Profit!
Competitive ResponsesThink War
3 Questions Is this area important to them? Have they been increasing
their commitment here? Have they invested heavily in
this area?
Capacity Capacity HighHigh
Capacity LowCapacity Low
Commitment Commitment LowLow
Sleeping Dogs(track them)
Bystanders(monitor)
Commitment Commitment HighHigh
Combatants(Your main focus)
Skirmishers(selective in their responses due to resource limits; monitor)
Tactics
feint (fānt) noun
1. A feigned attack designed to draw defensive action away from an intended target. 2. A deceptive action calculated to divert attention from one's real purpose. See synonyms at artifice.
gam·bit (gămʹbĭt) noun
1. Games. An opening in chess in which a minor piece, or pieces, usually a pawn, is offered in exchange for a favorable position.
2. A maneuver, stratagem, or ploy, especially one used at an initial stage. 3. A remark intended to open a conversation.
on·slaught (ŏnʹslôt´, ônʹ-) noun
1. A violent attack. 2. An overwhelming outpouring: an onslaught of third-class mail.
gue·ril·la (gə-rĭlʹə) noun (warfare)
A member of an irregular, usually indigenous military or paramilitary unit operating in small bands in occupied territory to harass and undermine the enemy, as by surprise raids.
noun, attributive.Often used to modify another noun: guerrilla warfare; guerrilla tactics.
Entry Tactic
Business strategy was once only a military metaphor for corporate competition to enter a market It has since grown to become a more complex study
But in entering a market with an innovation, military metaphors are perfect
Entry tactics all have a common objective To avoid debilitating competitive interaction by using speed, skill
and surprise, rather than scarce startup resources.
A good entrance strategy achieves these objectives using imagination, innovation, creativity to outmaneuver
competitors … not resources.
Combatants
Market entry marks the point at which all of the investment and work on your innovation is put to the test
Almost every innovation competes against some existing product or service (usually many) produced by other firms
These firms fall into four categories major combatants (size and commitment), sleeping dogs (size only), bystanders (neither size nor commitment), and skirmishers (commitment but insufficient size).
You really only need to directly be concerned about major combatants But you will need to keep an eye on the others
Entry Tactic
Business strategy was once only a military metaphor for corporate competition to enter a market It has since grown to become a more complex study
But in entering a market with an innovation, military metaphors are perfect
Entry tactics all have a common objective To avoid debilitating competitive interaction by using speed, skill
and surprise, rather than scarce startup resources.
A good entrance strategy achieves these objectives using imagination, innovation, creativity to outmaneuver
competitors … not resources.
Market Entry Strategy Model
What are the major competitive forces molding managerial strategy which add to, or take away from ‘Value’?
What ‘levers’ (strategy drivers) can management pull to influence value added?
What is the functional relationship between value and the strategy drivers? (Define the ‘Strategy Model’)
Technology Choice
Technology is shared across all competitors. It offers: Efficiency (improved performance at the same cost) Quality Novelty Substitutes
What are the major technologies relevant to managerial strategy which add to, or take away from ‘Value’?
Disruptive Innovation
Four critical phases marking radical change in the photographic industry the critical phase when the alternative camera technology
became price competitive; critical mass, when complementarities set off a growth in
interest in the alternative technology; displacement of film cameras as the new digital cameras
finally outsold film cameras, and continued decline of digital camera prices to zero, causing
cameras to be placed in every product imaginable (in 2006 Nokia was the world’s largest seller of cameras by volume).
Disruptive Innovation:Exponential Growth of Performance and the Attack from below
Disruptive innovation: Digital Cameras
(4 collisions)
Disruptive innovation: Digital Cameras
(4 collisions)
Adaptive ExecutionDiscovery Driven Planning
Decide on an entry strategyAnticipating competitive behavior and response
Planning to learn when uncertainty is highRather than meeting objectives set in advanceAssessing your project as it unfolds
You can’t sell 10 until you sell 1Each of the early sales is an opportunity:
To test your attribute map and consumption chainTo learn about your product and customerTo innovate again and again
Milestones
Adaptive execution defers expenses until the latest possible date And tries to learn as much as possible about the product,
service, market, technology, customer, etc. as possible At the lowest possible investment cost
The vehicle to accomplish this is the ‘milestone’ A particular event: a deliverable at a point in time
Each milestone must trigger a test of one of your underlying assumptions about the business and product. You should always be able to specify an assumption test for
each milestone; The assumption test tells you what you have learned about your
innovation
Where are your Customers? Lead-steer customers
Opinion leaders in their industries Highly regarded by peers Customers with blogs, review or other sites
Use these customers’ enthusiasm to: Test your assumptions about attribute maps and consumption chains Use their success with your offering to sell others
Customer Risks
Learning (experience) curve Opportunity costs Failure or uncertain operation Employee resistance Legal and Environmental Quality & Perception
No Sales until ‘First 3 Sales’prioritizing the first few sales
Risk LowRisk Low Risk HighRisk High
Benefit LowBenefit Low 2nd Priority(make risk of not buying higher than of buying)
Forget it!
(postpone until
value or risk
Benefit HighBenefit High 1st Priority(easy sell)
3rd Priority(‘if it doesn’t work, send me the bill’)
Customers
The first three customers are the most important that your company will acquire for the innovation They will tell you what works and doesn’t work about your
innovation They will tell other customers whether they should buy your
innovation (the lead or steer other customers to your business, thus they are called lead-steer customers)
They are the only true test of the ‘experience’ of consuming your innovation.
Generic classes such as “teenagers,” or “scientists” are NOT acceptable Rather, you need to be able to state names
3M’s Model for adaptive execution
"Give it a try—and quick!"
When in doubt, vary, change, solve the problem, seize the opportunity, experiment, try something new (consistent, of course, with the core ideology) even if you can't predict precisely how things will turn out
Do something. If one thing fails, try another. Fix. Try.
Do. Adjust. Move. Act. No matter what, don't sit still.
3M’s Model for adaptive execution"Accept that mistakes will be made"
Darwin's key phrase: "Multiply, vary, let the strongest live, and the weakest die."
In order to have healthy evolution, you have to try enough experiments (multiply) of different types (vary), keep the ones that work (let the strongest live), and discard the ones that don’t (let the weakest die).
You cannot have a vibrant self-mutating system—you cannot have a 3M—without lots of failed ex periments.
Even the flops are valuable in certain ways.... You can learn from success, but you have to work at it;
A visionary company tolerates mistakes, but not "sins," that is, breaches of the core ideology.
3M’s Model for adaptive execution
"Take small steps."
It's easier to tolerate failed experiments when they are just that—experiments, not massive corporate failures.
small incremental steps can form the basis of significant strategic shifts.
If you want to create a major strategic shift in a company, you might try becoming an "incremental revolutionary"
harnessing the power of small, visible successes to influence overall corporate strategy.
3M’s Model for adaptive execution
“Give people the room they need."
A key step that enabled unplanned variation.
When you give people a lot of room to act, you can't predict precisely what they'll do
This is good.
Visionary companies decentralized more and provided greater operational autonomy than the comparison companies in twelve out of eighteen of Porros and Collins cases. (Five were indistinguishable.)
Corollary: Allow people to be persistent.