HBR Innovation: Post #4: Customer-Centered

The Customer-Centered Innovation Map by Lance Bettencourt and Anthony Ulwick (originally published in 2008). We all “hire” products to get a job done. We hire/buy a cell phone to talk to people and a steak to fill our stomachs. “Job mapping” helps break down services and products by focusing on why the customer “hires” our product—turning customer input into innovation.  Jobs are a series of process steps. Watch customers to find out the critical steps.

HBR Innovation: Post #3Disruption

How GE is Disrupting Itself by Jeffery Immelt, Vijay Govingdarajan, and Chris Trimble (originally published in 2009). In 2009, GE said they would spend $3 billion on 100 new healthcare devices, including an ultrasound machine—for only $15 K—created for emerging foreign nations and then would sell them in the US. This idea is called reverse engineering. Innovation like this is necessary for GE so that other countries, like China, don’t beat them to the punch and the market. Such reverse engineering requires decentralization and local market focus, in direct contrast to many large US companies. Many new products are being developed for emerging economies—growing at 2-3 times the developed world. One key to success was local growth teams (LTG).

HRB Innovation: Post #2--Stop the Innovation Wars

Stop the Innovation Wars by Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble (originally published in 2010). Innovation teams separated from the company core sounds like a good idea to reduce friction, but these researchers have found a better way: Establish a mutually respectful partnership between the dedicated innovative team (pick the best people you can find—inside and outside the company) and the corporate performance engine—ongoing corporate operations that keep the lights on. This partnership must be managed by a deft leader who can keep both teams in balance and manage the natural conflicts that emerge. The performance team needs the innovative team—and vice versa—to both stay relevant to customers and stay afloat financially.

HRB Innovation: Post #1--Catalysts

The Innovation Catalysts by Robert Martin (originally published in June 2011). Intuit, the well-known software development company, saw its Net Promoter (would you refer the company to someone else) Scores falling. Scott Cook, founder and CEO, developed a team of 9 innovation catalyst coaches to help run experiments and learn from clients: “painstorming”—finding customer pain points; “sol-jam”— generating solutions; and “code-jam”— generating fast code to create fast prototypes for customers . The theory was to delight (Design for Delight) not just satisfy customers. Cook wanted to build design thinking into the company’s DNA. Innovation Catalysts were to spend 25% of their time on big payoff projects for Intuit.

The Psychology Book: Post #8--Difference

Psychology of Difference (Personality and Intelligence): The 20th century brought a renewed interest in the study of personality. From Francis Glaton’s investigation of individual differences, to Gordon Allport’s work in psychological interpretation, to the Myers Briggs MBTI, to Frijda’s work on emotions leading to action, and finally to the big five personality traits—the march of personality and difference has pressed forward well into the 21st Century and is going strong.

The Psychology Book: Post #7--Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology (From Infant to Adult): With Jean Piaget’s work in the 1930s, we began to see children developmentally, not just as miniature adults. His cognitive developmental theory set the foundation for others to follow like Lev Vygotsky (child’s social development); Erik Erickson (eight stages of psychological development); Kohlberg (6 strategies of moral development); and, Bandura (human behavior learned through modeling).

The Psychology Book: Post #6--Social Psychology

Social Psychology (Being in a World of Others): Social psychology developed in the 1930s and reflected on how people affect groups and vice versa. American Kurt Lewin is considered the father of social psychology. Lewin studied small groups and group dynamics. Today, social psychology dominates business and social organizations. Some key social theories: Lewin—You cannot understand a system until you try to change it; Asch’s theory of social conformity; Milgram’s work on conformity and authority, and more.

The Psychology Book: Post #5--Cognitive Psychology

Cognitive Psychology (The Calculating Brain): The second half of the 20th century focused on moving from behaviorism to cognitive processes, due in no small part to the computer. Also, advances in neuroscience helped clear the path for cognitive psychology by being able to trace mental processes directly through the brain. The “cognitive revolution” started in part at Harvard, where George Miller and Jerome Bruner cofounded the Center for Cognitive Studies at Harvard University. Work by Aaron Beck (joining behavioral therapy and meditation), Paul Ekman (work on facial expressions), and others such as Daniel Khaneman (problem solving and decision making) added to the discipline of cognitive psychology.

The Psychology Book: Post #4--Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy (The Unconscious Determines Behavior): While behaviorism overtook the US world of psychology, Europe took a separate path. Led by the teachings of Freud, Europeans focused on psychotherapy based on case histories vs. clinical tests. Eventually Freud’s work was supplanted by those like Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers who were more concerned with the “third force” which focused on creativity, self-actualization and personal freedom. In this section, there are particularly well developed summaries of Freud’s theory of the unconscious reality; Jung’s theory that the collective unconsciousness is made up of archetypes; and Carl Rogers’ theory that a good life is a process and not a state of being.

The Psychology Book: Post #3--Behaviorism

Behaviorism (Responding to Our Environment): In the 1890s, behaviorists attempted to legitimize the science of psychology, and psychology labs cropped up at universities. This section covers work from Edward Torndike’s laws of effect, to John Watson’s behaviorist manifesto, to Ivan Pavlov’s conditioning experiments, to BF Skinner’s operant conditioning, to Noam Chomsky’s cognitive revolution. Behaviorists studied the effects of external stimuli on people and animals while ignoring the inner mind, but by the 1900s there was a shift back to studying the mind and mental processes.

The Psychology Book: Post #2--Philosophical Roots

Philosophical Roots (Psychology in the Making): Starting with Descartes, the body and mind began to be separated as fields of study. Herbart, Darwin and others extended the discussion around concepts like nature vs. nurture. In 1879 Wilhelm Wundt established the first experimental laboratory in Germany, and psychology was founded—the study of the human mind and its functions. Be sure to read the sections on Wilhelm Wundt (German) and William James (American) and their monumental impacts on the birth and evolution of psychology.

The Psychology Book: Post #1--Overview

Overview: If you’re looking for a decent grounding in psychology, this book works. You
won’t be able to hang out your shingle and practice after poring over this thick but surprisingly easy-to-access textbook. The book covers the landscape of psychology from its philosophical roots to personality and intelligence. What I found most entertaining was the simple structure, especially the write-ups of the key psychologists. Take, for example, the review of Abraham Maslow (in the psychotherapy section).  The authors provide a section called “In Context” showing the theories both before and after Maslow to help readers understand the development and impact of his needs theory.  Of course, the authors included the obligatory Hierarchy of Needs—always worth another gander—as well as a picture and summary of Maslow’s life and key works. And the authors do this with rigorous consistency as they walk you through the development of psychology over the ages.

 The Psychology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained (2012, DK Publishing) by Nigel Benson, et al; reviewed by Steve Gladis, August 2013.

Give and Take: Post #11--Empathy

Empathy   This makes us see others as being like us. When we have a sense of oneness

with another, it leads us to help more, endure more. Giving away to others leads to more giving.  When we see someone in pain, 33% of people might respond, and if there’s a common identity trait (i.e., age, gender, race) between victim and helper, the number of people who respond goes up to 92 percent.

That's it for Give and Take....hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!

Give and Take: Post #10--Assertiveness

Assertiveness   Male MBA grads at Carnegie Mellon make 7.6% more salary based on work by Linda Babcock. Men are 8 times more likely to negotiate salary than women. Lack of assertiveness has selfless givers at a great disadvantage, and often women are more susceptible. However, in one experiment (Babcock) when women were asked to imagine themselves as mentors and negotiators, women outdid men by 14%!