Month: June 2016

Peter Senge in his book the Fifth Discipline says; “executives need to realise that in this world of rapid change and increasing interdependence, learning is too important to be left to chance”.

While Senge wrote this book in 1995 these words are still very relevant today.

Creating an authentic learning organisation is not something that is left to the Human Resources department. This has to be an all-out effort from everyone involved in the business. Leaders must play their part but so too the employees.

Successful marketing is about developing a truly differentiated brand.

In my view a great brand start with amazing people. People are amazing when they are as developed as can be for the tasks they need to perform.

The conclusion is simple; if you want to have a great brand you need great people. Great people are on top of their game all the time. Great people embrace learning as part of their daily routine.

Therefore, to build and sustain a great brand, an organisation must build and sustain an authentic learning culture.

Ref: https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.solonline.org/resource/collection/0D48369E-E380-4F77-87DF-F37B4BB3D44E/Senge_(1996)_Leading_Learning_Organization.pdf

Every year a new buzzword does the rounds at boardroom tables. Last year ‘bespoke’ was the word I kept hearing… This year I regularly hear the word ‘disruption’ which is often linked to innovation.

The article published in the Harvard Business Review in December 2015 [R1512B] is the perfect reference for people that use these words, or hear the words and want to get a deeper understanding of the underlying theory. The authors Christensen, Raynor and Mac Donald lament that “the theory’s core concepts have been widely misunderstood and its basic tenents frequently misapplied”. They continue to explain that disruption is a process, often building new business models, sometimes succeeding and sometimes not. They further warn against the mantra “disrupt or be disrupted”.

Disruptive innovation certainly is a tool to consider. Using it wisely can be the answer to your business challenge or the route to your next business opportunity.

Ref: https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptive-innovation?cm_sp=Magazine%20Archive-_-Links-_-Previous%20Issues