Thursday, January 30, 2014

Blog Assignment #2

The company that I found while researching that is no longer competitive primarily because it lacks some kind of knowledge that is important to the customers is Blackberry. Blackberry pioneered the smartphone industry by being the first company to bring email and web surfing to phones. Their initial product offerings included a QWERTY keyboard and became very popular with business users. They used this same platform to release models geared toward regular consumers but failed to innovate. Apple and other companies that were making Android based phones that were touchscreen and app driven quickly dominated the market. Blackberry did respond to the competition by releasing touchscreen phones but their first (the Blackberry Storm) which was released in November 2008 (about 6 month after the 3g iPhone) was plagued with software and hardware issues and did not have Wi-Fi. Blackberry has limped along and actually released a decent phone called the Z10 recently but it has been poorly received. At the end of Q4 2013, Blackberry had less than 1% of the U.S. smartphone market. Blackberry’s earlier success may be an example of the network effect. When you think about it in the context of the technology lifecycle.

An "old" product or service or business that is still competitive because it accommodates the new market demand that I found was Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola is a worldwide-recognized brand that has consistently grown since its inception in 1886. The key to their success is that their core product is simply a good product and while its popularity has steadily grown around the world they have also diversified into other areas of the market. Diversification and acquisitions have been a significant factor in Coca-Colas success. They currently have 48 billion in revenue and 146,200 employees. The key to Coca-Colas success has been with keeping the pulse of the drink market. Coca-Cola’s website lists 112 brands that include energy drinks, water, vitamin water, regional and national soda brands and juices. 

References
http://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/2013/12/02/blackberry-us-market-share-falls-below-1-hits-zero-in-china/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-cola_company

Friday, January 24, 2014

Blog Assignment #1


The company that I decided to research about their reasons for success is Google. Google uses a “ground up” approach to employee empowerment that from what I read reminds me a lot of some of the characteristics of continuous improvement approaches such as the Toyota Production System (TPS). In an article entitled “Google's Secrets of Innovation: Empowering Its Employees” published in Forbes magazine it mentions multiple programs that are geared to “percolate” ideas upward. Internally they are referred to as “channels” and include Google Cafes, the ability to directly email company leaders, Google Moderator, Google+ conversations, TGIF (a weekly all hands meeting), Google Universal Ticketing Systems, Fixits, Internal innovation reviews, and multiple surveys. The reason that I draw a parallel between Google’s internal programs that drive their success and TPS is that when you look at any of the programs that Google uses individually they are an effective tool for employee empowerment which is also the driving force of TPS. When you look at the programs that Google has in place holistically it is easy to see how they have managed to create a culture that fosters innovation. It’s also important to note that most of these “channels” are effectively documenting tacit knowledge in addition to documenting new ideas and solving problems. In TPS, the organizational model is effectively inverted in that the people that actually do the jobs are involved in Kaizen events and are able to have direct involvement in the decision making process. It’s a formal process of tapping into the tacit knowledge and talent of all employees. What is interesting about Google's approach is that at face value the sheer number of “channels” may seem overwhelming or to be honest a little redundant but, when you think about it from the perspective of the individual some channels may be a better fit for an individual employee. When you think about the individual personalities within an organization having multiple avenues helps to pull in employees that may not participate in a single program.  
Google's Secrets of Innovation: Empowering Its Employees
http://www.forbes.com/sites/laurahe/2013/03/29/googles-secrets-of-innovation-empowering-its-employees/