Lessons from Apple and the Swiss Watch makers

Premise: I read this post that shared the fact that in the previous quarter, Apple sold more watches than all Swiss watch makers put together. I personally think that this is a pivot point in the watch industry and there is a lot that other entrenched players can learn from how the Swiss watch makers missed the plot.  Why is this important: Typically, the Swiss watch makers are considered to be the best watch makers with brands like TagHeuer, Rolex, Breitling, etc coming out from there. It took decades of innovations and millions of dollars in advertising for the Swiss […]

PBTO S2E4: Rethinking Vertical Movement Inside a Building

http://traffic.libsyn.com/pushingbeyondtheobvious/2-04_PBTO_S2E4__The_Journeyof_the_Creation_of_a_Unique_Product_-_Vycle.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Email | RSSWho is on the show: In this episode we host architect and product designer Elena Larriba. She works at the intersection between art, science and design. Her curiosity leads her to investigate new concepts, technologies and techniques which she blends together in novel experiments merging engineering, design and craft. Why is she on the show: She is the designer of a vertical movement product called Vycle, which is a hybrid version of a cycle and an elevator and can be used for vertical movement. She has since this conversation gone on to […]

Mime Artists & A City’s Transformation

I came across a story that could potentially be a Hollywood blockbuster. This is the story of a mayor who transformed an entire city, an unruly one into one that learnt to follow rules. He did this by breaking all the rules about how a politician should look like or behave like. And the entire transformation of the city started by getting “Mime” artists performing on the street. Problem: To understand the extent of the ingenuity, lets first try to comprehend the problem that was being tackled (sounds a lot like our cities): Lots of people dying on the roads […]

Book Review – Three Box Solution

Name of the book: The Three Box Solution: A Simple Framework for                    leading  innovation Author of the book: Vijay Govindarajan Publisher: HBR Press Overall Rating: 4/5 Implementability of ideas: 4/5 This is a book about how to lead innovation in an organisation. The framework that Vijay suggests is simple to learn and keep in mind. As he rightly says in his book, easy to remember doesn’t mean easy to implement. Leading innovation isn’t easy either. However, the simplicity of the framework is a big plus. No need to remember complicated stuff. […]

Quest for the elusive Innovation Framework

Premise: I have read countless blog posts, wrote a few myself, watched videos, did innovation courses, read books on innovation, all in the quest to learn what makes innovation happen and if there is a way to institutionalize innovation. While there are people who claim that they can do so, I have come to the decision that it is an elusive quest, one that we may never be able to complete. Innovation and Parenting: As is usual, when I was taking a walk post lunch today, I was thinking about innovation and if there is a way to institutionalize it. […]