The speech given by Steve Jobs at the Stanford University commencement was a very powerful speech if you actually listened and took in what he was trying to convey. He had no regrets in his decision to drop out of school so he could smell the cup of coffee called life. In that way, I am like him in that I have no regrets in giving up a different career I had prior to making the decision to come back to school full time and fore go the other path my life was headed. The first part of his speech was the confirmation people need when they make a life changing decision. I look at it as if others can do it, so can I.
The second part of his speech was about his company and overcoming personal hurdles. I took away the fact about chasing your dreams and keep pushing yourself to make the most of the chances you take. I also found that he was telling people to not get to frustrated about the setbacks we have in life. Roll with the changes and troubles, and just keep believing and doing what you love and it will work out for you.
And finally, the most important part was to enjoy life. We are not here for very long, and we should live every day to its fullest as if it could be our last. Enjoy the small moments that seem to happen every day and enjoy your passions in life. The other point was to not live life with regrets and disappointment. All in all, I found his speech to be motivational and inspirational in a reaffirming kind of way.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Design Thinking Innovation
Tim Brown has raised some very good ideas and thoughts when it comes to the theory of design thinking. He proposes that design thinking happens in three distinct stages. The first stage is inspiration; where we look at the world and observe. The idea is to observe what people are doing, and then look at constraints they may be facing, and then to sit back and for lack of a better term, brain storm some ideas in which technology may be able to help.
The next step in the process is the Ideation phase, where we design and test a prototype. The best way Brown states to do this is through the users testing the prototypes and not an outside entity. This is where the product will either continue or the next project is sought out instead. The idea behind ideation is to concoct scenarios, build creative frameworks, and apply integrative thinking while designing and building a prototype for testing.
The last phase of the design thinking process is the Implementation process. This is where the project has gone from the prototype stage to full blown implementation on a "live" platform. This stage also involves marketing and making the case to the business world through spreading the word about the product. Executing the vision is another way of stating the implementation stage.
Brown concludes that design thinking can lead to improved innovation. He gives us an example in his published writing of the India eye company whose vision is to improve the whole country's eye site one patient at a time. They are using design thinking as they set out to solve a very large problem not for a city but for one of the most populous countries on the planet.
The next step in the process is the Ideation phase, where we design and test a prototype. The best way Brown states to do this is through the users testing the prototypes and not an outside entity. This is where the product will either continue or the next project is sought out instead. The idea behind ideation is to concoct scenarios, build creative frameworks, and apply integrative thinking while designing and building a prototype for testing.
The last phase of the design thinking process is the Implementation process. This is where the project has gone from the prototype stage to full blown implementation on a "live" platform. This stage also involves marketing and making the case to the business world through spreading the word about the product. Executing the vision is another way of stating the implementation stage.
Brown concludes that design thinking can lead to improved innovation. He gives us an example in his published writing of the India eye company whose vision is to improve the whole country's eye site one patient at a time. They are using design thinking as they set out to solve a very large problem not for a city but for one of the most populous countries on the planet.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Norton and IBM
As I was researching the exact terminology and specifications for this blog on neural network technology, I did find a couple of interesting studies that were done. One was done with swimmers, but there was a lot of math and linear and non-linear regression being discussed in the study, and I was soon not quite in my element. However, I did find an interesting article regarding Symantec and IBM.
The article was a detailed explanation of the integration of IBM neural network technology with the patented Norton Anti-Virus technology. The purpose of the IBM neural network boot detection technology is to provide additional security by mimicking human neurons in learning the difference between infected and uninfected boot records. With the neural technology being shown so many viruses and non-viruses, the neural network learned to recognize viruses better than traditional hand-tuned human virus researchers. The system was shown to become faster and more reliable as time progressed.
Norton delivers this technology at no cost to its customers through its Live Update process. This process allows users of Norton to receive updates to the Virus definition database for free. This was an example of a company thinking ahead in time instead of looking back to design their future goals.
The article was a detailed explanation of the integration of IBM neural network technology with the patented Norton Anti-Virus technology. The purpose of the IBM neural network boot detection technology is to provide additional security by mimicking human neurons in learning the difference between infected and uninfected boot records. With the neural technology being shown so many viruses and non-viruses, the neural network learned to recognize viruses better than traditional hand-tuned human virus researchers. The system was shown to become faster and more reliable as time progressed.
Norton delivers this technology at no cost to its customers through its Live Update process. This process allows users of Norton to receive updates to the Virus definition database for free. This was an example of a company thinking ahead in time instead of looking back to design their future goals.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Chapter One: Embrace the Swarm
Kevin Kelly published his book, "New Rules for the New Economy" in 1999. His book seems to be foreshadowing for customers and companies. I found this chapter title to be intriguing, and the reason I chose to write about it. To me, embrace the swarm means to embrace technology, embrace a network of users interfacing, embrace the future and all the possibilities it holds.
Kelly talks about things that have already happened in less than 10 years. He talks about Playstation's being connected. Today, we have that with online gaming through Playstation and X-Box. We have online gaming connecting millions of gamers worldwide. With the advent of MySpace and Facebook, we have seen social network from its birth to becoming more and more advanced daily.
We have seen companies going from big back room servers to cloud computing. Technology is being embraced and that is the point Kelly was making with his introductory chapter. And we have seen companies that have failed to grasp and utilize technology effectively. Kelly makes the point that customers will be the driving force in the future and that seems to be the case in point we see today.
Kelly talks about things that have already happened in less than 10 years. He talks about Playstation's being connected. Today, we have that with online gaming through Playstation and X-Box. We have online gaming connecting millions of gamers worldwide. With the advent of MySpace and Facebook, we have seen social network from its birth to becoming more and more advanced daily.
We have seen companies going from big back room servers to cloud computing. Technology is being embraced and that is the point Kelly was making with his introductory chapter. And we have seen companies that have failed to grasp and utilize technology effectively. Kelly makes the point that customers will be the driving force in the future and that seems to be the case in point we see today.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
It's a flat, flat world
Thomas Friedman;s speech which coincided with the release of his book "The World is Flat" is a powerful, enlightening, and scary proposition he discusses. Friedman discusses in his speech the reason he felt compelled to write the book and goes over the first three chapters with the audience to give his perspective on the way he sees the globalization of the world.
If one agrees with the premise that the world is indeed getting flat with globalization occurring, then this can benefit a knowledge based company. To be successful as a knowledge based company, the company is going to have to be forward thinking. The days of thinking and projecting what can be successful in your own country are gone. To be successful, a company is going to have to be competitive globally. As the world gets flatter, the competition for consumers is going to increase. As Friedman clearly stated, the days of going global for your country ended a long time ago, and it is now the time of the individual going globally.
One other factor that is contributing to a more rapid pace of flattening of the world is what Friedman called the "steroids" of technology. As individual technology grows ever more powerful, the effect is going to be felt worldwide and at a faster pace. One example that is in the news as of late, is how fast news in other countries is posted to the web via You Tube or Twitter. This knowledge which used to take weeks or months to receive is practically available immediately after the incident happens. Technology is growing and companies need to stay at the tip of the technological spear to stay competitive. As discussed earlier in the Hallmark case, it is not feasible or practical to look at the past to see how to improve, Companies today must look forward to see how to grow and to decide on future operations.
As Friedman stated numerous times when discussing his book, while we were sleeping, the world has caught up with the US as far as being global competitors, and the future is how knowledge based companies react and respond to the flat world we all live in now.
If one agrees with the premise that the world is indeed getting flat with globalization occurring, then this can benefit a knowledge based company. To be successful as a knowledge based company, the company is going to have to be forward thinking. The days of thinking and projecting what can be successful in your own country are gone. To be successful, a company is going to have to be competitive globally. As the world gets flatter, the competition for consumers is going to increase. As Friedman clearly stated, the days of going global for your country ended a long time ago, and it is now the time of the individual going globally.
One other factor that is contributing to a more rapid pace of flattening of the world is what Friedman called the "steroids" of technology. As individual technology grows ever more powerful, the effect is going to be felt worldwide and at a faster pace. One example that is in the news as of late, is how fast news in other countries is posted to the web via You Tube or Twitter. This knowledge which used to take weeks or months to receive is practically available immediately after the incident happens. Technology is growing and companies need to stay at the tip of the technological spear to stay competitive. As discussed earlier in the Hallmark case, it is not feasible or practical to look at the past to see how to improve, Companies today must look forward to see how to grow and to decide on future operations.
As Friedman stated numerous times when discussing his book, while we were sleeping, the world has caught up with the US as far as being global competitors, and the future is how knowledge based companies react and respond to the flat world we all live in now.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
CISCO and Change
CISCO CEO John Chambers presentation given to MIT was during the recent recession felt around the globe, but especially hard here in the US. The first thing Mr. Chambers discusses is how companies or a nation should deal with a recession. The most important question is actually a statement in my opinion and that deals with being ready to hit the next recovery period running and with a plan. He also asks a question of who likes change and which is more important to a company, innovation or operational excellence. He makes the point to the audience that both are equally important for success in the long run, especially in the 12-18 months after a recession. This is where he brings a term called sustainable differentiation as it relates in how to make yourself different and more viable from your competitors.
Mr. Chambers states that it is far more important to get market transitions right then competing directly with your competitors. He believes that change is everywhere, and you need to be prepared or get left behind. He also stated that his organization functions better when they utilize a functional committee vs. a typical organizational committee. His main points all relate to how CISCO is performing and is ready for the next wave if technology. One of his main points seemed to focus on the two words, speed and skill. Being ready and being prepared and being adaptable will bring success if you are ready for it.
Mr. Chambers states that it is far more important to get market transitions right then competing directly with your competitors. He believes that change is everywhere, and you need to be prepared or get left behind. He also stated that his organization functions better when they utilize a functional committee vs. a typical organizational committee. His main points all relate to how CISCO is performing and is ready for the next wave if technology. One of his main points seemed to focus on the two words, speed and skill. Being ready and being prepared and being adaptable will bring success if you are ready for it.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Knowledge Creation within Nucor Steel
Nucor Steel is one of the top ranked steel companies in the world. They have achieved this status through the knowledge conversion process. Specifically, the knowledge creation involved in the spiral effect of knowledge management has allowed Nucor to succeed in a highly capital intensive environment. The vision CEO Ken Iverson had for Nucor was a process in which accumulating knowledge would be key for success.
Nucor Steel mills are built with an ideal employee base of 250-300 employees. This allows for knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation to be managed and handled at a smaller level. The smaller number of employees also creates and fosters a "family" type atmosphere. This is due to knowledge retention in Nucor Steel. Employees are never laid off, and have life time employment. The longer you are with someone, the more you develop a bond with someone. And since the mills are not that large, the reality of knowing someone fairly well increase substantially.
Knowledge identification and outflow are also implemented at Nucor Steel. Bonuses are tied to output generated by a team of workers, not individual output. Also, to achieve the bonus, it requires thought process by the operators involved as well as management on how to improve or invent a better process to achieve a bonus. Conversely, when the economy is in a recession, layoffs do not happen, but hours are reduced at the plant, which means lower wages for the employees, but the management takes a bigger cut of wages, resulting in a "share the pain" mentality which fosters respect and loyalty throughout the mill.
Nucor Steel also does its own improvements to its mills. When remodeling a mill, the process involves everyone involved from the operator to the supervisor to the plant manager. This knowledge transmission ensures the task is done in the most efficient way and feedback is gathered from all involved parties to ensure the remodeling occurs to what is best for the mill and generates the most productive output possible.
Through the use of spiraling knowledge, Nucor Steel has shown how successful a manufacturing process can be when everyone is involved. They have consistently grown in size since their inception in the 1960's and with over 1200 people waiting in line to apply for 8 jobs, that is an indicator of how much people want to work for Nucor.
Nucor Steel mills are built with an ideal employee base of 250-300 employees. This allows for knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation to be managed and handled at a smaller level. The smaller number of employees also creates and fosters a "family" type atmosphere. This is due to knowledge retention in Nucor Steel. Employees are never laid off, and have life time employment. The longer you are with someone, the more you develop a bond with someone. And since the mills are not that large, the reality of knowing someone fairly well increase substantially.
Knowledge identification and outflow are also implemented at Nucor Steel. Bonuses are tied to output generated by a team of workers, not individual output. Also, to achieve the bonus, it requires thought process by the operators involved as well as management on how to improve or invent a better process to achieve a bonus. Conversely, when the economy is in a recession, layoffs do not happen, but hours are reduced at the plant, which means lower wages for the employees, but the management takes a bigger cut of wages, resulting in a "share the pain" mentality which fosters respect and loyalty throughout the mill.
Nucor Steel also does its own improvements to its mills. When remodeling a mill, the process involves everyone involved from the operator to the supervisor to the plant manager. This knowledge transmission ensures the task is done in the most efficient way and feedback is gathered from all involved parties to ensure the remodeling occurs to what is best for the mill and generates the most productive output possible.
Through the use of spiraling knowledge, Nucor Steel has shown how successful a manufacturing process can be when everyone is involved. They have consistently grown in size since their inception in the 1960's and with over 1200 people waiting in line to apply for 8 jobs, that is an indicator of how much people want to work for Nucor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)