Amazon.com Reviews
How would you classify a book that begins with the salutation, "People of Earth..."? While the captains of industry might dismiss it as mere science fiction, The Cluetrain Manifesto is definitely of this day and age. Aiming squarely at the solar plexus of corporate America, authors Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger show how the Internet is turning business upside down. They proclaim that, thanks to conversations taking place on Web sites and message boards, and in e-mail and chat rooms, employees and customers alike have found voices that undermine the traditional command-and-control hierarchy that organizes most corporate marketing groups. "Markets are conversations," the authors write, and those conversations are "getting smarter faster than most companies." In their view, the lowly customer service rep wields far more power and influence in today's marketplace than the well-oiled front office PR machine.
The Cluetrain Manifesto began as a Web site (www.cluetrain.com) in 1999 when the authors, who have worked variously at IBM, Sun Microsystems, the Linux Journal, and NPR, posted 95 theses that pronounced what they felt was the new reality of the networked marketplace. For example, thesis no. 2: "Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors"; thesis no. 20: "Companies need to realize their markets are often laughing. At them"; thesis no. 62: "Markets do not want to talk to flacks and hucksters. They want to participate in the conversations going on behind the corporate firewall"; thesis no. 74: "We are immune to advertising. Just forget it." The book enlarges on these themes through seven essays filled with dozens of stories and observations about how business gets done in America and how the Internet will change it all. While Cluetrain will strike many as loud and over the top, the message itself remains quite relevant and unique. This book is for anyone interested in the Internet and e-commerce, and is especially important for those businesses struggling to navigate the topography of the wired marketplace. All aboard! --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
From four of the liveliest personalities on the Web comes a provocative, outrageous, and wickedly smart account of what it will take to prosper in the fast-forward world on the wire. This nationally acclaimed best seller is a spirited, original, and wonderfully irreverent conversation that will challenge, provoke, and forever change your outlook on the digital economy. A rich tapestry of anecdotes, object lessons, parodies, insights, and predictions, The Cluetrain Manifesto illustrates how the Internet has radically reframed the seemingly immutable laws of business--and what business needs to know to weather the seismic aftershocks.
"An earnest plea for a new kind of language and new expectations for the Web.... While others work on turning the Internet into the perfect medium for reaching traditional business goals, these four Net-philes hope cyberspace will give commerce a 'human voice.'" -Harvard Business Review
"For every retail or consumer-products company wondering why its Internet marketing doesn't seem to be working, The Cluetrain Manifesto...offers fresh and sound advice, expressed in entertaining prose. Its oft-repeated premise--that markets are conversations--should be pounded into the collective brain of corporate executives." -Business Week
Customer Reviews:
A for ideas, D- for persuasion.......2007-09-27
This influential book lays out the reasons why companies need to replace corporate speak and marketing puff with online conversations. The reasons are compelling, but the way the authors make their case won't win them many converts. They go on the attack with scathing gusto, dismissing "Fort Business" as a bunch of obsolete buffoons and/or swindlers. Strangely, these buffoons and swindlers are the very people Cluetrain hopes to convert to an entirely new way of thinking.
Looking past the rhetoric, Cluetrain really does make some crucial points. Here are a few that stood out to me -
1. The control mentality of management doesn't work in a wired world where people and information are easily and instantly connected.
2. Companies pay too much attention to competitors and not enough to customers.
3. If companies did pay attention to customers, they'd discover that customers want "Authenticity, honesty, and personal voice ..." (p. 51) Companies mistakenly view customers as consumers instead of people. We don't exist to consume (hopefully).
4. "Positioning should help a company become what it is, not something it's not (no matter how cool it would be)." (p. 99)
5. You can't bluff about your company or products online. People will find you out.
6. The Web challenges formal corporate organizational structures. People can connect and collaborate with whomever they need to in order to get the job done. The Web values competence over position.
Of course, all of this was just as true before the Web. However, the Web has magnified their importance. Today, the penalties for ignoring the Cluetrain principles are stiff, and the rewards are huge, and in the years ahead - even more so.
For a gentler and more balanced assessment of conversations in business and the new marketing rules, try Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers and The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly.
A little dated now, but still right on.......2007-09-07
Cluetrain is an odd and irreverent book. The tone of the time was probably a shock to most readers back when originally published in 2001, and even still it upholds some wry quirkiness the authors were going for as they wrote about the future of the Web. Much has changed in the world of Web since the manifesto was released, and I'm certain, not all of it to the authors liking. The web has become much more corporatized, ecommerce much more like traditional commerce and online marketing shows some vast similarities to off-line marketing. The current web isn't quite what the authors anticipated!
But much of what the authors preach about the web being a conversation is still so very true. And amazingly, many businesses still have not figured that out. While business on the web may bear some resemblance to the off-line world, it's still a very different place. That's what Cluetrain is all about.
Cluetrain will help you understand that the same old processes and strategies that worked off-line for some many years, need not apply here. While there are many similarities, online and offline marketing operate very differently. The book will put you in the mindset to realize that marketing on the web can be done with new ideas, fresh strategies, and most importantly, on a person-to-person level. Throw the corporate play book away. It's time to build a new playbook entirely.
Markets are conversations.......2007-04-27
Having grown up with high-speed internet as an expected must have, this book serves as an interesting reminder of the days I have missed. Multiplayer games, cross-referencing product review on web forums, asking other internet users for advice on products, all the things that seem natural today are in many ways changing the rules of the marketing game, and Cluetrain is all about this dynamic: markets are conversations. Broadcast media is once again being replaced by an older strategy of person-to-person contact, instead of a one way marketing stream.
Some of the information is slightly outdated, some of the sections are plain wacky, but it's an interesting work nonetheless, especially if you're into marketing.
A manifesto for corporate communication in the Internet age.......2007-02-25
Reading the "Cluetrain Manifesto" today is like reading an historic document. The book fuses the countercultural ethos of the 1960s with the go-go business dynamics of the 1990s. Written during the height of the Internet boom, the authors forecast the end not only of corporate marketing, but of traditional corporations altogether. They predicted a transition to an Internet-enabled marketplace of bartering and bantering individuals. The book's pages contain a wealth of overstatement, hyperbole, and provocation (as many have already noted). The flurry of lawsuits based on offhand email (`evidence mail') which emerged after the Internet crash have reemphasized the need for the caution and disclaimers to which the authors so passionately objected.
The basic message of the book remains fresh and contemporary, however. "Markets are conversations." Corporations should encourage those conversations, not inhibit them. It's clear that many corporations still haven't gotten the point. Some companies still require that customers sign pointless non-disclosure agreements to talk with their representatives and other customers about their products. Other companies treat their websites like big, glossy advertising brochures instead of centers of community. Still others issue the bland and senseless press releases derided by the Cluetrain Manifesto to their customers, leaving bloggers to read between the lines and to speculate about what's really going on inside the company.
But some of the largest corporations have clearly gotten the message--or at least a tempered form of it. The best way to cultivate loyalty and confidence among consumers is to become more transparent by allowing conversations to take place not simply between consumers and public relations representatives, but between people working with products and people designing those products. Microsoft's Channel 9 is a good example of a corporation sponsoring an online community that connects individuals to individuals. While this kind of marketing will doubtlessly always be somewhat messy and make some P.R. folk uneasy, it's far more effective than the business-as-usual approach of issuing sanitized press releases to an anonymous group of `consumers.' For the wakeup call that communications between human beings should take place in human voices we are still in these authors' debt.
outdated .......2007-01-03
Good Overview of where things are coming from and a good couple insights. Concepts are not outdated but some of the information is.
Product Description
Mashup Corporations: The End of Business As Usual tells the tale of Vorpal Inc., a company that pioneers the implementation of service-oriented architecture to transform its business model. CEO Jane Moneymaker believes in marketing manager Hugo Wunderkinds idea of creating a new market using non-traditional methods based on mashups, but struggles to achieve this vision. The story illustrates what it takes to achieve cultural change, overturning established business and IT structures. By embracing a service-oriented approach Moneymaker makes Vorpal faster, flexible and more responsive, bringing an end to business as usual. Mashup Corporations takes a unique approach to communicating its message. From the first page, readers will find themselves in a story populated with people who interact in ways that will ring true to others who have struggled to make technology work in an organization large or small. The conflicts that naturally arise between CEOs, CIOs, and line of business managers illustrate the important issues at stake within Vorpal and most other companies. As the leaders of Vorpal find their way out of their predicament, rules about how mashups and service-orientation can be properly applied emerge. These rules, which may be the most enduring contribution of the book, are illustrated and analyzed using real-life examples.
Customer Reviews:
Service Oriented Business Change Explained .......2007-05-30
I like this little book because it uses a simple very real example from the idea to the quickly hacked proof of concept to the integration of that new business process into the whole enterprise business system.
You read it and realize that oh wow, this kind of things are already happening in our organization and it will only get bigger. If you want to continue to be successful you have to service orient your enterprise organization too.
It is crystalizing what Enterprise SOA is all about and why this is urgent.
If I were tasked to implement a service oriented architecture at a client or want to get my company being more agile, I would give out this book to everyone involved.
SOA for the layman..........2007-01-25
As a technologist I'm often left trying to explain to non-technology centric business folks why SOA is important to them and how it will impact their business. This book is a quick read and does the job very well!
Book Description
Meet the innovators and upstarts who are inventing the future of business. Their unconventional ideas and groundbreaking strategies can become your business plan for the twenty-first century—a better way to lead, compete, and succeed.
Business as usual is a bust. In industry after industry, the old guard is cutting back and losing ground. Meanwhile, organizations that were once dismissed as upstarts, or "mavericks," are making waves and growing fast. The only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something truly original.
That's the lesson behind the companies, executives, and entrepreneurs you'll meet in Mavericks at Work. They have devised exciting new answers to the timeless challenges facing organizations of every size and leaders in every field: how you make strategy, unleash new ideas, connect with customers.
Their success demonstrates that:
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Being different makes all the difference
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The company with the smartest customers wins
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Great leaders are insatiable learners
Mavericks at Work will help you to think bigger, aim higher, and win more decisively.
Read by Barrett Whitener
Customer Reviews:
Among the Best Business Books you will ever read - BUY IT NOW!!!!.......2006-12-05
This book is nothing short of wonderful. It is enthralling. You will probably not be able to put it down. The bottom line is that this book is about BEST PRACTICES in younger companies, some of which are not so young. You won't find the secrets of IBM's turnaround here, but you will find other secrets of IBM that are mind-blowing. This book is about cutting edge people doing cutting edge things. They are innovators. They are exciting. They are making things happen. It's about a unique group of people finding BEST PRACTICES and IMPLEMENTING THEM.
I read at least a book a day. I run money for a living, and it has afforded me the opportunity to do what I want. What I love to do is just absorb information from a multitude of disciplines. You have to be efficient about it. I strive to not be involved with repetitive tasks. I NEED the new and innovative constantly. Most people unfortunately spend their days doing the same thing over and over again. Even heart surgery becomes ROUTINE after a while.
In the business world, companies seek to develop routines and then have their employees fit into the routine, and do the same thing over and over again. Donald Trump, years ago mentioned in a meeting, "Your business is fascinating, it's Wall Street, it's something new every day. My business is the same thing over and over again. I know the price of a pound of concrete, and a pound of steel, but your business changes all the time." He was completely right, which brings us to Mavericks at Work.
The reason why you want to read this book is because it is going to VASTLY ACCECELERATE your understanding of BEST PRACTICES in the business world. You will meet the Chairman of Commerce Bank, one of the fastest growing banks in the United States. In the book, he states that his favorite book is Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Guys Grew The Home Depot from Nothing to $30 Billion, written by Bernie Marcus, and Arthur Blanc the two gentlemen that started Home Depot. How valuable it is to have that input. This alone was worth the entire price of the book. Commerce Bank gives the book to everyone they hire. It is required to read it from cover to cover.
Some of the fantastic concepts you will learn about in Mavericks at Work include:
· Why does your company exist? Most companies can't even answer the question. The answer usually given is to make money, which clearly is not the right answer.
· The magic of OPEN SOURCE thinking. A Canadian gold mining company has to try to figure out how to spend $10 million looking for additional gold on their properties. What do they do? They violate every rule in the book by putting a contest on the Internet asking all the great geologists of the world to enter into a contest to submit a plan as to how to spend the $10 million.
The company sets aside $500,000 to allocate prize money, plus an awards dinner for the best submissions. The results blow away the expectations. This is open source thinking at its best. In the future, the whole world is going to go this way. The best thinking for your company is OUTSIDE your company. The question is how to access it.
· There's the story of ING Direct. A huge INTERNET based bank that is violating every rule of traditional banking imaginable. The result is that they are creating 5 to 10 times as many deposits per employee as every other player in the game.
· It's Not TV, it's HBO - You will be mesmerized by how HBO does it. How does HBO take what has turned out to be a copycat industry, and year in year out create NEW, INNOVATIVE shows? It's just incredible to see how they stay ahead of the curve in the fiercest industry there is.
· One company asks itself this question every day. What are 10 reasons why we are going to go out of business? They then do whatever they have to do to make sure those reasons aren't valid for their company.
· One company has a WOW Department. They have employees fighting to get into the department whose responsibility is to implement policies that will make the customer go WOW. Who thinks like this? Do you think Sears is doing this kind of thinking? What about the cable company down the street? Forget about it. In the book we have unique people doing unique things.
You are going to love this book. I not only read it and underlined it, and annotated the margins; I also bought the audio version. Let me spend a moment on audio books, in case you haven't tried them. If you are currently listening to FM radio during your car time, you are wasting your time. This is valuable time, and you have to use it productively. You don't want to be a ZOMBIE in your world, no matter what you do. Listening to a recorded version of a book is nothing short of fantastic.
I probably spend about an hour a day listening to recorded versions of books on different concepts. It may be something like this book, Mavericks at Work. It could be courses. I do a lot of courses including some of the best professors in the business. From ancient Greek philosophy to 20th century Mid East relations, it doesn't matter; you need to keep your brain alive.
As far as Mavericks at Work is concerned, I found the audio version to be fabulous. You also as a rule want a professional reader to be doing the audio version as opposed to the author. Most of these authors should stick to writing. They have no business doing the audio versions. There are exceptions. If you have an interesting speaker who is also the author, than by all means get that version. As an example if Bill Clinton was dictating his own book on the audio version which he did, you would want that version.
In Mavericks at Work, they used a professional speaker. It made all the difference in the world. When I did the written version, I found that the audio version basically covered it all. This has something to do with filler. If you have a knowledge of the publishing industry than you will know that many publishers tell the author I need 400 pages in this book. Even if the author doesn't have 400 pages, he will have to create it. Many books can have a lot of filler in them. In the audio version, they can distill it down to its vital essence. No matter what version you used, you will want to get hold of Mavericks at Work, and devour it. Make it your own.
Richard Stoyeck
Book Description
Kevin and Jackie Freiberg’s previous book, Nuts!: Southwest Airline’s Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, described the unconventional leadership that made Southwest an airline industry dynamo. In GUTS!, the Freibergs look at twenty-five gutsy and extraordinarily successful businesses and introduce the chief executives who are creating a new corporate ethos that blows the doors off business-as-usual.
Drawing on five years of research, the Freibergs provide a behind-the-scenes look at these intensely focused, passionate, and unconventional leaders and their companies. Among them:
• James Blanchard, CEO of Synovus Financial, a financial services giant with more than 16 billion dollars in assets
• Roy Spence, Jr., President of GSD&M Advertising, which AdWeek magazine named Southwest Agency of the Year seven times
• James Goodnight of SAS, a world leader in intelligence software
Although the leaders in the book represent a wide-range of industries, they share a common vision: They see business as a heroic cause and understand that good leadership isn’t a matter of position, but of influence. They reject hierarchical rules, rituals, and expectations, and have replaced in-the-box management with a culture based on passion and innovation. They regard their employees not as “human resources,” but as individuals with unique gifts and talents. And make everyone in the company responsible for the company’s brand and culture.
An exciting follow-up to Nuts!, which has sold nearly 500,000 copies in hardcover and paperback, GUTS! proves that it is possible to have fun, live your values, and still make money.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
For all managers.......2006-04-14
Guts! Companies that blow the doors off business-as-usual" should be read by everyone who manages other people. It is not the ultimate training manual for management but there are a lot lessons to be learned from it. Managers need to know that being fun, innovative and caring does not make you soft or ineffective or whatever it is you are afraid of revealing. In fact, it could be the complete opposite. Being an employee and never in the position of management, I believe almost every employee would respond positively to a boss who shows heart. Every manager should read this book and ask themselves, why can't I do that for my employees? What is it that I am afraid will happen if I show a little flexibility? What do my employees really need to make them productive and committed to our mission, flexible hours, day care, an indoor exercise gym? Taking care of your employees so they will take care of you is not a new idea. However, managers frequently forget this fact and need to be reminded over and over again. This book proves that management and staff can both enjoy their jobs and be profitable too! Just show a little guts and try something different.
Guts spilling all over..........2006-01-01
Superficial treatment of subjects. Tired examples (How many times can we read about Southwest & SAS?). Very little new or inspiring in this book. Two thumbs down.
A quick peek inside some successful organizations.......2005-04-27
The husband-and-wife time of Kevin and Jackie Freiberg offer up a book filled with leadership advice built around stories of successful companies ranging from SAS to Whole Foods, Southwest Airlines to Synovus.
In general, I'm skeptical of business books which profile large companies written by people who have never run a large company. First, there's the "do as I say, not as I do (or have done)" credibility gap. And second, this genre tends to attribute too much of a company's overall success or failure to a single personality.
Having said that, I think the Freibergs have done a decent job of wrapping their high-level advice (e.g., create a sense of ownership, lead with love, make business heroic) around stories and interviews that are engaging, well-written, and carefully selected to make their point. And it's always intriguing to learn how a name-brand organization got its start.
On the other hand, be prepared for some dramatic (over-?)simplification of complex realities. The company case studies are less case studies and more one-dimensional illustrations the authors carefully package to make the point they want to make. Sometimes it feels just a little glib, as in "let me tell you this cute story that just so happens to illustrate the general leadership principle I'm pushing in this chapter."
My favorite chapter was about how gutsy leaders lead with love. As a person of faith, I find the idea of servant leadership (popularized by authors such as Robert Greenleaf and Peter Vail) powerful and resonant with my own religious beliefs. I also enjoyed the chapter on how effective leaders tie their organization's mission to a heroic cause. To illustrate this point, the authors tell the story of how one teacher's (Sandra McBrayer) heroic vision to teach homeless kids galvanized the San Diego community to build an entire school for disdvantaged kids called Monarch High School (complete with its own restaurant created with the help of Ralph Rubio, cofounder and CEO of Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill).
The book is visually attractive -- not quite as arresting as Tom Peter's new book called "Re-imagine!", but the layout, color, pull quotes, and photos call attention to the main points well.
Overall, it's worth a quick read for some interesting stories and a few ideas to consider as you think about how to improve your own organization's culture.
Why bother?.......2004-02-20
Why bother to read a book when a review alone clearly indicates that the author didn't do their homework. For example, according to other reviews, this book describes SAS as one of the most spectacular companies. However, that is just the company's excellent PR at work. Obviously there was nothing resembling investigative journalism. To include SAS in this book when there is a wealth of unethical behavior, payoffs, etc. going on there is just lazy work by the authors and questions the entire book's credibility.
Inspiration Food!.......2004-02-13
When you're looking for inspiration to lead your team, this is the perfect food.Be prepared for generous servings of pride of ownership,innovative approaches,hard work and a caring,human touch combined with gutsy risk-taking ability! The recipe works for all customers, whatever their mood,appetite or circumstances.
On the surface,it appears to be the opposite of "Neutron Jack's" 'tough-guy'approach but deep down they both share a common management style-cherishing and valuing employee contributions at all levels.
Book Description
A quick overview of TRIZ and how to use it to make innovation a core competency.
Did you know that many of the world's most successful companies have a secret weapon? It's called TRIZ, or the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. Another way to think of it is innovation by analogy. For companies like Procter and Gamble, Ford, Exxon, Hewlett Packard, Samsung, Motorola and others, innovation by analogy is a better way to overcome the barriers that stand in the way of product, process and business breakthrough.
Insourcing Innovation demonstrates why innovation should be a core competency of every corporation, and why it's best to cultivate innovation capability from within rather than outsourcing it. The book points out the fundamental flaws of how most companies go about innovating, and details a way to fix them. It also presents the big picture of performance excellence, and shows where TRIZ fits into that picture.
Not often does a book circumvent platitudes to give you the real guts and process for making innovation commonplace. This book does just that, and those who read it will understand innovation for what it should be - not a rare occurrence but a predictable event.
Customer Reviews:
Growth Through Innovation Strategy.......2007-09-18
If your business goals include increasing the returns on your innovation investments, I would strongly recommend this book. Insourcing Innovation provides a clear overview of the business issues involved in a growth through innovation strategy.
After the business issues of innovation are discussed, the tactical and strategic aspects of the highly effective TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) structured innovation methodology are covered. The book ends with a synthesis of the TRIZ method into a total performance excellence model.
It is often said, "That of all the major functions of most companies, innovation has the most competitive value and is managed with the least discipline." In Insourcing Innovation, the authors present a structured innovation methodology to resolve this vital business issue.
In the study of innovation, there is also evidence that financial commitment to R&D is no substitute for creativity, analysis, and disciplined management. The methodology in Insourcing Innovation presents a structure for managing creativity and analysis in pursuit of R&D and innovation gains.
The book is divided into four parts. Part One presents the business benefits of having a structured innovation methodology. A framework for business excellence and the highlights of TRIZ are also covered.
Part Two presents the specifics of tactical TRIZ. In this section, is a discussion of how Psychological Inertia prevents real innovation from taking place in organizations. In Part Two are several case examples of how TRIZ has been implemented at different organizations. This section ends with a detailed look at how TRIZ was used to solve a number of problems in the development of a self-heating beverage container.
Part Three discusses the strategic aspects of structured innovation using TRIZ. The eight evolutionary forces defined under TRIZ are covered along with a strategic TRIZ methodology. The importance of using these forces in the creation of a technology roadmap is also covered.
Part Four discusses how a structured approach to innovation fits within the framework of total performance excellence. A total performance model is presented that shows how tactical and strategic TRIZ would work within an organization's drive for operational and strategic leadership.
The strength of the book is in demonstrating how TRIZ works and how a structured innovation methodology fits within a total performance excellence model. Just enough technical information is presented so that the reader will be comfortable with the process.
Innovation is a skill you want as many people within your organization to understand and hopefully master. The examples presented in Insourcing Innovation provide a basic understanding of the type of skills and thinking required to implement both tactical and strategic TRIZ.
One of the highlights of the book is the comparison tables of Business as Usual versus Business as Exceptional at the end of each chapter. These tables serve two functions. First, they effectively summarize the material from the chapter. Secondly, The Business as Exceptional Column demonstrates the TRIZ concept of the Ideal Final Result (IFR) as it applies to business activities.
If you want to grow your business through innovation by using a proven and reliable methodology, I would highly recommend this book. Insourcing Innovation shows how to make innovation more manageable, effective, and profitable.
A taste of things to come.......2006-04-20
This book does an excellent job of presenting a vision for a Grand Unification Theory of business excellence. Just as theoretical physicists seek the one theory that explains the underlying workings of everything in the universe, this book uses TRIZ, the theory of inventive problem solving, as the link that brings innovation theory together with speed, quality, and cost. The vision presented by the authors is compelling.
The book blends an overview discussion of TRIZ theory with a variety of specific examples, demonstrating how the application of the methods leads to real-world breakthrough thinking. If there is a weakness to the book, it is in its length - 150 pages is simply not enough to present anything but a tantalizing overview. Hopefully, it will serve as the sample tasting that lures the business world to the banquet TRIZ has to offer.
Admittedly, I have been a fan of TRIZ for a number of years. Judging by the number of books and conferences and seminars and consultancies there are to guide businesses through innovation, there is a deep hunger for a consistent, systematic way discovering and delivering innovative ideas to the marketplace. Whether TRIZ proves to be THE answer, or just a really good tool, will need to be proven out over time. "INsourcing Innovation" sure makes the former scenario seem like the one to bet on.
Insourcing Innovation will give you traction.......2005-12-07
Insourcing Innovation puts things in perspective. It is a great book to help business people understand the importance of Structured Innovation. Once they understand the Structured Productivity and Structured Quality movements, the Structured Innovation movement will be clear to them. I have already converted several managers with the book.
You can't teach TRIZ with a book, and that's not the goal of the book. Having said that, I will be using the book as a required text in my "Creativity and Innovation in Management" course (which is a required course for the Master of Arts in Creativity and Innovation at the University of Malta - I am a Visiting Lecturer). There is enough TRIZ in the book that students will be able to use it as a reference book and refer back to the TRIZ information I cover in the course. Had the book been available in August, it would have been a required text this fall in my Management course "Creativity and Innovation" at Luther College, where I am a full-time Professor of Management.
The TRIZ book that you should give your boss.......2005-10-27
"Insourcing Innovation" is the answer to the perennial question "Which one TRIZ book should I show my boss?" It is short, with a very clear emphasis on the business issues of innovation-driven strategy. It is comprehensive, so that the newcomer to TRIZ can learn the real how-to of the basic skills of TRIZ and the philosophical basis of TRIZ so that she/he can learn advanced TRIZ with no further preparation. The TRIZ community has been talking about the integration of TRIZ into Six Sigma since 1998, but "Insourcing Innovation" makes that integration very obvious, with introductory notes by Michel Harry, one of the founders of Six Sigma, and the use of stories from Design for Six Sigma projects and DMAIC projects throughout the book.
This book is the result of a unique collaboration-David Silverstein is President of BMG, a leading Six Sigma consultancy, Neil DeMarco is a Six Sigma author, and Dr. Michael Slocum is an international TRIZ consultant and instructor, founder of Inventioneering Co., and co-editor of the TRIZ Journal. (Notes re apparent conflicts: the reviewer is the editor of the TRIZ Journal and co-author of the book "Simplified TRIZ." BMG, Inventioneering, and the reviewer's company PQR Group are all corporate sponsors of the TRIZ Journal.) The material from Michael Slocum's popular and effective TRIZ classes forms the basis for the how-to and TRIZ background parts of the book. The refinement that comes from continuous improvement based on feedback from real students shows clearly in the clarity and simplicity of the presentation. I particularly like the elegance of the repetition of the 4-box model in a wide variety of contexts.
Michael Slocum takes advantage of his experience with Ontro (later Ontech) leading the development of the self-heating beverage can to create a case study that runs throughout the book. This product, now being marketed by Wolfgang Puck, has been named one of 25 products of the year by Fortune magazine, and the intellectual property developed by Michael's team is now being incorporated into a wide variety of self-heating products.
I am delighted to be able to recommend "Insourcing Innovation" to my students and clients, to the readers of the TRIZ Journal, and to Amazon's customers. It is a valuable addition to the short list of TRIZ books that are useful on the technical and business levels simultaneously.
Thoughts on TRIZ & innovation.......2005-10-08
I just finished reading the much anticipated book by Michael Slocum Insourcing Innovation.As a senior executive involved with Corporate Development I am focused on a daily basis with how to grow (mature)businesses. It seems that everyone understands why Innovation is critical to build a differential sustainable growth strategy but few,if any,have successfully tackled the key issue of how to do it on a systematic basis.
Dr Slocum is one of the pioneers to succesfully undertake this tremendous challenge.
Dr Slocum outlines a methodology that bridges the why & the how which is a critical leap forward.
I saw Dr Slocum's work first hand with Sterno, a very mature brand with a dominant share of market . Using in part the TRIZ methodology we were able to develop a new flameless heat technology that will put Sterno on an accelerated and aggressive growth trajectory.
The words of Dr Drucker do resonate: "The best way to predict the future is to create it"
The book is clear in illustrating the potential of TRIZ and what it can do for systematic innovation.
The book is very thorough with good examples as well .
It is also obvious that the TRIZ methodology is so strong and that the topic of innovation so critical in business that this book is,I hope ,a first of several more books by Dr Slocum on this very dynamic and important yet complex topic.
I believe that Dr Slocum's contribution to Innovation will be what Dr Harry did with Quality & Six Sigma.
The next wave in Performance Excellence will be Systematic Innovation.
I highly recommend this book and a cannot wait for sequel.
Looking forward to INsourcing Innovation II
Eric
Customer Reviews:
A little more of the Preacher side of Ennis........2005-11-30
Bisiness as Usual is the third volume in the Marvel Knights Punisher series. Nice work but not as good as the last 2 volumes of this series. Garth Ennis unleashes a little more of the Preacher side of him, especially in the story arc in which Frank Castle aka Punisher, teams-up with Wolverine, the plot is a bit more bizzare. But I think that Ennis just might be trying a little too hard on being bizzare, I think he should just let it flow, writing bizzare and amazing stories is in his blood.
This TPB consists of 4 story arcs, the first is about the Punisher taking on a mission to rescue a mob boss. Why? Even since this boss was kidnapped, the mob have been turning on itself, and the innocents that may be killed when the mobsters have their war is what made Frank take this mission. Then an insane journalist looking for "the exclusive" handcuffs himself to the Punisher to get a story on him. Next, the team-up of the Punisher and Wolverine fighting an army of midgets trying to take over the New York underworld. This story arc is a bit more bizzare than the previous Punisher stories written by Ennis. That bizzarness that you find in Ennis's works is usually what I like about him, but in Punisher, his bizzarness just doesn't work as well as it did for Preacher to me. Dark humor, violence, and a little bit of his trademark bizzarness is the best for Punisher, along with an interesting cast of supporting characters. The best book to find all these qualities is Welcome Back, Frank also written by Ennis, and pencilled by Steve Dillon. Anyways, the last story brings Frank to Garth Ennis's home in Belfast, Ireland, where Frank comes face to face with the terrorism and useless violence in Ireland.
The art for the most part is pretty good, although I'd like Steve Dillon to pencil all of the stories instead of just a couple. I think Dillon's style is the best for Punisher, there's just no one that can draw Punisher as well as he does.
So, the book is worth your money if you're a dedicated Ennis or Punisher fan, but if you're not, or if you are looking for work like the stuff from Welcome Back, Frank, you might not enjoy this too much.
Punisher As A Road-Runner Cartoon.......2005-08-15
Garth Ennis, the genius responsible for "Parents-Need-Guidance" books like "Preacher", "Hellblazer" and "Just A Pilgrim" is back and this time he's working on the book that he was born to write - Marvel Comics' "Punisher". He's responsible for bringing the character back to greatness with his "Welcome Back, Frank" arc and immediately Marvel put him on the regular series. The first story from the regular series is collected in the "Army of One" paperback and this book, "Business As Usual" is the second collection from that same run.
This story collects three stories:
[1] Punisher rescues Don Casino, a godfather, from South America so that he can call a meeting in New York with the other dons. That way, he can wipe them all out in the same place.
[2] An overzealous reporter handcuffs himself to the Punisher to get the "scoop" on him. Needless to say, the results ain't pretty!
[3] Punisher fights Wolverine and an army of "Mini-Mes"
Garth's "Punisher" is constantly frowned upon by the literati of the comics world for its ultra-violence. In my opinion, anybody who thinks that this book is too violent should get his/her brains examined! The violence in this book is akin to that of "Tom & Jerry" cartoons or "Road Runner". It's meant to be over-the-top and funny. My problem with Ennis' "Punisher" is not the violence. After all, you're reading a book called "Punisher" - not "Betty and Veronica"! My problem is that Ennis seemed to be a little too flippant in his writing at times. While the pacing, the attitude, the humour, the freakish characters, etc. are all top-notch, something is still missing from the title (especially for us old fogies who grew up with the Steven Grant version of the character). I think the angst is no longer there. And after a while, the mindless violence and toilet-humour can get a little tired. Fortunately, Ennis realized this also and gave us "BORN", which led to his far-superior "Punisher" run on Marvel MAX presently.
Wolverine gets what he deserves.......2004-11-14
The issues collected here are much better than the ones found in the previous volume, Army of One, as we see former Preacher and Hellblazer scribe Garth Ennis get a little bit more comfortable as he throws us some of the bizarre and insanely dark humor that he is known for. There's much to admire, from a reporter handcuffing himself to Frank to get a story, to Frank taking a trip to Ireland; but the real highlight is the two issue arc in which the overly too popular X-Men member Wolverine gets his claw popping arse handed to him. Darick Robertson (who struck gold with Ennis on the Fury and Born mini-series) supplies the pencils on those two issues, and his art is just plain awesome. The only problem with Business as Usual is the constraints of the PG+ rating don't allow Ennis to get into the over the top bloodbath that he writes so meticulously, but other than that, this is one of the best Marvel Knights Punisher volumes available.
Best of both worlds..........2004-08-24
This is the first book where you can tell Garth Ennis is feeling like his old self again and is confident enough to introduce the bizarre writing style that made him famous with Hellblazer and Preacher to the world of The Punisher. The storytelling is leaps and bounds above what was found in "Welcome Back, Frank" and "Army of One." From the offbeat tale of the reporter determined to get his story to the shockingly violent and absolutely hysterical crossover with Wolverine; this book fuses the two sides of Garth Ennis and has enough to please fans of his earlier work with fans of The Punisher. It really is the best of both worlds, but Garth is just gettin' started!
Punisher and Wolverine plus much more!.......2004-06-23
Covering Marvel Knights Punisher issues #13-18, Punisher: Business as Usual is one of the strongest offerings from the series of Punisher novels. Ennis is at the height of his scripting power on this series.
#13 and #14 chronicles Punisher on an unlikely mission of mercy to rescue a hostage in South America. For those of you that are rolling your eyes and groaning, this isn't a return to Punisher's War Journal days. This is a crazy Ennis thrill ride filled with twists, turns, and improbabilities.
#15 is the tale of a reporter willing to do whatever it takes to get the story, even if that's making a deal with the devil, or handcuffing himself to the Punisher to see what Frank does on a typical night. With Detective Soap's life in the balance, the Punisher must decide what is good and what is evil...
#16 and #17 are what this series if all about. The Mob, Wolverine, midgets, and a series of unfortunate events. I don't want to give too much away, but please, read these two issues at least a couple of times. The second time, pay attention to the facial expressions. Robertson does a brilliant job that has to be seen to be believed!
In #18 Ennis spotlights his home territory of Ireland, sending the Punisher across the pond. Here we see what `pointless' violence really is.
The bottom line is if you are a fan of Punisher, Wolverine, Ennis, or Robertson, then please take the time and money to get this book. You won't be sorry!
Book Description
This anthology contains a significant body of literature and basic approach that challenges the economic status quo while raising concerns rarely found in other books of this kind—providing readers with the critical selections and perspectives they want and need to make informed decisions. Demanding accountability, the book exposes business practices, economic assumptions, contemporary challenges, and the population's concerns. An ongoing focus links business ethics to environmental issues, and each and every business action to the earth's finite resources. A critical selection of topics challenges development, capitalism, market appropriation, human rights violation, consumption, transgenic biotechnology, resistance to development, environmental ethics, and alternative economies. For anyone who demands accountability from businesses.
Product Description
Business As Usual is the highly-anticipated sequel to For the Love of Fast Money. Street battles are a part of the life. Tavon and Juvenile's violent war against each other has changed the game for those following them in Baltimore City. All at once, everything seems to be falling apart. Loyal friends like Outlaw and Trigger are forced to choose sides. Jameel is also caught in the middle. She loves Juvenile to death, but she also shares a genuine friendship with Tavon. She'll try to provide them both with the support they need. Precious tries to make sense out of her current situation while Fast Money battles with the court system for his freedom. Just like in the streets today, all the other players will do what they have to do to save themselves and keep conducting Business As Usual.
Customer Reviews:
It's business as usual..........2006-05-08
BUSINESS AS USUAL, Wendell Shannon's fascinating sequel to For the Love of Fast Money, picks up where its chilling predecessor left off. The dust settles in the brutal aftermath of a cruel plot fueled by betrayal and treachery, and stakes are high. Tavon is taken down in a hail of bullets, Juvenile is in hiding, and has sworn to exact vengeance on the low-lifes responsible for the attempt on his life, a bewildered Precious is on the prowl for a new benefactor, and Fast Money is on the skids, facing life imprisonment, but it's business as usual, or is it?
A few other familiar characters from the first novel also show up in this one, including Fruity and Flubber who have stepped up their game and are no longer small-time stick up kids. The focus is on Jameel as she pursues her hopes and dreams and attempts to re-knit the tattered fabric of her relationship with Juvenile. Dare she dream of love and hope that Juvenile will come to his senses and their torn family will become a cohesive unit? In the horrific sequencing of affairs in her world, dare she dream at all?
Wendell Shannon has shown himself to be an engaging storyteller. In BUSINESS AS USUAL he affords the reader an eye-opening look at the mind-numbing violence that permeates the ruthless streets of Baltimore City. Fans will be thrilled with the degree of realism and credibility he infuses into his writing. The emotionally-charged ending, though brutal, will leave the reader stunned, but begging for another installment.
Reviewed by Autumn
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers
Reality Hits Home.......2006-03-29
This book brought to life the hard core reality of the mean streets of West Baltimore. Unfortunately, the reality that Tavon and Juvenile lived happens to be a reality for many of the urban youth in today's society. I can see the growth in the writer from the first book to this one and it is amazing how he has been able to increase his ability to lead you through the streets of Baltimore from his eyes. I felt that I was a part of the story myself. Thanks for the amazing ride.
Riveting and Tragic.......2006-02-14
I went to the authors bookstore upon completion of both books and I couldnt express my utter sadness about how this book ended. I had to use spiritual thought and then I could understand why it had to be. Jameel, living right, church going, keeping her daughter from her fathers lifesyle and not allowing her to be spoiled by the money he acquired in the game. But her life in all the good things she did and accomplished, because eventhough she loved her man Juvenile and wanted him to leave the life of crime to be with her she was still tempting fate by her association with him. I went to see the author when I finished to know when the next installment was coming. HE NEEDS TO HURRY(LOL) I recommend that everybody who loves hood drama to buy it, borrow it, but just read it.
Can't Go Wrong!.......2006-01-23
This book was truly unbelievable! This one was even better then his first! Mr. Shannon truly captures the game at it's best and worst. If you're familiar with the grim streets of Baltimore with it's high drug addiction rate as well as it's astounding murder rate, this book takes you on a walk down these cold streets. It's like one of those virtual reality rides where it puts you in the midst of the action. If you understand the streets, this book will really hit home. The biggest surprise was the ending. It was totally unexpected!
Even if you haven't read "For The Love Of Fast Money", make sure you read this book!
Book Description
The single greatest impediment to an organization's success isn't any outside threat--it's internal divisiveness and political wrangling. Now, at last, a refreshingly intelligent book shows how to rid your organization of the "politics as usual" that stifles top performance.
Most of us would place office politics in the same category as death and taxes-- a painful and inevitable fact of life. This book, however, addresses politics as a serious business issue. Through eye-opening research and real-life stories, this frank book illustrates the crippling effects of infighting and backbiting on productivity, morale, and the ultimate market value of the enterprise itself.
The author's blueprint goes far beyond typical band-aid remedies. He shows readers how to analyze and transform both the "soft" corporate values and the "hard" ingrained processes that allow politics to flourish. His strategic approach will help any company materially improve its performance. For once, the financial interests of the shareholder and the greatest hopes of employees will be in perfect alignment.
Customer Reviews:
Great book!.......2002-06-24
This book is a rational and well written investigation into the causes and cures for office politics. In particular, the author understands that everyone acts selfishly and goes on to explain how various policies either align people's interests with their companies' or turn them against each other. Among its many highlights are five real examples in the form of five people who had acted very politically, then been educated about the causes and cures of office politics, and finally asked to re-evaluate their actions. One of the surprising, and fortunate, discoveries of that was that 'political operators' generally tend to dislike honest environments as much as honest people dislike political environments. Another positive was a section entitled 'The Rule of Law, Not Man' which explains that topic well. Finally, there are some good quotes in the chapter headings such as 'conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct' attributed to Thomas Carlyle.
The ROI of Decency and Integrity.......2002-06-04
It is no coincidence that the companies which are most highly admired, which generate the greatest number of applicants from among those who work for their competitors, are also the most profitable. One of several reasons is that companies which are both admirable and prosperous have zero-tolerance of what is generally referred to as "office politics." Of course, all human organizations are inherently political in certain respects. President Truman once observed that politics is "the art of getting things done." As Caro clearly demonstrates in the third volume of his biography of Lyndon Baines Johnson, LBJ was a consummate "artist" of politics while serving as senate majority leader. What Serven examines in this book is what could be described as the "politics of self-interest": self-serving behavior which is not in the best interests of the given organization or the welfare of others involved in it. As Serven carefully explains, these "politics of "self-interest" diminish morale and productivity, preclude teamwork worthy of the name, and ultimately incur a substantial cost, only some of which is revealed at the bottom line. (What is the cost of losing peak performers who have lost all respect for an organization which tolerates office politics?) Even before he begins his narrative, Serven cites these three quotations:
"The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." (Lily Tomlin)
"The truth, dear Brutus, is not in the stars,/But in ourselves." (William Shakespeare)
"We have met the enemy, and he is us." (Walt Kelly's Pogo)
Serven's point is obvious: Organizations can become weakened and even destroyed by office politics which, in essence, involve internal -- rather than external -- competition. He brilliantly keeps a promise implicit in his book's subtitle: "A Complete Strategy for Creating a More Productive and Profitable Organization." He identifies almost all of the "usual suspects" and then offers practical advice as to how to overcome major barriers to communication and cooperation.
My own opinion is that those who are involved or associated with organizations which tolerate (thereby condone) office politics should do everything humanly possible to extricate themselves. However, in the so-called "real" world, it may be necessary (for whatever reasons) to remain involved or associated. In that event, Serven's book can help them to make the most and (hopefully) best of a bad situation. It is also my opinion that office politics can sometimes be effective but only on a short-term basis; over time, those who play them invariably find themselves the victim of their own unprofessional behavior. The most effective female executives I know are also ladies; the most effective male executives I know are gentlemen. All of them understand politics. More to the point, they also appreciate the importance of proper behavior between and among those with whom they are associated. In wholly practical terms, "office politics" reduce both production and profits. Indeed, as Serven explains so well, the total cost is probably incalculable...and should be (but often isn't) intolerable.
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Vincent M. Roazzi's The Spirituality of Success: getting Rich with Integrity, David Maister's Practice What You Preach, David Whyte's The Heart Aroused, and James O'Toole's The Executive's Compass.
The End of Office Politics as Usual.......2002-06-03
While the strategic steps seem initially complex, they are very logical and lead to a positive conclusion: creating a merit-based work environment to replace a culture driven by political infighting and posturing. In the end, the company, the employees and the shareholders all benefit. It is a worthwhile read for anyone in business -- especially those who pursue the executive ranks.
The End of Office Politics as Usual.......2002-05-31
While the strategic steps seem initially complex, they are very logical and lead to a positive conclusion: creating a merit-based work environment to replace a culture driven by political posturing. In the end, the company, the employees and the shareholders all benefit. A good read for anyone in business -- especially those who pursue the executive ranks.
New Economy, Better Rules.......2002-02-27
The title is, of course, most hopeful. Politics, as it implies a negative force, will not go quietly. But Larry has a positive message that works. Namely, that enterprise value is best created by an aligned TEAM. Oddly enough, this was the Noble prize-winning message of the movie "A Beautiful Mind." So, Larry's conclusion has plenty of historical backing.
Don't dismiss the message. It is wise counsel. And, it is presented in a compelling and useful manner. To not like the book and its message is to not appreciate the 2001/2002 edition of the New England Patriots or other high performance TEAMS. When office politics are constrained great things occur.
Book Description
To mark the 10th anniversary, 18 experts--including two key leaders of the Republican revolution, Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey--reexamine the successes and failures of the Republican revolution.
Customer Reviews:
The Republican Revolution 10 Years Later: BUSINESS AS USUAL.......2006-03-11
This anthology of essays attempts to surmise the legacy and progress of the Republican Revolution of 1994, the Contract for America, and the Republican legislative agenda. The GOP did make progress in welfare reform, but where the accomplished that feat, they marginalized it, by filling the void with billions for frivilous spending and subsidies. This anthology features contributions from Newt Gingrich and Dick Armey.
The Republican Congress failed to cut spending sufficiently to coincide with tax cuts. Budget deficits inevitably mean more tax hikes in time, however, discrete. Almost a decade after the 1994 Republican Revolution, the GOP has caved in, capitulated, and these last few years under the Bush administration have taught me that a Republican President doesn't check a Republican Congress, and vice versa. They really only care about holding onto power, so it is "Business as Usual."
Books:
- The Dog Is Not a Toy: House Rule #4
- The DV Rebel's Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap (Peachpit)
- The Films of Akira Kurosawa, Third Edition, Expanded and Updated
- The Glass Castle: A Memoir
- The Headless Republic: Sacrificial Violence In Modern French Thought
- The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer
- The Last Best League: One Summer, One Season, One Dream
- The Misfits
- The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea into the Next Big Thing
- The Power of the Actor
Books Index
Books Home
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Theory
| Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers
The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More
Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder
Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution
Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web
