Archive for July, 2009
Posted on July 4, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Discovering our collective global mythology
It is essential that the world collaboratively discover our collective global mythology. Only through this act can sustainable forms of innovation be created that can build a planet of whole, diverse communities that are united in the dance of an emerging conscious global culture.
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Vic is Mastered Facilitator Of Teams
With A Focus On “Sustainable Innovation”
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Posted on July 9, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SUSTAINABLE?
Being sustainable has everything to do with being innovative. In fact, it is beginning to generate the next generation of creative products and services on (and for) this planet. Yet, with all of our amazing efforts, something seems to be drastically missing. THERE’s A BIG BLACK HOLE that this subject seems to be orbiting.
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Posted on July 21, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
How We Create Meaning Together
Understanding how we create and enrich meaning …
can help us to determine and implement collaboration tools that help us generate valued outcomes, such as business products and services. Watch this video to learn how group design and understanding process is enhanced when three key parts of the brain are working in coordination: 1-the ‘ventral stream’ part of the brain uses images to clarify ideas, 2-the ‘dorsal stream’ area creates the ability to navigate through interaction with images to create engagement, 3-the ‘limbic system’ augments memory with persistent, evolving views to generate our emotional feelings about a subject. The talk also points to technology as being a collaboration and meaning enhancer. Thus, I believe technologies such as such as online collaboration tools will continue to improve the group meaning process, and thereby directly impact the strategic outcomes of any business.
About this TED video/talk
Information designer Tom Wujec talks through three areas of the brain that help us understand words, images, feelings, connections. In this short talk from TEDU, he asks: How can we best engage our brains to help us better understand big ideas?
About Tom Wujec
Tom Wujec studies how we share and absorb information. He’s an innovative practitioner of business visualization — using design and technology to help groups solve problems and understand…
Posted on July 21, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Put in Values and an Organizational Structure That Will Stimulate Innovation
le associate industry-changing innovation with high technology products and services, and certainly those industries create lots of innovation. On the other hand, almost every business seems to enjoy the potential to be more innovative if people think about the business that way.
Few industries had a greater reputation for being stodgy than steel making during the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the industry has been totally reshaped, by relying on technology that did not exist until it was developed in the United States. Discuss this success as a technology story with North American profit leader, Nucor, and they will tell you that you have it all backwards. The success was due to the organizational culture and system that Ken Iverson emphasized for Nucor.
Mr. Iverson’s successor as CEO, Dan DiMicco, sees the foundation as being found in the company’s values:
(1) Don’t overextend yourself
(2) Be a risk taker and take on the unknown
(3) Focus on long-term rather than short-term, whipsaw thinking
(4) Treat customers, employees, and other stakeholders the way you would like to be treated
(5) Minimize barriers to effective communication
(6) Build relationships
(7) Hold people accountable to honor the relationship and perform
(8) Take your time in evaluating people you hire
(9) See continuous improvement as a nonstop journey up a mountain
(10) Give people the freedom to do it
(11) Help people learn
(12) Don’t penalize failure because big flops are part of necessary learning.
To implement these principles, Nucor has made many innovations. The company has only two organizational levels between the head of a division and the floor worker in a mill. Responsibility and authority are delegated as much as possible.
Education is generously supported for employees, their spouses and children. The company emphasizes promoting from within. In hiring, Nucor looks for people who want to move ahead in life.
To encourage them, everyone in the company gets variable compensation based on the firm’s profit performance n the Profit Sharing program. And production bonus incentives are paid weekly to constantly encourage the “pay for performance” culture of profit consciousness.
The vision behind this culture and structure was to be a growing company and to take advantage of commercializing new technology to leapfrog the competition.
If such opportunities can be found in the steel industry, why should your company and industry be any different in terms of providing profitable innovation? Work on your values and organizational structure, and who knows what you can accomplish.
Copyright 2008 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved
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Posted on July 23, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Creating a Technology Council
Creating A Technology Council (draft)
Posted on July 31, 2009 - by Vic Desotelle
Technology: Problem or Solution for Sustainability?
Mass extinction is now in progress
It is a known fact that ecosystems across the planet are under duress, as stated by thousands of concerned scientists.
The main reason for this decay is strongly due to the way we design and build our technologies. Or in other words, how we build out our knowledge into form. From the paper we write on, to the cell phones we communicate with, to the buildings we live and work in – all are technologies that first define a reality for us to consider, and then if pursued, directly influences the condition of our communities, our planet, and our well-being. … And so far, this ‘influence’ has been unfortunately more bad than good. A change from normal is necessary.
This is why we must change the way we create technologies as well as the businesses that produce and distribute them. It’s not just how they work, but more importantly, how they are created. We can no longer create products and services by taking materials from the earth to make cool stuff, and then throw that ’stuff’ away where it poisons the earth’s ecosystems, and in turn poisons ourselves.
Sustainability can be used to build a better mouse trap
Instead of open loop systems, technologies must now be [defined, designed, and developed] within CLOSED LOOP systems that allows even the idea of waste to be eliminated.
This (in part) is known as SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION. It’s a design problem! One of which most every engineer would love to sink their teeth into – if only given permission to do so. (Are you listening CEO’s and Senior Managers?)
So, what’s driving all this? The need for continuous innovation; that’s what. And yes, also the nature of the beast (us 
, because we humans are always looking for the next cool thing to make. That’s why the principles of sustainability should be viewed, not as a problem to avoid, but as a catalyst for creating next-generation innovation.
A conversation with the boss about sustainability in the company
This all said, I’d like to talk more with you, my readers, about creating new staff positions at YOUR companies called ‘Sustainability Officers‘. Many organizations (like GE and HP for example) are creating positions like this to move their companies toward sustainability. Your company can and NEEDS to do the same.
Take a leadership role on this: Go into your CEO’s office and request that, at the next board meeting, he ask why and how to incorporate sustainability into the company. Go on; just do it! Then write me, as I’m looking forward to hearing from you about what happens. Let me know either way, okay?
Vic Desotelle, DF Founding Principal
Be The Change !
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