Day 2: Hyena life

So what started with free tickets to the Art Fair, ended with a lovely night walk with Aritake and his dad through Cologne. Not only was it nice to see Aritake as a proud father, it was surprising serendipity to meet with his dad on the subject of a values proposition.

The project Hyena Life aims to investigate and support "life strategies that create autonomy rather than dependency from large trans-national entities". One of the key groups featured is the Brooklyn based park slope food coop. A simple yet profound idea that removes the barrier between shopkeeper and shopper. (Like the realization in Juergen Durner's shop window, that the refection is you). The 14000+ coop members need to commit a certain number of hours to working in the store. This reduces their food bill by 20 to 40%. The supreme form of consumer activism as every coop member has a say in where the food is sourced from, how it is treated and sold. Isn't this the best way to protect your business from the risk of reading trends wrong,, and ending up with unwanted stock?

J Durner, Unity

How would it affect other businesses if they applied the same model, removing the separation between "us" (the company) and them (the consumer)? Design firms often start their process by trying to build empathy as a path to innovation. An artificial injection of "walking in each other's shoes". Surely it is far more sustainable to build this protection in from the ground up. How could a pharma company include patients and physicians in both the design of and execution of trials?


This mindset establishes the foundation for a far reaching community engagement, where interests are balanced and values can be shared. Besides that the company creates an instant, loyal consumer base. That's what I would call integral design.

Another example if integral design is The Keep a Breast Foundation. Earlier this year they started a new campaign focusing on the toxins and chemicals linked to breast cancer in our food, households and cosmetics. They simplify the huge amount of data and provide tools to make smarter choices when shopping for everyday things. Reminds me of Malcolm from the eco-store's mantra of "make it simple and easy to make a change".

Shaney has led her team over the years to produce interesting art and cultural events to not only raise awareness but get younger women to reflect on this topic. Most famously the breast casts that are then used as a canvas for artists often causes the celebrities featured to reflect just how much they take breast health for granted, and how much of their identity is related to it.
Shaney often takes cues from her team to identify new ways to connect with not only women but also sponsors and donors. When one of the team started doing tango, they quickly created a fund raiser event with dance as the theme. This not only gave her staff the opportunity to meet some amazing tango dancers in a more substantial way, it gave performers and enthusiasts another way to reflect on their health and bodies. This is a great example that builds on the "firm footing before extend" idea discussed yesterday.

Now off to the picasso exhibit at the Ludwig Museum, with thoughts of how a life in art shows itself through informal snapshots.

Day 1: Cologne

Being in Cologne reminds me of the dot.bust years, having lived here from '99 - '02. Seeing both pixelpark and frogdesign (the Gehry version) go to ashes.
It was also in Cologne that Julie taught me how to rock climb. Today in particular the second rule (the first being: "always ensure three points of contact") rings a particularly resonant tone. Julie put a lot of emphasis on the fact that you should always move your feet first, then your hands. Secure footing leads extension. This also means that you use less energy as you push yourself up the mountain, instead of pulling/dragging your body weight up. Improved reach and stability.

This is a really good metaphor for business. How often does a business, in the search of new markets grab at anything they see without ensuring that they are on good footing. Going beyond what they can sustain, ending in mid-air suspension, exhausted and confused (I am sure that hand hold looked a lot more secure from down there...) How often have you sat in focus groups where blind hands are stumbling through the dark in search of that one insight from which to hang a product launch?

The alternative would be to use the legs of the company to push you from a stable footing. What are the lives and interests of your sales force and marketing team teaching you about tastes and trends? How does the head of R&D's surfing fetish feature in your new technology developments? And how much of this knowledge is parked at the front door when they "check-in" (or "check-out" more like) for work.
By using the stronger muscles of personal interest and appreciating where your team's centre of gravity is, you'll find innovation far less stressful, and inspired.

And as for those over extended dot.busts, what a different story google and amazon tell today... do the leg work :-)

The friendly people at the next door breakfast table have given me free tickets to the art fair, so if anyone want's to come along, let me know.

The start of a journey

Protests are rolling over the west, as a faint yet profound echo of the deep social change started by the arab spring. Inequality and distance between people is leading to greater levels of frustration and tension. Where will the "Occupy" movement lead us?

All of this has ignited my passion about something that I care deeply about, the purpose of organizations: The Values Proposition (R)

During the next six weeks I'll visit Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK and South Africa to listen and learn. What do people care about? How can we reconnect people and their day-jobs in a way that reflects their values and leads to true, sustained innovation?

If you have thoughts on this, or would like to help, please mail me at: ferdi(at)f-vh(dot)com

The Guru speaks: Growth is coming

So now it seems the positive feelings that started growing in the dead of winter are finding a voice in the new McKinsey Global Survey (thanks Ryan!). Albeit the signs are very feint and couched in non-negative terms. (Most companies are not actively seeking new cash).

It seems that most people are over the media shock and awe of late last year and buttoning down to make their companies more efficient,,, and effective! The growth agenda is back on, will you get there first?

Gaming like movies?

Earlier I wrote about how cinema was experiencing a boom. It seems that at least one gaming company is also doing well. Take Two Interactive software has revised their forecasts for 2009 to go from a projected loss, to a projected profit. Their profits for 2010 are expected to grow by 140%. Beyond that they are also actively hiring. It seems like a combination of good content (for instance Grand Theft Auto) and smart leveraging of existing products (download versions of games) has lead to sales boosts. Seems the need for distraction is still strong!

Spring Blossoms

The German word for "blossom" is also the word for counterfeit money. This kind of made me wonder about the US bailout good news stories. It seems that quietly about $350Mill of TARP money has started flowing back. Similar to Germany, the tight restrictions were seen as a competitive hurdle. More interestingly though one executive was quoted as saying: "We really didn't need the money"


So if banks start seeing that they don't need the cash, the stock market has been climbing non-stop for 4 weeks and the Californian real estate market is showing signs of recovery, I can only say: Spring has sprung! But don't go picking any blossoms.

Hedgehogs and foxes

Famously thinkers can be divided into two groups, the hedgehogs and the foxes. Hedgehogs stick to what they know an build a prickly barrier to protect that view. It seems that the hedgehog strategy has also worked for Gerresheimer, an industrial company specialized in developing packaging and delivery systems for pharma companies. By focusing on highly technical products and a growth industry as a client base they have been able to deliver solid returns with a projected growth of 7% for 2009.
Next week we look for the succesful foxes, if they haven't been hunted by the leverage monster.