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April 30, 2004
Good Experience Ephemera
Some of the sessions at Good Experience Live 2004 were difficult to transcribe because of the mode of presentation. The following sessions, while not fully documented, were still worthwhile, communicating useful ideas and advice:
Continue reading "Good Experience Ephemera"
Posted by Heath Row at 6:08 PM
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The eBay Experience
Andre Haddad is the vice president of user experience and design for eBay. Previously, he worked as eBay's managing director for France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Belgium. At GEL, he talked about eBay's true origin, the service's scope and scale, and what influences the eBay experience. What follows is a partial transcript of his remarks:
Continue reading "The eBay Experience"
Posted by Heath Row at 5:57 PM
The Catharsis of Creativity
Maria Schneider is the editor of the cartoon Pathetic Geek Stories and a staff writer for The Onion. At GEL, she did a reading of several of her online comic strips and tried desperately to position her work in a design and business context. What follows is a partial transcript of her presentation:
Continue reading "The Catharsis of Creativity"
Posted by Heath Row at 5:56 PM
When Objects Object
James Ludwig is the director of design for Steelcase. In a relatively obtuse, verbose, and postmodern presentation at GEL, he talked about approaching products as objects, the history of space, and how form doesn't always need to follow function. What follows is a partial transcript of his comments:
Continue reading "When Objects Object"
Posted by Heath Row at 4:01 PM
The Soul of Silence
Bob Roberts is the founder of Project Return and author of My Soul Said to Me. Just before lunch, his GEL speech touched on prison recidivism, improving society, and the role of the soul. What follows is a partial transcript of his talk:
Continue reading "The Soul of Silence"
Posted by Heath Row at 12:35 PM
The People Behind the Pages
Scott Heiferman is cofounder of Meetup and Fotolog. His GEL talk made the case that business people should be in the people business. What follows is a partial transcript of his remarks:
Continue reading "The People Behind the Pages"
Posted by Heath Row at 12:27 PM
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Tea for Truth
Seth Goldman is cofounder of Honest Tea and currently serves as the company's president and TeaEO. His GEL presentation explored some of the basic ideas behind the company, as well as how business can be used as a tool for social change. What follows is a partial transcript of his comments:
Continue reading "Tea for Truth"
Posted by Heath Row at 12:24 PM
Guerrilla Transformer
It appears that an engineer in the UK has built a 15-foot tall Transformer (a la the 80s Saturday morning cartoon) out of a Mini Cooper. There are various video links to "back this up," (a visually stunning one here ) and some thin but plausible explanations. Nevertheless, methinks there may be more than meets the eye at work here. My guess: expensive guerrilla marketing by the folks at BMW.
Best guerrilla stunts? Send me yours. A gold star to anyone who can find a reference to the 1991 Saatchi & Saatchi theatre ad for British Airways in which a woman from the real-life audience spoke to her cheating boyfriend on screen!
Posted by Lucas Conley at 11:16 AM
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Brand Promise on the High Seas
Brian Collins works as executive creative director for Ogilvy and Mather. After two computer crashes and a last-minute recreation of his presentation, Collins gave a fast-paced, good-humored speech about brand promise and performance. What follows is a partial transcript of his GEL remarks:
Continue reading "Brand Promise on the High Seas"
Posted by Heath Row at 10:38 AM
Searching for Stability
Christina Wodtke is the former director of design for Yahoo and author of Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web. In her GEL talk, she discussed how Yahoo approaches search, how people search the Web, and the need to be right -- as well as consistent. What follows is a partial transcript of her talk:
Continue reading "Searching for Stability"
Posted by Heath Row at 10:33 AM
The Digital Experience
W. Russell Neuman is a professor of media technology at the University of Michigan. Formerly, he worked as a senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. His GEL presentation touched on the true meaning of the digital experience. What follows is a partial transcript of his comments:
Continue reading "The Digital Experience"
Posted by Heath Row at 10:30 AM
The Life-Long Value of Sincerity
David Bodanis is author of the books The Secret House and E=mc
Posted by Heath Row at 10:27 AM
The Experience Experience
Mark Hurst is founder of the consultancy Creative Good. He also hosted Good Experience Live 2004. In his introduction to GEL, he addressed the idea of what "experience" really means. What follows is a partial transcript of his remarks:
Continue reading "The Experience Experience"
Posted by Heath Row at 10:22 AM
April 29, 2004
What Google Just Did
Last August, Seth Godin asked, "What Should Google Do?" Well, today, a better question might be, "What has Google gone and done?"
Google just filed to sell shares in an IPO. So far, response from commentators has been interesting. Some think the IPO is a search for meaning. Others wonder whether the offering will hurt other Net stocks, while a few stocks have already been buoyed.
Beyond the usual market concerns, it'll be interesting to see how this affects the company as a company. Will its culture change? Will its product and service offerings? Or will Google continue to search itself and help its smart, motivated team members do the right thing?
Posted by Heath Row at 2:51 PM
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Marketing Play
Paul Williams thinks he fell prey to a marketing ploy. Receiving a piece of mail from Sports Illustrated, Williams was intrigued by a notice on the envelope that said, "Do Not Bend." Williams wondered what was inside that shouldn't be bent, so he opened it. What was it? Nothing, just your standard magazine subscription renewal offer.
Now, I've got to say, I'd have been curious, too. And I would've opened the envelope, as well. After all, maybe it contained some free mailing address labels! But what do you think? Have you ever put a message on a mailing to inspire and intrigue someone to open it immediately? What was it?
And, what's the "Do Not Bend" of the email world?
Posted by Heath Row at 10:43 AM
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Gender Lender
Today's Daily News features an article on Van Girls, arguably the country's only all-female moving company. Inspired by another moving company run by a friend, founder Alison Steinberg started Van Girls after asking herself, "Why shouldn't a woman do what a man does?"
It's a good question. But I'm curious: What will be the basis of Van Girls success? While the idea of hiring an all-woman moving crew has a certain appeal, it's far from the spurious allure of something like HootersAir. So success may stem from two things -- one, wanting to support an independent business with a message, and two, awesome customer service.
So far, according to the piece, Van Girls has both going for it.
Posted by Heath Row at 10:26 AM
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Trend Spotting
Workforce Management has compiled a list of "25 Trends That Will Change the Way You Do Business." Some of the items are no brainers and not overly interesting or surprising, but there are some ringers in there that beg some consideration. Here's the short form:
- Organized labor
- Business goes to kindergarten
- Going Euro
- Companies won't sleep
- Artificial intelligence
- The simmering malaise
- Office design
- Defined benefit plans
- Telework has a part-time future
- Consumer-driven healthcare reigns
- Child Care
- Help wanted: 10 million workers
- Outsourcing
- Recruiting older workers
- Mergers
- Freelancers and consultants
- Pay for wellness performance
- Sprituality at work
- Women at work
- Skills shortage
- Security vs. privacy
- Accounting for people
- Universal healthcare
- The end of HR as we know it
Posted by Heath Row at 9:52 AM
April 28, 2004
Prescription for an Innovative Organization
Dave Pollard has written an excellent and expansive look at what it takes to be an innovative company. He breaks the innovation process down into the following steps:
- Listen
- Understand the Problem
- Get Organized
- Get Creative
- Experiment
- Listen Again
- Design
- Implement
In the essay, Dave breaks each step into substeps, offering plenty of tips and tactics for your consideration.
Posted by Heath Row at 2:03 PM
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Manual Labor
FC Now has been quieter than usual lately because I've been in a slew of meetings and mandatory seminars. Last week, we had a seminar on sexual harassment, and yesterday, we had a session on journalistic ethics. So I've been away from my workspace quite a bit -- and I'm becoming increasingly aware of the corporate organization around Fast Company.
ePrairie has published a piece on the value -- and occasional vapidity -- of corporate trappings such as employee handbooks. While I plan to dig out ours to see how we stack up, employee handbooks are just one example of artifacts that help define your organization internally. A second item would be the company directory. Do you think your employee handbook and company directory reflect the mission, vision, and values of your company?
Posted by Heath Row at 1:39 PM
Open Book Management
Guy Kawasaki, founder of Garage Technology Ventures, is working on a new book, The Art of the Start. About a month ago, he made a call for entries for folks to design the cover of his book. While Kawasaki has yet to announce a winner, you can check out the almost 300 entries online.
When was the last time you opened up a project to your clients or customers?
Posted by Heath Row at 1:00 PM
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Disneyworld of Hurt IV
Last October, Jennifer Reingold offered Disney's CEO Michael Eisner as one leader who should be given the boot. Now, Forbes has named Eisner in its top five F-List CEOs.
In one of our most active polls online, 93% of respondents indicate that Eisner should resign. What do you think? Is Eisner a scapegoat for the company's woes? Or is he really the worst CEO in America?
Posted by Heath Row at 12:29 PM
| 1 Comment
April 27, 2004
Spirit at Work
In February, Fast Company featured Kenny Moore, corporate ombudsman for KeySpan -- and a former monk. Today's edition of 48 Days' email newsletter further considers the role of the corporate chaplain.
We are used to seeing military chaplains and hospital chaplains. Many police and fire departments also have ministers, priests and rabbis who serve the same function. Some employee assistance program coordinators estimate that they spend at least 20% of their time dealing with spiritual issues.This is an example of how someone may be able to continue in their "vocation" even if their "career" was derailed. If you are a caring, compassionate person with perhaps a background in seminary or church positions, you may want to consider this application. Most workplace chaplains are ordained or commissioned by their denominations. Of an estimated 4,000 chaplains who work with businesses already, most are contracted out through worker-assistance programs or chaplaincy organizations.
Dan Miller recommends the following organizations as sources of additional information:
- National Institute of Business and Industrial Chaplains
- Corporate Chaplains of America
- Marketplace Ministries
- Association of Professional Chaplains
Do you think it'd work better if your company had an on-staff in-house chaplain -- or is bringing someone in every so often sufficient? Do any FC Now readers have experience with a corporate chaplain?
Posted by Heath Row at 2:34 PM
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April 26, 2004
GE's Two CEOs
The same day that ex-GE chief exec Jack Welch was getting hitched to Suzi Wetlaufer in Boston, I was up at Dartmouth College for the school's annual Greener Ventures entrepreneurship conference, where the featured speaker was current GE chief Jeffrey Immelt.
Immelt, a Dartmouth alum, talked about how leaders can make an impact inside big organizations - even one as large as GE, with 300,000 employees. He said he tries to foster the sense among GE's employees that, whether you are Katie Couric or an assembly-line employee, he might materialize at any moment to talk to you about your job.
"News, knowledge, and information has to move through the system with great rapidity," he said, "and there are severe consequences when that doesn't happen." Immelt sounded like he was plugging Donald Trump and 'The Apprentice' (an NBC hit that helps the bottom line of parent co. GE) when he said, "If I ask a question and someone says, `Why did you ask that question?' they get fired."
Continue reading "GE's Two CEOs"
Posted by Scott Kirsner at 11:42 AM
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Fast Company... on the Air!
Following his time on NPR's Morning Edition today, senior writer Charles Fishman will also appear on Talk of the Nation this afternoon. Fishman will discuss Fast Company's May feature "The Toll of a New Machine," which explores the productivity paradox, and field listener call ins.
Tune in if you're able!
Update: You can now access Fishman's Morning Edition segment directly.
Posted by Heath Row at 10:38 AM
Why Thrifty Isn't So Nifty
This weekend, I flew to Atlanta and picked up a rental car to drive almost three hours north to the Chickamauga area in North Georgia. My destination? A regional grassroots leadership development retreat organized by Fast Company readers and Company of Friends members living and working in Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia.
When it comes to airlines and rental cars, I'm not much of a loyalist in Danielle and Alison's sense. I buy by price. While I belong to scads of frequent flier and driver -- and sleeper -- programs, I may miss out on some benefits available through those programs, but more often than not, I just want to get where I'm going as quickly as possible, and as inexpensively as possible.
This weekend, I split my flight legs between AirTrans and United, and I went with Thrifty for the rental. That's where my trouble began.
Continue reading "Why Thrifty Isn't So Nifty"
Posted by Heath Row at 10:30 AM
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April 23, 2004
What's the Story? II
GoldenFleece, an international community of practice devoted to storytelling in business and organizations, has developed StoryAtWork to disseminate information about the practice. Materials online include information on storytelling's application as a leadership, knowledge management, branding and marketing, and strategic planning tool; as well as scads of articles, organizations, and books.
Posted by Heath Row at 5:58 PM
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Smart Thoughts on Smart Design
It's rare that I find something of interest in a business school alumni magazine. But there's a remarkably thoughtful essay on design in the latest issue of the University of Toronto's School of Management alumni mag. It's written, no less, by the dean of the Rotman School of Management, Roger Martin. He convincingly argues that business people don't just need to understand designers better -- they need to become designers.
Continue reading "Smart Thoughts on Smart Design"
Posted by Editor in Chief at 5:39 PM
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Pocket Professors
Ever wonder how much money business speakers such as Jim Collins, Tom Peters, and Michael Porter pull down each time they take the stage? Workforce Management has compiled a handy chart. Here are the highlights:
- Clayton Christensen: $40,000
- Jim Collins: $45,000
- Stephen Covey: $65,000
- Gary Hamel: $50,000
- Tom Peters: $65,000
- Michael Porter: $70,000
The chartlet accompanies a feature story about management gurus -- and whether they make good on the promises they make the companies they work with.
Posted by Heath Row at 5:00 PM
McDonald's Mirth
Danielle Sacks and Lucas Conley's' recent entries about McDonald's reinvention and the connection between a company's performance, leaders' behavior, and brand health helped telegraph my glee when I came across this interactive Design-Your-Own Banner tool online.
S2K Graphics, a company that produces drive-thru toppers, fence banners, and window clings for McDonald's operators, offers several styles of banners, and you can combine the McDonald's logo with words of your choosing. The 20-foot-long rooftop banner I just made that reads "Leaflets and Leafy Greens" looks great, but seems steep at $110.
Have fun on this Friday. Make your own McDonald's banner!
Posted by Heath Row at 4:51 PM
Soda Pop Missteps
On this day in 1985, Coca-Cola announced a change in the Coke formula. While many people thought that it might have been a gambit to increase interest in the original formula, the move to New Coke was, in fact, a major misstep. After widespread public outcry, Coca-Cola ended production of the new formula within the week. Would New Coke have succeeded had it been introduced as a secondary product -- not a replacement for the classic Coke? Wherefore, OK Soda?
Posted by Heath Row at 10:33 AM
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April 22, 2004
Successful Offshoring
Earlier this week, I received a news release about John Jasper, CEO of SEI Information Technology. Opening with the sentence, "John Jasper doesn't apologize for his firm's service facility in Debrecen, Hungary," the release contains some of the usual rhetoric about offshoring helping American businesses. But then the release takes an interesting turn: "The secret to successfully managing off-shore services - and any type of outsourcing, for that matter - is competing on quality and flexibility instead of cost." Here, then, is Jasper's advice for successful -- and mindful -- offshoring:
- Keep the value close to the customers. This has nothing to do with geography and everything to do with quality of service. SEI's domestic service centers use sophisticated Internet telephony to keep close to the needs and requirements U.S. customers. Yet for European callers closeness means being able to get support they need in their native language.
- A global economy requires investments in global markets. SEI invested in a European service facility, not in the pursuit of lower labor costs, but to coincide with the needs of domestic customers expanding into off-shore markets. Jasper says long-term ROI will come from increased international revenue rather than decreased expenses.
- Relationships rule. Service Level Agreements (SLAs) become the focus of many outsource relationships, at home or abroad. But the dynamic complexities of day-to-day operations often transcend what can be dictated in a document, especially when the document is created before business begins. Just as regular face-to-face communication with customers about their expectations and requirements builds successful long-term relationships, so does continual direct contact with managers in outsourced facilities.
- Projects may vary, but service quality can't. No matter where operations are based customers must see one company through any interaction. Despite differences in local custom or culture, every individual in the enterprise must understand the company's core value and deliver it.
Posted by Heath Row at 5:29 PM
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(Social) Capital Ideas
The winners of this year's Global Social Venture Competition, a contest run by the Haas School of Business, Columbia Business School, and London Business School, were announced last week. Studying more than 125 entries by MBA students, judges selected the following as social venture plans with promise:
- Schools for Community Empowerment This team of educators has developed a model of urban renewal and empowerment that could revitalize neighborhoods, communities, and cities across the country by linking youth education with community development.
- Eco-Friendly Agricultural Products This team will manufacture organic fertilizer with high water retention properties for local farmers in arid regions, thus improving soil quality.
- Distributed Generation Technologies This team will promote renewable energy production and local energy efficiency through multi-fuel technologies.
- IAM, LLC This team will carry out real estate development and research, dedicated to improving the economic development and environmental quality of underserved urban neighborhoods.
The schools' efforts differ slightly from Fast Company's Social Capitalist Awards: The GSVC considers plans for social ventures -- businesses that have yet to launch -- and decisions are based on the potential for growth, social ROI, and blended value.
Posted by Heath Row at 4:39 PM
Reading Leaders
There was a good interview with Fast Company's editor in chief, John A. Byrne, published in Knowledge@Wharton recently. Taking a look at the impact of John joining the team a year ago, the interview considers the challenges facing magazine publishers now, John's leadership style, the value of feedback, the changing face of the magazine, and how stories get selected. If you'd like an inside look on what goes on behind the scenes at Fast Company, the interview may be an insightful read.
Posted by Heath Row at 4:23 PM
April 21, 2004
Eulogy for My Father
My father died a week ago today. He had a profound impact on the life I live today and on the person I became. The relationship between a son and a father can often be quite complicated. Not so, for me. I was blessed to have a rather simple, yet powerful and loving, relationship with my dad. And because I believe that at Fast Company we have created a community of friends, not mere readers with little connection to our magazine, I want to share the eulogy I delivered at his funeral on Saturday.
Continue reading "Eulogy for My Father"
Posted by Editor in Chief at 3:56 PM
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Buy Design II
The current issue of Herman Miller's monthly newsletter, DesignLink, cites a British study by the Design Council that found a direct correlation between design and business performance.
Sixty-three public companies were tracked over a ten-year period (1994-2003). A broad range of design awards were used to select companies. Design Council experts also made nominations with no detailed knowledge of previous stock performance.The results? Over the decade, through markets bull and bear, design-intelligent companies beat the UK FTSE 100 index by 200%. (The FTSE follows the 100 largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. It is the British Dow Jones or S&P.)
While the PDF basically expands on the Council's methodology and the companies analyzed, the group's Web site includes additional material, including the business case for design, strategic uses of design, and how to calculate your return on design.
Posted by Heath Row at 3:13 PM
Lunch Is Fun(ctional) III
Sometimes I can't believe my own eyes -- or what people think is a good idea. Coming across the BananaGuard, a banana-sized and -shaped lunchbox designed to safely transport bananas. made me laugh out loud. Especially this line: "The Banana Guard was specially designed to fit the vast majority of bananas." At first blush, I can't believe someone actually made such a thing. But as an avid fan of the banana -- and often frustrated by bruising and smooshing on the way to work -- I'm tempted. What fun. And how simply functional!
Posted by Heath Row at 2:32 PM
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Home (Run) Movies
A lot of people have jobs. A lot of people work on projects. A lot of people make stuff. But how many people make videos about the work they do? At Fast Company, team members have made several documentaries about the magazine, the staff, our collective history -- and our goals. In my workspace, I have a large poster for one of those digital video projects, and I rewatch the films occasionally to reground myself in my work.
Michele Miller, who does the blog WonderBranding, made a brief promotional video about her audio book "The Natural Advantages of Women." But the neat thing is that the video isn't really about the book. It's about Miller: who she is, what she does, and why.
I'm impressed by the balance of content -- what's in the book -- and context -- what's outside of the book -- and intrigued by the potential of grassroots grassroots videos. Given a handheld DV camera and five minutes to talk about your current projects, what would you say? How would you present your current work to an outside audience, as well as your future self?
If FC Now readers can offer examples of similar work video, I'd love to see more.
Posted by Heath Row at 2:25 PM
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Masters of Design II
Airbag today offers some commentary on Fast Company's forthcoming Masters of Design feature, which will run in the June issue. While we're currently encouraging people to help us pick the best of the best, rest assured that the June feature will include more information about all of the designers -- and that some of the people Airbag readers are suggesting Fast Company overlooked will be included in the mix.
Posted by Heath Row at 12:15 PM
April 20, 2004
Masters of Design
In the June issue of Fast Company, the magazine will highlight 20 Masters of Design -- designers who have made, or will make, the biggest impact on the world of design, as well as on how we live and work. Help Fast Company identify the best of the best by voting online. The first 50 respondents will win a free prize.
Posted by Heath Row at 5:34 PM
We Are Our Projects
In a past issue of Fast Company, Tom Peters asserted that you are your projects. A more up-to-date tweak at that might be drawn from a recent Computerworld piece that outlines how to pick a project team.
While Kathleen Melymuka's perspective is understandably tech-centric, her advice and ideas can be applied in any industry or company:
- Fewer Is Better After the fifth member, a project team's effectiveness is inversely proportional to its mass.
- Attitude Counts People with a good work ethic who are upbeat, respectful of others and continually learning will help lift the team's spirit. Conversely, one cynic can spoil the entire team's outlook.
- Diversity Lowers Risk The riskier the project, the more diversity you need in the team. Desire for closure can lead [people] to focus on a strategy before considering the alternatives.
- Familiarity Breeds Action It's helpful if team members have worked together before.
- Availability Trumps Everything You need to identify what resources you will need and when.
- Leverage Matters One key to obtaining leverage is good relationships with other managers. Leverage can also come from an educated customer. If you can't get [the right people], alter or postpone the project until you can.