The global supply chain is an impressive feat of modern management. The problem is that in its quest to squeeze out ever greater efficiencies with its "just-in-time" system of inventory it has left itself extremely vulnerable to large, rare and unpredictable events such as the recent Japanese earthquake-tsunami. Such events are, of course, unpredictable but [...]
Unlearning the Grid
I'm in Eugene, Oregon today to give the keynote presentation at the conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Eugene Water and Electricity Board. The gist of my message is that as impressive as progress has been in the past century it will pale in comparison to what is coming in the next two decades. [...]
Do You Live in (a) Detroit?
I don't mean do you physically live in Detroit. Instead, I mean do you and your business live in an environment where you're surrounded by like-minded individuals. Living with — and around — people who think the same as you can be comforting but it can also be very dangerous. The fact that the "Big [...]
Does Your Business Need to Unlearn?
As a leader you must nurture an organization that can rapidly adapt. Unlearning can help. Unlearning can also help you innovate. In fact, unlearning can even assure you and your organization survive. After years of work, I am pleased to report that I have now developed both a half and a full-day seminar designed to help organizations [...]
The World is Changing: Unlearn!
Take a look at the pictures to the right. What's wrong with them? The answer would seem pretty obvious: they are upside down. But that is wrong. They are only "wrong" from your perspective. From outer space there is no up or down, so the globe can just as correctly be viewed from one perspective [...]
Unlearning the Future
Carl Sagan once advised the public to “never underestimate the power of exponential.” It was sound advice. Unfortunately, as with so much other wise counsel, it is easy to dismiss. You shouldn’t. Consider just a few recent examples of exponential growth. In 1998, a small Silicon Valley start-up was conducting 25 million web-based searches a [...]
Unlearn the Future, Today
Effective today, June 8, 2009, General Motors and Citigroup are no longer components of the Dow 30. In and of itself this news has no great relevance, but it does highlight how fast today’s economy continues to change. As I mentioned the other day on my other blog (www.jumpthecurve.net), many people think that "tomorrow will [...]
