Innovation: surveys

Is it just me, or would you fill in a survey without any "reward" for your time? Does eBay think people have nothing better to do on a Friday afternoon than give them free insight?

Dear XXX,

Thank you for being a valued eBay user.

We're always trying to improve the eBay experience, and there's no better group of advisors than our buyers and sellers. We'd love to get your insight on your searching experience on eBay, and invite you to take a survey to express your opinions. Your input will help us make eBay easier and more enjoyable to use.

To take the survey, please click the link below or copy and paste the link into your browser.

XXXXXXXXXX [link to survey]XXXXXXXXX

Thanks for being a part of the eBay community, and we hope to see you on eBay again soon.

Kind regards,
eBay Research Department

Straight into the trash.

Of the weird folks that actually enjoy completing eBay surveys on a Friday afternoon, how many of the "insights" and data they provide will be representative?

I received a survey from Borders last Saturday. They at least had the sense to offer me a carrot -- in the form of a 20% discount coupon. I tried to complete the survey, but their survey server was so damn slow that I got fed up and abandoned the whole thing.

Worse yet, I signed up for Blockbuster and rather than getting a "Thank you!" I got a "Congratulations!" How's that for getting ahead of yourself? Blockbuster must really be feeling the pinch these days, they have signs outside the store where I live that says, "Yes. We're open."

Sometimes the places in which innovation should occur get overlooked. Innovation isn't just about all the sexy stuff -- there's nothing wrong with a bit of innovation in the more dreary corners of a business.

How to unleash your creativity

What's creativity?

Were you creative as a child?

How about now?

Do you believe that everybody has the potential to be creative?

What's the difference between problem solving and creativity?

Lots of questions. Too many to answer here. In the meantime, read the following article from the Scientific American. Note the title, "How to Unleash Your Creativity." This suggests that the author believes we all can be creative.

PS. For an interesting look at creativity/problem solving, check out this online presentation from the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI) Center.

Innovation in education

The BBC has been running a series of articles on higher education in the United Kingdom. Here's a link to one of the articles, "Call for action on degree 'fraud'"

Having lived in Taiwan for many years, I always suspected that many Western universities were dishing out degrees to pretty much any foreign student who was paying the full international fees. I have read with my own eyes barely readable e-mails from individuals who had received a post-graduate degree. First thoughts. How could they possibly have written an acceptable essay or a dissertation with this level of English? Somebody is taking the piss here. And let's not rationalize what's going on here: you don't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows.

In addition to the discussion on standards of English of foreign students at U.K. universities, don't you just sense that higher education -- business education in particular -- needs a bit of an overhaul? Don't you just feel it in your gut? Let me give you an example of what I mean: I completed an MSc in International Marketing, yet I never learned anything about how to write copy for advertising or direct marketing.

They don't teach this at business school
I am reading and learning about this craft on my own. I don't have a problem with that: I am well aware that most people who are really successful in any endeavor are self taught. This is not to say that they did it alone, however. I'd also say that a university degree is often more a tool for increasing social distance than a true reflection of anybody's intelligence or potential. There are whole television shows devoted to this viewpoint.

There is obviously a gap between what universities are teaching and what businesses actually need. But I sense change is afoot, not because of any true leadership at universities, but thanks to free markets. New universities like the University of Phoenix, who hire teachers with post-graduate qualifications and significant experience in their respective fields. Courses are offered to students who would not have had the opportunity in the past -- shut out of the "elite" schools for whatever reason. Classic examples of disruptive innovation nibbling away at the foundations of incumbents, and being sneered at in the process. That's the wonderful thing about free markets -- ever so slightly regulated, of course.

My mum has a saying that I love: "If it were left to man, the poor would forever be poor and the rich would never die."


Image courtesy of The White Shirt Company

Chinese culture

I like Francis Fukuyama's definition of culture in his book, Trust:

" . . . inherited ethical habit."
This is similar to other definitions which emphasize the way things are done in a particular context. "The way we do things around here." The context, or setting, could be the family home, the highway, the street, the office or the global marketplace. Different settings = different acceptable behaviors (particularism). For example, behavior acceptable with the "in group" versus the "out group."

If you are in business, it is this behavioral aspect of culture that should be of most concern to you. Let's be honest, you probably don't care so much about the artistic, musical or poetic aspects of culture: culture's physical manifestations. In business, it's far more useful to know why individuals and markets behave the way they do.

If you're interested in Chinese culture, and you're in business, you have to listen to the following four lectures as part of the BBC's Reith Lectures:


The 2008 Reith Lectures


Listen to these, download them and then listen again! Enjoy!

American brands, Taiwanese roots II

Here's another well-known brand that has its origins in Taiwan, Garmin.



What contributed to success here?

1. A unique, almost German-sounding name (to me anyway). Or, does it sound American? Either way, it's what it doesn't sound like that's more important: "Kai Lee Sok" GPS Device might not work so well.

2. Downplaying the Taiwan connection. The market (that's me and you) will default to the path of least resistance: it's American, German or one of those other European countries. Read the About page and take note of what is NOT mentioned. As in all things related to brands, it is we who fill the gaps -- we are heavily invested in the brand's birth, we sustain it and we can also abandon it.

3. Listing your shares on the NASDAQ, suggesting authenticity: "We're part of the tech world."

4. Setting up your HQ in America.

5. Once again, a strong, trusted channel partner in Costco. Got a problem with a device, Costco will give you a full refund -- no questions asked, really.

You can see that, together, these things add up to a strong foundation for a global brand. And all of the above points are considered before going near an expensive consultant or advertising agency.