business model innovation design we're on a road to nowhere // on a quest to analyze and explore the design of business model innovations, i.e. 'hideous and hidden things' like organizational structures and capabilities, corporate strategies and all things related // on a yellow brick road with a girl, a lion and a straw-man wasting our time // …

No pushing of fads this time, all relevant and thoughtful content. Yet, I find it disturbing that both Bain and HBR present such a mixture of tools, methods, principles, concepts and paradigms (yes, HBR is holding that it only offers emerging ideas …).

Still the material is brilliant, and relevant for those interested in knowledge management, social software, collaborative and open innovation and well, business model innovations alike:

Bain looks at the key management tools used by executives, also including new tools this year (Consumer Ethnography, Corporate Blogs, Lean Operations, Mergers and Acquisitions and Shared Service Centers), while wanting

to help managers identify, select, implement and integrate the tools that will improve bottom line results

None of these is really new, yet these tools seem to attract more followers:

1. Balanced Scorecard
2. Benchmarking
3. Business Process Reengineering
4. Collaborative Innovation
5. Consumer Ethnography
6. Core Competencies
7. Corporate Blogs
8. Customer Relationship Management
9. Customer Segmentation
10. Growth Strategy Tools
11. Knowledge Management
12. Lean Operations
13. Loyalty Management Tools
14. Mergers and Acquisitions
15. Mission and Vision Statements
16. Offshoring
17. Outsourcing
18. RFID
19. Scenario and Contingency Planning
20. Shared Service Centers
21. Six Sigma
22. Strategic Alliances
23. Strategic Planning
24. Supply Chain Management
25. Total Quality Management

Well, go and get the pdf of the Bain report and flip through the HBR list for 2007, which is freely accessible for February.

I enjoyed especially parts 6 and 17, “6. An Emerging Hotbed of User-Centered Innovation” by Eric von Hippel and “The Best Networks Are Really Worknets” by Chris Meyer:

In an array of industries, producer-centered innovation is being eclipsed by user-centered innovation—the dreaming up, development, prototyping, and even production of new products by consumers. These users aren’t just voicing their needs to companies that are willing to listen; they’re inventing and often building what they want. (von Hippel)

and

The assumption is that if you build a network platform, people will come. If you expect to get real value from your initiative, though, you must think hard and in advance about exactly what function you want the network to perform. That will help you choose the participants, the nature of their experiences, and the technology. In other words, put the work in “network” first. (Meyer)