In a recent interview, a former Yahoo VP argues that the key element for efficient innovation management in order to create value is to have an organization enabling small accountable and empowered team that can take risks. Salim Ismail is a successful angel investor and entrepreneur. He has operated seven early-stage companies and is a frequent speaker on internet technologies, private equity and entrepreneurship. From February 2007 to February 2008, Salim was a Vice President at Yahoo and the Head of Brickhouse, Yahoo's internal incubator where game-changing ideas were brought in, built and launched. He is now working for Singularity University.
Yahoo became a matrix company under Terry Siemel, with several layers of organizational approval. The firm is now developed under the traditional verticals administrative functions. Google on the other hand always promoted risks taking and has less organizational layers of approvals, even less under the new CEO Larry Page. Free time is giving to engineer to work on the innovation project of their choice. Google encourage risk taking. Many internal resources of Yahoo made spin-off outside the firm like Zynga. Like Xerox which created many innovations like the mouse, the operating systems, Ethernet but did not develop it, outside spin-offs of Xerox created more value than Xerox itself: Apple, 3Com, Adobe Systems; history is repeated with the case of Yahoo.
According to Ismail, in the fast moving area of high tech, it is difficult to play the game of catching-up on trends and competition. Few players won that game. Apple totally reinvented the company, but they have relied on the Blue Ocean Strategy.
For more information on the ideas of Salim Ismail, see the interview on TechCrunch.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/10/11/keen-on-how-yahoo-screwed-up-and-lessons-for-other-silicon-valley-giants-tctv/#ooid=locnJ1Mjq5H8b_xXxgp9bym7HAdEvXrv
Louis Rhéaume
Infocom Intelligence
louis@infocomintelligence.com
A blog on the convergence of info-communications industries: communications, computing, electronics, entertainment, publications and education. Strategic, technological and financial analysis. English and French blog. Cette chronique traite de l’évolution des industries de l’information et des communications et couvre des aspects stratégiques, technologiques et financiers, comme l’économie du savoir et de l’innovation. L’auteur est Associé principal de Infocom Intelligence.
No comments:
Post a Comment