Flipping The Master Slave Relationship

The complex choreography between innovators and technology gives rise to many different types of dances. At times engineers invent what they would like to have, without inquiring into the needs of customers. As the story goes Henry Ford once said said “if I asked them what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse”. Many technology driven enterprises over the years have adopted this stance on the product development dance floor and to great effect, both good and bad.

For example, it is doubtful that Steve Jobs ever asked the world if it wanted a retinal display, an iPhone or much else. On the other hand, Video Cassette Recorders  designers did not realize that almost no one would be willing to program the VCR system clock, which resulted for years, in a usually red flashing 12:00 in hundreds of millions of homes. When engineers design consumer electronics products, it is never the goal to make everyone who uses them feel stupid, yet this does happen too frequently.  The same could also be said for many of our online interactions. We have to gird our loins before beginning some routine tasks that we suspect are going to take an hour instead of a minute.  Some of the time things work really well. This should be the rule not the exception.

For all of us, it feels terrible when machines undermine our self esteem. In recent years we have been told that product development has become market driven. Based on the number of brain dead products we all have to deal with, one might assume there is a very large market for self esteem damaging equipment. As computer processors are now found in everything, from cars to thermostats, humans have learned to adapt to the demands of their gear. This is surprising in that digital systems inherently have a great ability to adapt to our needs. Somehow, it is now the end user doing the adapting to the technology instead of the other way around.

As a technical person myself, I find it crazy that in many situations, people have become slaves and somehow made machines masters. How many people experience incredible frustration when trying to use phones, computers and other consumer electronic devices? The time is overdue, to Flip the Master Slave Relationship between technology and people.

As SVII enters our tenth year of helping Innovation Advocates at all levels, from the largest entities in the world to solo emerging startup entrepreneurs, to “Turn Vision into Value”, it is time to resurface some of the more important themes we have been addressing from the very beginning.

This is a call to all innovators, to try harder to make sure, while we are in the process of inventing tomorrow’s systems, to prevent these products from making customers feel stupid. Yes this takes extra effort to put oneself in the place of others, and some of you may say “this is too hard, too time consuming and too costly” and “our competitors do not care because that is just the way things are”.

Let me present exhibit A for Apple. One of the reasons Apple has become the most valuable company in the world, is Apple and other successful companies try harder to make it much easier to use their products. This philosophical stance is what Apple’s imitators should be copying not only specs and designs.

Delivering this additional value can take longer, but isn’t it silly for us to have to adapt to the devices and systems we are creating?

JUNE 4th 2013 (Recap): Innovation Feng Shui

In this event a discussion was held on utilizing interactivity at both a small scale and a large scale to help better progress. In the end the miscommunication caused by a lack of interactivity was cited as the reason innovation does not progress as well as it should.

On June 4th, the Silicon Valley Innovation Institute (SVII) help an event titled Innovation Feng Shui: Fueling Innovation through Interactivity. The event was hosted by Cogswell Polytechnical College in their auditorium, called the Dragon’s Den by its students and staff. This venue was chosen to allow multiple unique setups to be experimented with in the pursuit of a more engaging conversation. The purpose of the event was to discuss how we can encourage better communication through more freeform rules of engagement and through seating.

The event was attended by about 40 people, and at least half of the guests got a chance to jump into the conversation in some significant way. We enabled this by putting a “camp fire” in the middle of the darkened room with the attendees in a circle around it. This essentially put everyone on equal standing in the discussion and allowed people to feel more comfortable joining the conversation at any time.

The event was kicked off by a raw food presentation by raw food chef Jillian Love, who brought a selection of food all made from raw and vegan ingredients, including ice cream, chips with some dip, and salad. We then moved on to the main section of the event: the group discussion of interactivity and innovation.

Our discussion leader, Howard Lieberman opened the conversation by explaining the mindset behind the event’s setup, and asking for input on it. The group chimed in by endorsing the setup and structure—appreciating the capacity for a more fluid discussion. They additionally observed that the camp fire setup seemed reminiscent of ancient human gatherings where stories were shared and culture and connection was developed. This form of group communication is a form which is underused in modern society, in spite of how natural it is for us.

The conversation then moved on to the actual meaning of feng shui (a phrase used in the title of the event). An attendee pointed out that the origin of the word feng shui was the Chinese words for “wind” and “water”, as a metaphor for being in harmony with one’s environment. Additionally, there was much discussion on how being in harmony with one’s environment is important in not just group discussions, but most aspects of our lives, and just as importantly, our businesses.

After defining feng shui, we moved into discussing the broader topic of innovation and how it can be improved through fresh concepts like interactivity. One of our featured conversation instigators, Don Grayson, then pointed out that a many cities have the word “innovation” in their mission statement without really putting much effort into actually being innovative, as if the word is used just because people think it sounds good. Similarly, almost any organization will say that it wants to innovate, but many of those do not follow through, because of the sacrifices involved in achieving innovation.

At this point, someone pointed out that not all innovation is good. Innovation is just doing something in a new way, and it can be beneficial or harmful. Some changes actually lead to lesser efficiency or consistency, especially when the other is being pursued (e.g. you make a change pursuing efficiency, which leads to more failures, and vice versa). On a broader scale, even if an innovation is good for an individual or a company, it may still be bad for society, with unforeseen (or ignored) consequences outside of entity making the change. One example given was the “optimization” of the use of animal by-products in our food.

Moving into an even larger scope—governments and countries–one attendee brought up how Singapore was able to successfully achieve social innovation under a strong and controversial leader who imposed societal changes authoritatively. These changes have definitely been beneficial for Singapore, but at the same time, there is a question of whether their methods of achieving them were the best way. China is doing something similar in trying to modernize its country by incentivizing cities to be centers of innovation and technology. While China has the capacity to be more innovative than Singapore because of the size of the country, they also have a harder time changing the whole country, because of the vastness of its territory and population. In addition there was the concern of whether or not Singapore’s model will properly scale in China.

With so many problems in the world, someone asked, how can we actually get things done, citing the lack of proper communication that often happens. Somebody else pointed out that the problem is not that people aren’t talk, but that many aren’t listening, possibly being trapped in their own “bubble” of acceptable information. The way to fix this, perhaps, is not through more frequent communication, but through more efficient and interactive communication.

JUNE 4th 2013: Innovation Feng Shui

Fueling Entrepreneurship Through Interactivity

Can you have an engaging conversation with the back of someone’s head? How about the backs of 50 heads? How do you arrange groups of people in a physical environment for maximum interactivity, connection, and effectiveness in content capture and iteration? Whether you are an entrepreneur, incubator, community leader, or innovation advocate of another denomination, we all have a desire to initiate change, and to be active participants in the cultivation of new ideas rather than passive recipients of information.

In this event, we will be performing a group experiment in the arrangement of people in space to uncover the hidden ways that those arrangements affect our communication. With that as a starting point, we will then move on to the related areas of, How to groups of people effectively communicate in general? (whether they are a company, community, movement, etc). And how can groups of people be effectively organized to accomplish their goals as a group?

Come be a part of inventing the “feng shui” behind communities of powerful communicators.

This free event will be capped to 50 participants.

Attendance is FREE (while seats are available)!

Refreshments will be provided by Raw Food Chef, Jillian Love!(http://www.jillianlove.com/Home.html)

Optional: Bring a lamp or light source to use in collaboratively constructing our environment.

This event will take place at:  

The Dragon’s Den (Cogswell College)
1175 Bordeaux Dr
Sunnyvale, CA 94089

Our conversation will be led by these key conversation instigators…

Gary Entwistle
Gary Entwistle of the Next Institute

Gary Entwistle, MBA 

Gary Entwistle is a skilled training and development practitioner with firsthand knowledge of management and supervision.  During the past thirty years, he has provided leadership coaching and development to thousands of managers. He is a Senior Learning Advisor for The Next Institute and Executive-In-Residence for the Banff Leadership Institute, Alberta, Canada.

Gary recently had the opportunity to practice what he preaches. A client asked him to implement his recommendations to turn the failing business around. He worked as General Manager to restore the business to profitability; to develop policies, procedures, and practices; and to strengthen management at all levels.

Don Grayson of GHG and Associates

Don Grayson, PhD

A licensed psychologist, Don has maintained an organizational psychology consulting practice since 1981. From 1981 – 1987 he was a Senior Consultant and a top performer for RHR International, Inc, the largest organization of consulting psychologists. Since 1987 he has maintained his own independent consulting practice.

He was a contributing author in “Coaching for Leadership – How the World’s Greatest Coaches Help Leaders Learn”. The chapter was cited in Coaching and Mentoring: How to Develop Top Talent and Achieve Stronger Performance in the Harvard Business Essentials, Harvard Business School Press. Grayson is a principle consultant at GHG and Associates.

Bret Sweet, Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship

Bret Sweet, Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship

Mr. Sweet is Cogswell’s first Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, following his work in launching the College’s Entrepreneurship program in 2010. He continues to develop Cogswell’s entrepreneurship curriculum and teaches a variety of entrepreneurship courses. He is certified by the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), and has taught business building strategies to thousands of Bay Area low-income youths and their families. From 2003-2007, Mr. Sweet was the lead entrepreneurship instructor at BUILD, which provides entrepreneurship education to high school students in low-income areas boasts an excellent college acceptance rate for its seniors. His activities have garnered him a host of accolades, including the NFTE’s prestigious Teacher of the Year Award in 2004 and a speaking engagement at the 2012 NAACP National Convention. Mr. Sweet’s background is as an entrepreneurial musician, music promoter and restaurateur. He received a B.A. in Television and Radio Production from San Francisco State University and an MBA from the University of San Francisco.

Dr. Deborah Snyder, Chief Academic Officer & Provost

Dr. Deborah Snyder, Chief Academic Officer & Provost

“Dr. Snyder has a long history of higher education experience and was a pioneer in the adoption of online platforms in learning. Previously, Snyder served as senior vice provost for academic programs at Strayer University in Washington, D.C. and is author of The New Traditionals and e-Marketing Basics. The New Traditionals examined adult learners – those 25 and over – who comprise the majority of enrollees in higher education. She has been published in numerous education and marketing journals and has presented at several high-profile conferences.

MAR 20th 2013: Achieving Intimacy AND Reach Through Social Media

“I present myself to you in a form suitable to the relationship I wish to achieve with you.” -Luigi Pirandello

– How do ancient practices of communication inform our use of social media?

– Do companies need social media polices?  …SHOULD they have social media policies?

– Is it possible to achieve intimacy with your audience without sacrificing reach?

– What is the best social media strategy for YOUR organization?

Join us on March 20th as we discuss the digital campfire!

This event will take place at the offices of Sheppard Mullin:
379 Lytton Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94301
Don’t forget, the doors open at 6:30PM for networking with complimentary food and drinks, so don’t forget to join us early and introduce yourself!

** Ample parking is available

SCHEDULE:

6:30 – Registration
7:00 – Refreshments & Networking
7:15 – Panelists’ Presentations
8:00 – Moderated Panel 
9:15 – Wrap-Up (Networking till close at 9:30)

 

Pre-Registration Tickets ($20)  – on SALE NOW!

PANELISTS:

TOM TREANOR
Founder & CEORight Mix Marketing Inc. 

Tom Treanor is the Founder and President of Right Mix Marketing Inc., which focuses on helping companies of all sizes succeed through the effective use of Content Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Business Blogging and Social Media. He has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, as well as a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches a course on Social Media Tools at San Francisco State University’s Social Media Marketing certificate program and has deep experience coaching and consulting corporate executives, small business owners and startup teams. Tom speaks regularly at live and virtual conferences and meetings.

Tom is the author of the Search Engine Optimization Boot Camp and he has been quoted in the Investor’s Business Daily and is a previous Google Adwords Professional and Microsoft adExcellence Member. Prior to Right Mix Marketing, Tom worked for Hewlett Packard in leadership roles in marketing and operations, at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Booz-Allen & Hamilton as a strategy consultant, and at Sony Electronics in product marketing.

Tom is a prolific business blogger and has been featured on top blogs such as Copyblogger.com, Problogger.net and AllTop.com. Kred has named him Kred Elite, part of the top 1% of influencers.

KATHRYN GORGES
Principal ConsultantMarketing Possibility 

Principal Consultant of Marketing Possibility and also known as the Social Marketing Diva, Kathryn blends social media with core business strategy to create integrated online marketing strategies for small and medium-sized businesses.  She specifically focuses on leveraging the vision and value at the heart of the business into quality customer relationships and conversations. She applies over 17 years of experience in high tech marketing and sales to her marketing consulting business with medium and small businesses in the Silicon Valley area.  She helps businesses clarify their brand and business persona to use in building conversations with customers and prospects through social networking.  She also develops social media marketing plans, teach all aspects of engaging online, and can conduct online campaigns for clients. She has spoken at conferences, workshops, meetings, and corporations on topics ranging from the future of marketing and social media to the application of high availability systems in the financial industry.  She teaches Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners at UC Berkeley Extension San Francisco  several times a year, is the President of the Stanford Entrepreneurs Alumni Group, Founder of WomenLaunch, and leads the NorCal BMA Marketing Strategy Roundtable. She has held marketing and sales leadership positions at IBM, Amdahl, Stratus, and Tandem and has served in executive roles on non-profit boards and community organizations.  She has a Masters in Philosophy from Stanford University, a BS in Mathematics from William and Mary, and an MBA from Santa Clara University.

MARK WILLAMAN
Founder & CEO, Fisher Vista LLC 

Mark Willaman is founder and president of Fisher Vista, LLC, the owners of HRmarketer.comSocialEars.comFisher Vista Marketing Group, HRVendor PhonebookSeniorCare Marketer, and ShirleyBOARD.com. Mark has nearly twenty years experience B2B marketing, including being a pioneer in the use of web-based technologies for the delivery of HR services. Mark has a track record of conceptualizing and implementing innovative, creative and highly effective marketing campaigns targeting human resource and other B2B decision makers. Mark also has extensive expertise in developing web-based software applications including HRmarketer.com and most recently, SocialEars – proprietary algorithm that analyzes the online “social” activity in the HR and B2B marketplaces, the trending topics and the key influencers driving these discussions. Mark received his BSBA in Marketing from the University of Denver where he was a three-year letterman in Lacrosse, and his MBA from Pennsylvania State University where he was an appointed member of the MBAA Honor Council for two consecutive years. Mark is also a published author and speaker on various marketing topics, and a regular contributor to the HRmarketer Blog. In his spare time, Mark enjoys training for triathlons. 

PAUL S. COWIE, JD

Paul Cowie is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group in Shepperd Mullin’s Palo Alto office.  Mr. Cowie represents employers in the full range of employment matters, with his focus on litigation and class actions.  Mr. Cowie specializes in litigation avoidance counseling and has successfully reduced client’s litigation docket to zero many times.  Mr. Cowie’s experience includes litigating and advising on matters involving all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; wrongful termination; wage and hour disputes and compliance; independent contractor status; reductions in force; workplace investigations; discipline; grievance; whistleblower claims; workplace violence; and Labor Code violations.  Mr. Cowie practices in both state and federal court, and represents employers in all forums.

Before practicing in the US, Mr. Cowie practiced in the UK for approximately five years, representing and advising employers at all stages of employment litigation, including as lead counsel in UK Employment Tribunals.  Mr. Cowie’s UK experience means that he has drafted hundreds of employment contracts, dozens of settlement agreements, negotiated warranties and indemnities in corporate transactions and is very familiar with the challenges faced by US-based companies operating or expanding into in the UK.

Pre-Registration Tickets ($20)  – on SALE NOW!