Compartmentalization might speed things up on an assembly line, but it forces us into silos. And silos destroy creativity, context, and perspective—all things we need to thrive in an increasingly complex and interconnected world. Design for social innovation is the answer to that dilemma.
If you haven’t already, go read Jill Lepore’s surgical evisceration of “disruptive innovation” theory and of the theory’s leading proponent, Clayton Christensen. I can’t recommend it enough for anyone even remotely interested in startups, innovation, and business theory.
Many social entrepreneurs have an ambivalent attitude towards marketing. They may think that marketing is all about deceptive advertising, but marketing doesn’t have to be sleazy. In fact, developing the marketing mindset will help you and your customers.
Steve Jobs liked to “live at the intersection of the humanities and technology,” and that’s exactly the place where communications technologies need to be.
For many entrepreneurs, firing an employee is the hardest part about being the boss. Here’s how you can lay people off in a way that respects the needs of both the company and the employee.
Have you ever heard the advice "pick one thing and stick to it"? Many entrepreneurs have a very hard time specializing in just one thing. Take comfort in these wise and inspiring words, because a world full of specialists is a sad and unforgiving place.
Watch as Rajesh Anandan intimately shares his own journey from the private sector into one of the largest aid organizations on earth. His difficulties with innovation, his recommendations to startups working with multinationals, and secrets on how to hit scale are all revealed in this interview.
The days of lone heroes and quick fixes are over, and never were what we hoped they would be. Our problems are too complex to fix quickly, and too big to fix alone. For everyone trying to change the world on a deadline, give it up.