Douglass C. North, a Nobel laureate famed for his groundbreaking work on “new institutional economics,” died on November 23. He was 95. North – a professor, economist, philosopher, and economic historian – was the co-recipient (with Robert Fogel) of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences “for having renewed research in economic history by applying […]
From the Blog
People, Inspiration and Dreams
Sometimes it’s necessary to state, or restate, the obvious: it’s always about people, whether it’s innovation, dreams and the inspiration that drives innovation and dreams made reality. I’m thinking along these lines at this time of the year—when dreams seem especially prevalent for young and old. Walt Disney said, “You can design and create and […]
The Lessons of the V-Formation
Recent research described in USA Today that relates how and why certain birds fly in a perfect V formation is fascinating. But it is also telling in terms of how migrating birds work together to reach their goal with the lowest amount of energy. Scientists did the first extreme close-up of GPS-equipped northern bald ibises flying in a V formation to […]
What’s Your Costume, er, Sourcing Business Model for Halloween?
Usually I write about Halloween and the scary art of negotiation but this year in honor of the imminent release of the sixth Vested book, Strategic Sourcing in the New Economy, (by Bonnie Keith, myself, Karl Manrodt, and Jeanne Kling), I thought I’d take a slightly different tack on the holiday. My question is simple. If you are searching for real value […]
For Innovation: Ask the Person
Innovation doesn’t have to be a mystery featuring secret words, cryptic corporate alchemy and magical thinking. It can be as simple as ATP: ‘ask the person’ doing the work. Communication is vital in every aspect of our personal and business lives, for collaboration, alignment and creating value—so why not when it comes to innovation? A […]
When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It
I’d like to take a moment to celebrate the wit, and wisdom, of baseball great and cultural icon Yogi Berra, who died on Tuesday at the age of 90. Berra had a unique perspective on life that some might think of as just a list of rambling, funny malapropisms. There was an element of the […]
It’s Feedback and Measurement
Feedback is always necessary no matter the project or situation, but there’s an important and often overlooked next step: what happens after the feedback? This point is brought home in a recent Harvard Business Review article, “Feedback Without Measurement Won’t Do Any Good,” in which MIT Research Fellow and author Michael Schrage writes: “People understandably invest significant time and […]
Innovation: It’s Not Just “More” or “Faster”
There are many paths to innovation. But far too many think it’s about just doing “more” of something. Or doing something “faster.” KLM understands the spirit of innovation is in thinking differently rather than trying to just improve an existing process or product. This YouTube video shows how the customer service team is innovating when it comes […]
An Oldie but Goodie: The Service Contract Manifesto
I ran across this great blog declaring the need for a Service Contract Manifesto. It’s a bit old (2008) but very good. The manifesto is a “declaration of customer-contractor interdependence.” In simple words it lays out some highly Vested conclusions: that “both sides want more,” and that both the buyer and the service provider “recognize the need for […]
Negotiation Wisdom from JFK
In a recent LinkedIn post Kees Van Der Vleuten, Director, KC MT Services, talks about the need to understand and use “expectation management” while embracing collaboration in the value chain. His well-said point is that by fully embracing collaboration—and measuring and monitoring the results of collaboration—“it is possible to achieve greater and more sustainable results […]
