Cognitive dissonance – An ally of innovation? - Jose Baldaia

“Companies cannot achieve superior and lasting business performance simply by following a specific set of steps. Over the past decade, some of the most popular business books have claimed to reveal the blueprint for lasting success, the way to go from good to great, or how to craft a fail-safe strategy or to make the competition irrelevant. At first glance, many of the pronouncements in such works look entirely credible. They are based on extensive data and appear to be the result of rigorous analysis. Millions of managers read them, eager to apply these keys to success to their own companies. Unfortunately, many of the studies are deeply flawed and based on…” - Phil Rosenzweig mckinseyquarterly.com

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User-Led Innovation Can't Create Breakthroughs; Just Ask Apple and Ikea | Co.Design

Companies should lead their users, not the other way around. The user is king. It’s a phrase that’s repeated over and over again as a mantra: Companies must become user-centric. But there’s a problem: It doesn’t work. Here’s the truth: Great brands lead users, not the other way around.

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IT growth and global change: Ray Kurzweil interview - McKinsey Quarterly - Business Technology - Strategy

The inventor, businessman, and author Ray Kurzweil explains how the exponential growth of technologies will transform industries and pose new opportunities—and hurdles—for business and society. Every executive recognizes the fast pace of technological development but grapples with the billion-dollar question: what happens next, and when? Ray Kurzweil has precise answers based on his thesis that information technology will continue to develop exponentially, leading to a not-so-distant future when artificial intelligence dominates our daily lives, genes can be reprogrammed away from cancer, and solar power can provide the world with all the energy it needs.

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The Megacommunity Approach to Tackling the World’s Toughest Problems - Booz&Co - Strategy+Business

Three projects in Rome are showing how companies, governments, and other organizations can work together to increase their effectiveness. Here is "Innovation" continuing to push the envelope of management practice.

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The Author 

Fernando Napolitano is a senior partner at Booz & Company based in Rome. He is managing director for Italy and leads the firm’s organization and change practice there. He specializes in the telecommunications, media, and aerospace industries.