Magnus Penker

As we speak there is a new trend rising providing us with opportunities or threats, depending on what side of the fence you are mentally located. Let’s first back the tape a bit. Take a moment and ask yourself “why are people launching apps on Android and iTunes in numbers close to impossible to believe”?

• Is it to give away apps for free making the world a better place?
• To earn money?
• To be seen and confirmed?

I think it is because it is possible, and the evolution takes care of the rest. But the most intressting is the consequence. The platforms used, Android and iTunes, are in practical terms nothing else that innovation frameworks moving Apples and Googles R&D departments to be carried out by their customers. For free. And the good part is that due to the number of downloads a self-correcting (evolutionary) process promote the best and strongest innovations at the same time as it is prototyped, tested, refined and commercialized. Actually, it is a perfect innovation process driven from outside and in – to no cost except from the platform. This is Innovation 2.0.

The Swedish Learning Award 2011 is completed and the winner selected. Guess if I am a proude chairman of Lexicon Interactive as they won in the category mobile learning. The winning contribution was a complete new kind of App for the Swedish Addison Society, and the motivation was “Addison is a serious fatal disease that requires constant attention to immediate life-saving measures if it would end up in an Addison crisis. This mobile application contains everything you need to know about this disease and the steps required for an acute Addisonian crisis; for healthcare professionals for information about how medication and for families there are both depth background information about the disease and a guide to what information you need to notify SOS Alarm in crisis mode.”

Congratulations!

At the moment many Swedish manufacture plants are bought by BRIC players which are an interesting phenomenon as the interest is increasing meaning that there are reasons beyond low interest here. Historically European countries like Sweden has had a low interest which has lead to investments in automated manufacturing plants competitive with labor intensive manufacturer in the BRIC area, we can find examples like Flextronics. However, in recently bought manufacturing plants it is different. Indian Bahra Forge bought Kilsta plants in Karlskoga, Sweden to manufacture crankshafts, Suzuki Metal bought wire manufacturer Garphyttan and Indian Kemwell bought two pharmaceutical factories in Uppsala. Why?

It seems like access to raw material, skilled operators, localizations as well as sustainability and environmental issues play a role here. Taking a financially point of view it seems like the interest gap between west European countries and the BRIC region plays a important part in the managerial decision making process as high tech plants cannot be replaced with low cost labors in BRIC, nether access to raw material, leading to comparative advantages in relative lower interest (even if it is increasing in absolute terms), skilled operators, knowledge workers as well as local and secured access  to raw material in a stable region.

How can we use the comparative advantage as a west European nation? First of all, we can compete on the global market with high tech production, skilled operators and industrial knowledge workers. Internally within the EU market there is an opportunity for entrepreneurs here; Supply and development of global talents, training, R&D, as well as building and developing infrastructure.

Came across this interesting book the other day, one of the few comprehensive books in the field of talent management, recommended reading for all entrepreneurs and executives.

The book covers:

• Attract new talent and keep the ”Superkeepers”
• Design career plans that boost employee morale and support organization needs
• Improve performance through a personal value exchange
• Coach, develop, and inspire raw talent and prepare the CEOs of the future
• See positive results with smarter performance reviews
• Create a culture of innovation and sustainability

Mike Southon and Cris West are the guys behind the Beermat concept and as everything is done on Cobra Beermat’s Lord Karan Bilimoria the founder of Cobra Beer is of cause endorsing their work cool work. Basically they suggest keeping everything short as possible and never large in print than a Cobra Beermat. Start in the pub, work out an elevator pitch, get a mentor and the first customer. When you have done that, set up a founding team with people you know and people how is complementing you also driven by passion, courage, hard work, solidity, personal skills and are doers.

The founding team shall be an entrepreneur keeping up the flame and complemented by people (not necessary full time) being

• Technical Innovator
• Delivery Specialist
• Sales
• Finance

To this you add the mentor or mentors – serial entrepreneurs with past experience of breakdowns, a lot of contacts and knowhow to run a business and when to kill the king (=when to leave as an entrepreneur).

For you who want to read more have a look at all freebies on http://www.mikesouthon.com/free-stuff/downloads/

Today, when everybody from politician to journalists talk about entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs I feel obligated to put attention on what it real is and what the differences is compared with small business owners. If we start with the first question, who are the typical entrepreneur? Statistically you find proportionally more of them among minorities and dyslectics. Often entrepreneurs are outsiders, people having the capacity to see possibilities and actually trying to convert them into a solution. The question is of cause, are you born to be an entrepreneur? Maybe? Maybe not? Regardless it is a person willing to take a risk, driven by solving and fixing something and having a high degree of persistence. Entrepreneurs see failures as a set-back and is never satisfied and if they are they move on to the next venture…

So what is the difference between an entrepreneur and a small business owner? According to the research a small business owner is driving the business for the sake of personal funding and needs while an entrepreneur is driving for growth and profit using all possible managerial tools, insights and strategically thinking in combination with finding the best people involving and rewarding them financially as well as emotionally.  Serial entrepreneurs often leave the company when it is up and running, remaining a part owner, continuing as non-executive director and eventually doing an exit.

If you want to figure out if you are an entrepreneur, do the test at http://www.bizmove.com/other/quiz.htm

Today Hey Group release their Global Top 20 companies for leadership, top five at the list was:

1. General Electric
2. Procter & Gamble
3. Intel Corporation
4. Siemens
5. Banco Santander

Two European firms formerly outside the 2009 top 20 – Siemens and Banco Santander – have jumped straight into the 2010 top 5. BASF is a new arrival from Europe too. Some intressting key findings was

• 90% of the Best Companies expect employees to lead, regardless if they have a formal position of authority.
• 90% of the Best Companies collect best practices for leadership development from subsidiaries and share them across the organization.
• Cultural diversity has allowed 95 per cent of the Best Companies to be more effective at responding to the challenges of competing in a global economy.
• 100% of the Best Companies have programs designed to develop leaders who can bring together resources across the organization.

Just the other day A Great Place to Work also released their list 2011 FORTUNE’S 100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR® which is based upon a deeper cultural audit and as far as I can see much more reliable. Their Top 5 on the Fortune list 2011 is:

1. SAS
2. Boston Consulting Group
3. Wegmans Food Markets
4. Google
5. NetApp

At the moment the competition takes place around Europe… I get back on that when released the 26th of May. In the mean time have a look at the Swedish list

PR has, generally spoken, changed over time and become more complex as the possibilities of interacting and building relations has exponential increased over time. Old truth might still be truth but often simplified approaches not possible to apply other than as isolated events.

Today building relationship impacting specific target groups is a holistic challenge, not a isolated task. All stakeholders have to be mapped, outlined, and analyzed based on previous actions, current beliefs and values and future expectations. Due to Internet and a flattened world the speed and number of possible point of connections has dramatically increased and continue to increase meaning that PR become a complex discipline whereas relations, primary and secondary stakeholders interest, power, urgency and legitimacy has to be understood over time, not as a snap shot. Transparency, social and environmental issues are also interlinked in all analysis today – as most people see responsibility as a prerequisite doing business.

As PR become more complex, faster, as well as integrated, holistic approaches as well as dynamic tools is required doing a good job. One of the recently awarded PR blogger having this approach is Doktor Spinn, have a look at his blog http://www.doktorspinn.se/

Michael E. Porter Harvard University professor, explains in an new video post, why business leaders must focus on shared value – creating products and services that benefit not only the company but also society. Or as like to put it, make the pie bigger… Responsible and smart entrepreneurs understand to create value through actions beneficial for all, without a working society and environment there is not much business to do. It is time for a new definition of CSR who has been focused on the wrong ideas instead of seeing the real rational behind a sustainable world the focus has been doing good without understanding why – a lose cannon without a captain. No good out of that… See the movie and enter a new dimension of why to do good, how to do it, and what it will lead to.Click on the picture to see the video post cast from Harvard  Business Review…