• The Eden Project's cofounder and CEO Tim Smit says plants hold the key to the next wave of technological innovations. Can plants really be that important? Arrange a trip to the local botanical gardens to discuss innovations in horticulture and what they could lead to. Ask a botanist to lead the tour and help your members target where plant technology could lead to innovation in their industries.
• Jerry Putnam believes Archipelago Holdings is the first step in making the stock market entirely electronic. Take a group trip to the major exchange in your city, if there is one. If not, consider a commodities exchange, a brokerage house or trading firm. Note what portion of transactions are done electronically. Afterward discuss what parts of the process could be streamlined from paper to electronic version.
• In the article, Bill Breen says the stock market structure is 'up for grabs.' If your group could start from scratch and redesign the way Wall Street works, what changes would you incorporate. Spend some time designing this new market and invite a financial analyst in to critique your plans. What other industries and network exchanges could benefit from an 'archipelago' structure of access?
• The OODA loop is crucial in military conflict situations, but it also relates to business. Arrange a trip to a nearby army base and organize a tour of a fighter jet. Ask a military officer to explain the mechanics of how to win a dogfight. What comparable battles are there in business? Do the winning strategies cross over? Apply the OODA loop to your business and industry. As importantly as understanding your own, what can you do to get into your competitor's OODA to predict their next moves? Define your business' 'schwerpunkt' (organizational focus). What is the 'bigger picture' of your business and is it evolving? What are the loops in your company and is feedback working? Lay out a Venn diagram of your business departments, their loops and how they are all related. Analyze how the loops could be better connected.

Daniel Richards contributed this month's Next Steps.

June 2002 Connexus | Flash Points | Next Steps

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