Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Innovation* But Were Afraid To Ask

Richard Watson — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:53:49 -0400

This is way too long for a blog, but what the heck...

“There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system”- Machiavelli (1469-1527)

Are Open Plan Offices Damaging Our Thinking?

Richard Watson — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:50:24 -0400

Research by Dr Vinesh Oommen, from the Queensland University of Technology, claims that the use of open plan offices is adversely affecting productivity. Moreover, open plan offices are linked to decreasing levels of privacy, increasing levels of job dissatisfaction and rising levels of workplace conflict. And if that’s not enough, open architecture and office floor plans can also lead to higher blood pressure and the spread of infectious diseases. In other words, the open plan office is just about the worst possible environment that you can work in.

Where Do You Think?

Richard Watson — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:17:06 -0500

I’m 56,000 words into writing a new book and I need some help. The book is about ideas and I have a simple question to ask. The question is: Where and when do you do your best thinking? I’m after is a sentence, although if you’d like to go totally mad and write more (or show me) I’d be more than happy. BTW, it would really help if you give an indication of whether you are male/female, what you do for a living and how old you are (roughly). Of course, you are probably wondering where and when I do my best thinking?

Scenarios for the Future of Brands

Richard Watson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 23:25:35 -0500

Here's the last scenario. I will add a few more elements if people are interested. As I said at the start, this work is a collaboration between myself, Wayde Bull and Oliver Freeman.

Personal Fortress:

Scenarios for the Future of Brands

Richard Watson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 23:16:43 -0500

Moreism:

Scenarios for the Future of Brands

Richard Watson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 23:12:23 -0500

Smart Planet:

This is a world where people are fully aware of climate concerns and other worries but have a belief in science, human ingenuity and the power of free markets to sort everything out. It is a world of radical re-engineering and inventiveness; biotechnology and nanotechnology, both driven by a free market. Clean tech is huge and brands are squeaky clean, both in terms of transparency but also in terms of carbon neutrality. Winning brands build platforms using science and technology.

Scenarios for the Future of Brands

Richard Watson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 23:08:59 -0500

I've just found 30-minutes (in was on the floor by my feet) so here's some detail on the individual scenarios.

Enoughism:

Scenarios for the Future of Brands

Richard Watson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 18:34:40 -0500

In these times of rampant uncertainty looking forwards has become something of a necessity. What will life be like in 2020 for a new generation experiencing the impact of such things as climate change, biotechnology and virtual reality and what will brands look like in this world?

Thinking about the future of brands has been done many times before, but I think that using a scenario-based approach may be something of a first. I will post some detail on each 'world' over the next few days. This work has been developed with Wayde Bull and Oliver Freeman by the way.

2009 Trends Map

Richard Watson — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:28:03 -0500

People keep asking me for a roadmap for next year so here it is!

http://nowandnext.com/PDF/trend_blend_2009_map.pdf

The Elephant in the Board Room

Richard Watson — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 23:48:24 -0400

I’ve just been reading some nifty new stuff by Tom Peters. One of the big trends that I keep telling people about - but to almost no effect - is ageing. Fortunately Tom gets it. Here are a handful of statistics from his book on trends.

“In the US between 2002-2010 the number of people aged 18-44 will decline by 1% while the number of people aged 55-64 will increase by 47%”

“Americans aged 50+ hold 70% of global wealth and the average net worth of a household headed by someone aged 55-64 was $120,000 compared to $7,200 for people aged under 35.”