Darrell Mann

By Darrell Mann

Based on a 20-year, 10-million case study programme of research, 98% of all innovation attempts end in failure. The main aim of the research has been to decode the underpinning, first-principle-driven ‘DNA’ of the 2% of successful attempts. Sitting right at the centre of this DNA is a triad of fundamentals: the need to embrace the dynamics of complex adaptive systems, the need to actively seek out and eliminate compromises and contradictions, and the need for industry domains to periodically unlearn knowledge that has become redundant. The chapter discusses all three of these pillars. Particular attention is paid to the knowledge redundancy topic, where the fact that the life-cycle of knowledge follows distinct, repeating patterns of evolution at meta, macro and micro- hierarchical levels is demonstrated. The research further demonstrates how organizations can use these patterns to objectively identify redundancy ‘pulse-rates’ and thus objectively manage both the acquisition of required new knowledge and the disposal of knowledge that is no longer fit for purpose. The research shows too that a key aspect of this ‘unlearning’ activity demands that organizational leaders acknowledge and accommodate the very human emotions that accompany change initiatives where the things that define a person’s competence become a hazard to the future success of the enterprise.

Part of the book: Harnessing Knowledge, Innovation and Competence in Engineering of Mission Critical Systems

By Darrell Mann

Most service innovation attempts end in failure. Systematic e-Service Innovation is the result of a twenty-year program of research to reveal the ‘DNA’ of the successful attempts. The research shows: 1. Most service innovation attempts fail on their first day because they begin from a false understanding of what customers want. Organisations know they are supposed to listen to the ‘voice of the customer’, but, despite massive amounts of digital data capture, they still have little idea what to listen for. 2. The number of service challenges is very finite, and guaranteed that someone, somewhere has already solved your service problem. 3. The most powerful solutions are the ones that successfully eliminate the compromises and trade-offs conventionally viewed as inherent to service operations. 4. There are only a small number of possible strategies for overcoming such contradictions. 5. Service industry strategy, business and market evolution trends follow highly predictable paths.

Part of the book: Digital Service Platforms