s+b Blogs
December 20, 2016
Virtual Reality’s Uncertain Picture
The growing array of immersive entertainment experiences carries unforeseen implications for content owners and creators.
More Tech & innovation
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December 19, 2016Self-Aware Robots
What really happens to human systems — machines, processes, and businesses — when smart machines enter the picture? For related insights, read “Five Overlooked Principles Shaping the Destiny of Your Business.”
s+b BlogsDecember 13, 2016Digital Transformations Start with Frontline Workers
To boost a hotel’s bottom line, ask the bellhop.
s+b BlogsDecember 8, 2016The Amazon Conundrum
The e-commerce pioneer is reengineering some operations to make them more appealing to employees while designing others that can operate without any human labor.
s+b BlogsDecember 8, 2016Four Business Models for the Digital Age
As digital becomes the new normal, a few generic strategies that can help you determine where and how to create value. Which one is best for your enterprise?
s+b BlogsDecember 1, 2016A Simple Concept: Lead with a Vision
Stretch yourself creatively as a leader by collecting “nuggets”: Short, accessible reminders of what you probably already know, but may have forgotten to put into practice.
s+b BlogsDecember 1, 2016Want an Innovative Culture? Be Kind to Your Creative Thinkers
Companies with employee-friendly policies produce more patents, which shareholders highly value and result in long-term financial benefits.
November 23, 2016Five Overlooked Principles Shaping the Destiny of Your Business
Until you grasp Turing’s theory of computability, Coase theorem of transaction costs, Bell’s law of computer classes, Baldwin and Clarke’s concept of modularity, and Nakamoto’s law of the distributed ledger, you’re not prepared to lead a digital company.
s+b BlogsNovember 21, 2016In the Age of Autonomous Cars, Can Your Organization Also Be Driverless?
Technologies often spawn metaphors, which change over time and shape how we think about work.
s+b BlogsNovember 15, 2016A Renaissance in Marketing?
Technology and advanced analytics are breathing new life into an industry that had grown tired.
November 14, 2016The New Game of Global Tech
As distinctions dissolve among the hardware, software, services, and telecom sectors, companies are changing how they compete.
s+b BlogsNovember 10, 2016The Pros and (Mostly) Cons of Cracking Wise in Online Job Ads
The use of humor in job listings posted on the Internet can grab people’s attention, but it may turn them off to the actual job and company being advertised.
s+b BlogsNovember 9, 2016Poll Positions
The failure of prognosticators to call the U.K. election, and before that, the U.S. presidential election, should make us take another look at our own preconceived notions about big data and analytics. It takes human contact to predict an election.
November 9, 2016The Demands on Auto Suppliers
As they adapt to the shifting geography of sales and technological disruption, the companies that provide auto parts, components, and systems must reevaluate their product portfolios.
s+b BlogsNovember 8, 2016Making the Leap to Parallel Computing
The world is shifting its dominant technological model away from serial programming, and for many incumbents the transition will be challenging.
November 7, 2016Slow-motion automation
History shows that new technologies evolve faster than society adopts them.
November 3, 2016How Strategic Leaders Use Their Brain
Neuroscientists are learning how executive decision makers can use their minds to transform organizations. For further insights, read “The Neuroscience of Strategic Leadership.”
s+b BlogsNovember 3, 2016Serendipity in the Cloud
Shifting from physical to virtual data platforms can reduce companies’ costs and improve sustainability.
November 2, 2016The Race to Dominate Robotaxi Rides
When it comes to the autonomous ride-hailing battle, no single player has all the capabilities necessary to succeed.
October 31, 2016Best Business Books 2016: s+b’s Top Shelf
Our picks for the best business books of 2016 in seven categories.
October 31, 2016Best Business Books 2016
For the 16th edition of our Best Business Books of the year section, we've assembled a team of learned, expert, and stylish guides. See also Best Business Books 2016 — in Pictures.
s+b BlogsOctober 31, 2016Leaders Need to Slow Down to Speed Up
Discovering how to learn fast, including taking time out for creative thinking and implementation, is necessary for effective self-disruption.
s+b BlogsOctober 26, 2016Friction Complicates Tech Adoption
The electric vehicle and green energy industries show how rolling out innovations can be delayed in the face of time-consuming obstacles.
October 25, 2016How Non-Tech Companies Are Joining the Software Revolution — in Pictures
Digital technologies are changing the game even in places where you might not expect it, including how pizzas get delivered and how household appliances function. For further insights, read “Software-as-a-Catalyst.”
October 25, 2016Software-as-a-Catalyst
The world’s largest innovators are shifting the focus of their R&D investments from products to programming. See also “How Non-Tech Companies Are Joining the Software Revolution — in Pictures."
October 24, 2016Four Tracks to Market Leadership
Trends spotted by Strategy& suggest that companies in any industry can gain prominence by choosing the right approach.
October 24, 2016The Marketer’s Dilemma
To stay relevant, all participants in the vast marketing ecosystem must develop new capabilities.
s+b BlogsOctober 19, 2016Holiday Season Hiring Shows Companies Need Human Touch
The robots are nowhere near ready to take over crucial logistics and customer-service functions.
s+b BlogsOctober 18, 2016Small Box Retailers
Target is the latest retailer to double down on mini versions of its stores — and hopes to avoid others’ pitfalls.
s+b BlogsOctober 13, 2016When Customer Loyalty Programs Backfire
Customers who don’t hit the target to qualify for a reward are apt to hold it against the company and make fewer subsequent purchases.
s+b BlogsOctober 12, 2016Nilofer Merchant’s Required Reading
The “Jane Bond of Innovation” recommends a reading list for value creation.
s+b BlogsOctober 11, 2016A Diabetes Prevention Moonshot
We must discard several misconceptions and reimagine how our society confronts this deadly, and expensive, disease.
October 10, 2016Customer Loyalty Isn’t What It Used to Be
Instead of relying on points programs and clever marketing, companies have to listen carefully to customers and adapt products and services to their changing expectations.
s+b Blogs
s+b BlogsOctober 6, 2016What Does the Rise of 3D Printing Mean for Global Companies?
With manufacturing put into the hands of small firms and even consumers, traditional value chains may no longer be as advantageous.
October 3, 2016William Taylor Explains How Companies Can Be Simply Brilliant
Innovation and superior performance aren’t just for Silicon Valley disruptors and global giants.
s+b BlogsOctober 3, 2016The Best Laid Marketing Plans
Brilliant digital marketing will not compensate for a digitally disadvantaged business model.
October 3, 2016Hugh Herr Wants to Build a More Perfect Human
At MIT’s Media Lab, an engineer and biophysicist — and double amputee — is designing prosthetics that connect body and brain.
September 28, 2016Cash Advances?
Economist Kenneth Rogoff argues that getting rid of paper money will lead to a more secure economy and effective monetary policy.
September 26, 2016A Guide to Customer Strategy
A handy pocket guide for engaging with your users. For more insight, read “10 Principles of Customer Strategy.”
s+b BlogsSeptember 22, 2016Managers Need to Understand Their Sales Reps’ Cultural Values
Employees who push innovative products have a tough job, but can be encouraged by managers who grasp their motivations to succeed.
September 19, 2016Ryan Avent Explains How We Can Build the Wealth of Humans
As machines grow smarter and capture more of the value associated with work, how will people continue to keep busy and thrive?
September 19, 2016The Auto Industry’s Real Challenge
While automakers pour millions into winning the autonomous vehicle race, they run the risk of ignoring the more imminent threats that could sink them before the technology becomes pervasive.
s+b BlogsSeptember 15, 2016Stressed at Work? Tell It to Social Media
Tweets and other posts reveal that employees experience varying levels of stress throughout the workweek, and weekends aren’t necessarily a reprieve.
September 14, 2016Innovators: Are You a Challenger or a Defender?
Understanding your personal strength can help guide your career choices.
s+b BlogsSeptember 13, 2016Turning Breakfast Waste into Food for Commerce
The circular economy starts with the first meal of the day.
September 12, 2016Drilling for New Sources of Growth
How members of the Gulf Cooperation Council can diversify their economies.
August 31, 2016The “Jobs to Be Done” Theory of Innovation
If you hire this book, Clayton Christensen says you’ll be a better innovator.- s+b BlogsAugust 30, 2016
The Importance of Continuing Education for Digital Leaders
Keeping up with technology is every executive’s job, but it doesn’t need to be daunting. Here are three strategies for staying relevant in the digital age. 
s+b BlogsAugust 29, 2016To foster online trust, build a community
A French ride-sharing company discovered six key elements needed to nurture user confidence, and its business.
s+b BlogsAugust 23, 2016Not All Tech Destroys Jobs
As one McDonald’s location proves, investing in expensive equipment that substitutes for some labor is a proactive, productivity-enhancing measure.
August 22, 2016Reconnecting Cuba
For international companies, the last Communist country in the Americas is a compelling market — if they have the right approach. See also “Frontiers of Prosperity: Cuba in Pictures."
August 22, 2016Frontiers of Prosperity: Cuba in Pictures
A look at what the last Communist country in the Americas can offer international companies. For further insights, read “Reconnecting Cuba.”- s+b BlogsAugust 18, 2016
Inbox Zero: Can Employees Be Persuaded to Abandon Email?
The rise of Web 2.0 platforms and social media programs has the potential to enhance the way colleagues collaborate, but old work habits die hard. 
s+b BlogsAugust 16, 2016A Zero-Waste Lesson from the Serengeti
Living off the grid, even for a few days, shines a stark light on just how many resources go to waste when moving through a day in the developed world.
August 8, 2016s+b Trend Watch: China’s Digital Embrace
The time it takes for Chinese consumers to incorporate a new technology into their lives is ever-shrinking as smartphones and broadband make adaptation easier.
s+b BlogsAugust 2, 2016U.S. farms still feed the world, but farm jobs dwindle
Like manufacturing, American agriculture has near-record output, but employs far fewer people than it did decades ago.
August 1, 2016Vineet Jain on Leading India’s Media into the Future
The managing director of BCCL, India’s foremost media conglomerate, continually reinvents the enterprise in the face of disruption.
July 27, 2016Mailing It In
Before the Internet, the telephone, and the telegraph, the U.S. Postal Service revolutionized communications.
s+b BlogsJuly 27, 2016The Internet Shakes Up the Art Market
The Internet is disrupting one of the world’s oldest professions: selling art.
s+b BlogsJuly 26, 2016Is U.S. Manufacturing Really in Decline?
Although fewer people are working at factories in America, output has been rising.
s+b BlogsJuly 26, 2016Singapore: The First-Mover Nation for Driverless Cars
Startup nuTonomy thinks that the island nation is the place to make autonomous vehicles — in the form of driverless taxis — a reality.
s+b BlogsJuly 20, 2016The End of the Affair
Can a controversial dating site regain trust by rebranding itself?
July 19, 2016Threatened by Dislocation
Not every new entrant in your market is a disruption. Learn how to diagnose and respond to threats. For further insights, read “Diagnosing Dislocation.”
Digital LeadershipJuly 19, 2016Silicon Valley’s Farsighted Banker
SVB CEO Greg Becker on where and how the next big tech innovations will emerge.
s+b BlogsJuly 18, 2016“Bad” Innovation Is Just What Your Company Needs
Blockbusters aren’t the only path to success. Other types of innovation hold value and keep companies humming.
July 18, 2016Diagnosing Dislocation
Don’t assume the new entrant in your market is a disruption. Learn to recognize different types of threats and design the best strategic response.
July 12, 2016How Startups Can Avoid the Chrysalis Effect
Last year, startups died at a rate of one per week. When it comes to scaling, the chances of survival are even lower. For further insights, read “The Chrysalis Effect.”
s+b BlogsJuly 7, 2016For Innovators, a Drawback to Data Analytics
Number crunching can be valuable for firms exploiting their existing resources, but can backfire for companies seeking to branch out with new products or services.
s+b BlogsJuly 7, 2016TV Ad Dollars Finally Follow Viewers Online
Budgets for online video programming are growing, at the expense of television advertising.
s+b BlogsJuly 6, 2016Don’t Fret About “Gas Guzzlers”
Today's SUV is as fuel-efficient as yesterday's small sedan, but you'd never know it by reading conventional business narratives.
s+b BlogsJuly 6, 2016ElBulli and the Limits of Corporate Innovation
A new book examines star chef Ferran Adrià’s systematic pursuit of technological and culinary reinvention.
s+b BlogsJuly 5, 2016Building Strategic Capability through Good Works
Can companies discover crucial competitive insight by working to solve social problems?
Digital LeadershipJuly 5, 2016The Way the Media Industry Works
Former NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright looks back on his two decades at GE — and forward to a post-broadcast, post-cable media world.
s+b BlogsJune 30, 2016These Five Behaviors Can Create an Innovation Culture
Breakthroughs happen when organizations are set up to support them.
June 29, 2016What Consumers Most Want from Health Insurers’ Technology
People don’t crave the latest fitness wearable. Their overwhelming preference is for simple applications that provide and organize information.
Digital LeadershipJune 28, 2016An Advocate of Deep Learning
Andrew Ng, chief scientist of Baidu Research, sees artificial intelligence as part of a larger socially valuable endeavor.
s+b BlogsJune 27, 2016Why a CEO’s Digital IQ Matters
Leaders who understand and pay attention to technology can make the difference between success and failure.
s+b BlogsJune 23, 2016At Graduation Time, Sunny Teenagers vs. Glum Professionals
Relentless waves of disruption can make it difficult for people to envision a bright future in their own field.
s+b BlogsJune 22, 2016The Courage to Change Before You Have To
Self-made billionaires offer powerful examples for established companies eager to reclaim industry leadership.
Digital LeadershipJune 21, 2016Keeping the Internet Trustworthy
Neustar CEO Lisa Hook oversees part of the invisible infrastructure that safeguards identity and reliability online.
s+b BlogsJune 15, 2016Innovation Shifts from Products to Solutions
A new survey examines trends in R&D spending.
s+b BlogsJune 13, 2016Why Microsoft Linked Up with LinkedIn
Remember the old adage that who you know matters as much as what you know?
June 7, 2016A World of Differences
Entertainment and media companies can tap into many pockets of growth and opportunity. Our intensive analysis of five shifts roiling the industry can help you identify them.
June 7, 2016India’s Triple Play
What do feature phones, regional newspapers, and smartphones have in common? They’re all vehicles for the country’s remarkable move to digital broadband.
June 7, 2016Fan Favorites
In order to build engagement and loyalty in a climate of intense competition and distraction, media companies have to understand their customers, viewers, and readers as fans.
June 7, 2016Inside the Outlook
Delving into comprehensive data on the world’s entertainment and media industries yields sharp insights into a future of eroding borders, changing behavior, and opportunities for growth.
s+b BlogsJune 7, 2016Don’t Believe the Globaloney
Despite obstacles and setbacks, companies are still globalizing at a furious pace.
June 1, 2016The chrysalis effect
Successful startups reach a point when they must shed their early habits and take on just the right amount of managerial maturity. See also “How Startups Can Avoid the Chrysalis Effect."- May 31, 2016
Why Are 4 Billion People without the Internet?
Three obstacles to extending the reach of the Web — and thereby reducing poverty in developing countries — can be fixed. - s+b BlogsMay 25, 2016
George Barbee’s Required Reading
A veteran executive calls out the books that most influenced him in a career driven by innovation. 
s+b BlogsMay 23, 2016Virtual Reality Is the Real Thing for Marketers
Now is the time for advertising to start experimenting with technology that can create immersive brand experiences.
May 9, 2016A strategist’s guide to Industry 4.0
Global businesses are about to integrate their operations into a seamless digital whole, and thereby change the world.
May 4, 2016Share and Share Alike
In his new book, Arun Sundararajan paints a rosy picture of the revolutionary companies and platforms that are altering the nature of work.
May 3, 2016How to Use Cybersecurity to Gain a Competitive Advantage
The security of barriers is based not just on keeping people out, but on watching people who come in. For further insights, read “Safety in the Cloud.”
May 3, 2016Small Customer Today, Revenue Giant Tomorrow
A new segmentation strategy can help sales teams identify their growth hot spots.
s+b BlogsApril 28, 2016A Side Effect of Imports: They Encourage Homegrown Innovation
Large U.S. firms react to competition from high-quality foreign importers by investing more in their own R&D efforts and producing more patents.
s+b BlogsApril 27, 2016Bringing Tech Insight to Corporate Boards
Today’s rapidly changing technology environment often has boards scrambling to keep up. The best way to do so lies in recruiting more digital expertise while improving the quality of conversations.
April 18, 2016Meeting the Fintech Challenge
How incumbent banks can respond to the startups and other firms disrupting their industry.
s+b BlogsApril 13, 2016Go Disrupt Yourself
There’s a reason there are so few examples of large companies fundamentally altering their strategies on the fly — it’s extremely hard.
April 11, 2016Your Next Board Member Should Be a Geek
Why companies need directors with technological expertise.
April 5, 2016Radical Intimacy and the Smartphone
Many companies have not adapted to the deep connection their customers and employees have with their mobile devices.
s+b BlogsMarch 31, 2016Lost in Translation? Marketing to Bilingual Consumers
The key to selling products to an ethnically diverse audience may not be as obvious as you think.
March 30, 2016The Coming $1.5 Trillion Shift in Healthcare
A comprehensive model shows how far-reaching trends in the massive industry will influence the growth of profit pools — and how payors and providers should respond.
March 28, 2016What Good User Experience Looks Like
Some examples, past and present, of how good design overcomes complexity. See also “Your Employees’ User Experience Should Be a Strategic Priority.”- s+b BlogsMarch 24, 2016
When Consumers Are More Than Customers
Companies can turn consumers into active online volunteers who offer consistently valuable input on existing and yet-to-be-designed products. 
s+b BlogsMarch 23, 2016The Work of the Future
If machines and robots are poised to displace humans in the office, why do so many people have jobs?
s+b BlogsMarch 23, 2016Rocking the Bus
In his new book, Douglas Rushkoff reacts to rising inequality and the threat of automation by proposing a new social operating system that distributes wealth more equitably.
s+b BlogsMarch 22, 2016A Media Business Model That Makes the Most of Print
Selectionnist.com has created a Web-based bridge between print magazines and online shopping.- s+b BlogsMarch 16, 2016
We’re All in Advertising Now
More companies — in a variety of industries — are acquiring digital agencies, reflecting the marriage of technology and marketing. 
s+b BlogsMarch 10, 2016How to Make the Long Commute Work
Employee self-control and subtle prompts from employers can turn the hours spent getting to and from the office into productive time.
March 9, 2016The Man Who Made the Computer Age Possible
Intel’s Andy Grove pioneered high-stakes, high-speed, high-tech manufacturing — and breathed life into Moore’s Law.
March 8, 2016Safety in the Cloud
The next generation of cybersecurity prevents attacks by monitoring online behavior — of intruders, customers, and everyone else. See also “How to Use Cybersecurity to Gain a Competitive Advantage.”
s+b BlogsMarch 3, 2016Rolling with the Changes in R&D
A study describes how companies can adopt a flexible innovation strategy that is responsive to changes in rapidly shifting markets.
March 1, 2016Will You Be Mine in the Digital World?
As they look to enhance digital capabilities through mergers and acquisitions, traditional companies have to heed a new set of dating rules.
February 29, 2016Your Employees’ User Experience Should Be a Strategic Priority
Companies everywhere pay too little attention to the implicit messages — about productivity, commitment, and capabilities — that are sent by their own software interfaces. See also "What Good User Experience Looks Like.”
s+b BlogsFebruary 25, 2016OMG! This Online Marketing Campaign Rocks!
Companies rolling out social media marketing campaigns should keep their messages casual and general.- s+b BlogsFebruary 22, 2016
Not Quite Ready for the (Fourth Industrial) Revolution
With few businesses prepared for Industry 4.0, it’s time to hone your strategy for emerging technology. 
s+b BlogsFebruary 19, 2016Moscow’s Undaunted Entrepreneurs
Today’s Russian trendsetters are Silicon Valley–style entrepreneurs determined to make their ventures work — and to pull their country’s economy forward, no matter what.- s+b BlogsFebruary 15, 2016
Productivity Hacks from the Road
What travel can teach you about making organizations more productive. 
February 15, 2016Raising Your Digital IQ
A global survey of business leaders shows how the smartest companies develop and wield their technology strategy.
s+b BlogsFebruary 10, 2016How to Grow into an Original Person
In his new book, Adam Grant turns the conventional wisdom on non-conformity on its head.
February 10, 2016In Search of Ingenuity
The quiet heroes of innovation do the little things that bring big ideas to life.
February 9, 2016Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser on the Next Industrial Revolution
The manufacturing chief describes how an industrial powerhouse founded in the 19th century is using software, sensors, and savvy to create a digital manufacturer that can thrive in the 21st century.
February 8, 2016Danaher’s Instruments of Change
An s+b Roundtable: Highly focused and diversified, this industrial company grows through acquisition, customer-facing innovation, and continuous improvement.
s+b BlogsFebruary 4, 2016Beauty Is in the Eye of the Shareholder
A new study finds that the design of new products can help move a company’s stock — especially if those products appear to be very useful.
February 3, 2016Creating a strategy that works
The most farsighted enterprises have mastered five unconventional practices for building and using distinctive capabilities.
February 3, 2016Enterprise Architecture Planning 2.0
A new approach to digital strategy reinvents legacy IT by aligning it to a company’s capabilities.
s+b BlogsFebruary 1, 2016Marketers Eye Live TV in Search of Viewers
Advertising during events like the Super Bowl has become more important — and expensive.
s+b BlogsJanuary 26, 2016Why It Makes Sense for Managers to Go Slow to Go Fast
When it comes to organizational change, allowing sufficient time to gain attention and approval will increase your odds of success.- January 25, 2016
s+b Trend Watch: New Opportunities in Entertainment and Media
A look at spending on media in cities worldwide today, and in the near future. 
s+b BlogsJanuary 21, 2016Weak Links in the Chain
Flexible, adaptive supply chain management is an overlooked but vital component of a company’s overall innovation strategy.
s+b BlogsJanuary 14, 2016Click Bait
Companies can maximize their investments in Web analytics if they focus tightly on priorities, layer human intelligence on top of smart technology, and enlist senior management to lead the charge.
s+b BlogsJanuary 13, 2016Millions of Unfilled Jobs
Why aren’t employers more effective at filling open positions?
January 11, 2016A strategist’s guide to blockchain
The distributed ledger technology that started with bitcoin is rapidly becoming a crowdsourced system for all types of verification. Could it replace notary publics, manual vote recounts, and the way banks manage transactions?
s+b BlogsJanuary 5, 2016Educating the Next Analytics “Bilinguals”
A leading business–university partnership is setting standards for graduates fluent in data science and analytics.
s+b BlogsJanuary 4, 2016Five Steps to Formalizing Forward Thinking in Your Organization
Forward thinking is more than a generic phrase. Here are specific tactics to help companies capitalize on future trends.
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