Archive for: June, 2012

Management Innovation at DJO Global Tijuana

I had the opportunity to assist a Corporate Mix at Cetys Universidad yesterday. And boy was I happy I went.

The focus of the talks were about exchanging best practices about how to best develop human capital inside organizations.

One talk stood out from all the rest. Eduardo Salcedo, Sr. VP of Operations of DJO Global and his exciting ideas about developing human capital. DJO Global manufactures rehabilitation products. It has about 5K employees around the world and generates 1 billion dollars in annual sales.

Here are a few takeaways from Mr. Salcedo:

Giving time back to the employee

With the goal of creating a more engaged and happy workforce, Mr. Salcedo’s team asked themselves: What does an employee do in his time-off?

With the goal and question in mind, they started writing down a list of things employees do in their time off like buying groceries, paying for utility services, exercising, etc. As they were creating the list, they started thinking that if employees do all these activities in their time off, then they really “have no time-off” from their work. And with that though, came another question: How can we help employees have real time-off?

One idea they came up with was to bring the supermarket to the office. So, that is what they did. They brought the Tianguis (open air market) to the plant. That way employees don’t have to drive, or take the bus to the supermarket and waste precious time-off from work.

DJO Global, gives back time to their employees.

Rewarding employees like Hollywood Stars

Another story Mr. Salcedo told was about how they honor their employee of the month. Again, they looked beyond the traditional way of doing things. So instead of putting pictures on a wall behind plexiglass (disposable material = disposable people as he explained) like they do at Walmart, at DJO Global they embed a star with the employee’s name onto the factory floor. Just like they do in Hollywood!

As you might imagine, the people who were listening to Mr. Salcedo were highly engaged. This is not common. And compared to the other presenters, Mr. Salcedo put on a passionate display of leadership.

For those of you who have been reading this blog for a while, it might not come as a surprise that I’m sharing this with you. At Game-Changer, It is our modus-operandi to be unconventional.

But, I was surprised to hear these types of stories from a company in Tijuana. Like everywhere else in the world, technology gets all the attention. Rarely does speaking about innovative ways to develop human capital get attention.

And, I was even more surprised to learn that DJO Global is #2 on the “Best Companies to work for in Mexico” (yes, all of Mexico) behind Plantronics. Also from Tijuana.

It seems to me that Mr. Salcedo wrote the “Delivering Happiness” book before it ever came out. A Game-Changer to say the least.

There were other ideas Mr. Salcedo talked about, I will try to contact him and get more formal insights for you. To be continued…

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Adoption: The hardest part about innovation

Don’t worry about people stealing an idea. If it’s original, you will have to ram it down their throats. – Howard Aiken

If there’s one things that rarely gets talked about innovation, it’s that you will have to work hard to get people to adopt your ideas. Two weeks ago I was talking to a few of the participants of Startup Weekend Tijuana. Among other things, we talked about the hard part about innovation.

Mainly I told them about my own experience, and how coming up with ideas isn’t a problem. The key, is influencing people to adopt your ideas. And as far as I’m concerned, this is where the rubber meets the road

People and organizations rarely understand, just like I did a few years back, that ideas by themselves are worthless. Just because your ideas sounds cool, and everyone tells you the same, it doesn’t mean it will be adopted. You have to nudge people to adopt your ideas.

There just isn’t any way around it.

Being the guy or company that changes the game is really being the one who gets people to change the behavior.

Case in point: Facebook.

6 Obstacles to customer focus paradise

A year and a half ago I had a huge customer service issue with Dell. This issue was ultimately fixed for me, but the experience left a stingy feeling. Not to mention a burning desire to change it.

Fast forward to an article on the New York Time’s about a guy who is living through a three month customer service odyssey with HP. It is a very similar situation to mine, and it brought back those terrible memories of  not being able to do anything and feeling like you are being ignored.

The article got me, and a few other people, thinking about the gap between what matters to customers and what matters to organizations:

Innovation must reads of the week: Innovation on the edges

Innovation must reads of the week: Innovation on the edges

Storified by Jorge Barba · Sun, Jun 24 2012 01:18:07

10 Key Questions to ask if you are starting an #Innovation Initiative. http://tinyurl.com/7s6wj8a #mckinsey #gartner #KILNgreggfraley
When I am asked how to begin an Innovation Initiative, the ultimate complex question, this is my answer — it depends. If I know context I can do better than It Depends, but it takes time, effort, and money to know context well enough to give a good answer.
Step-by-step: How to build an innovation pilot program http://is.gd/vfe7q5Guy Kawasaki
Companies can reduce the risk of adopting new innovation methods by testing them first. A short, pilot program that addresses a specific product or service line helps you understand whether a new method is right for your company.  Pilot programs help keep your costs in line, and they help you reduce resistance to adopting new methods.
Long but insightful read: Joi Ito on "Innovation On The Edges" http://zite.to/LanhET via @ziteRalph-Christian Ohr
Today, what you want is you want to have resilience and agility, and you want to be able to participate in, and interact with the disruptive things. Everybody loves the word ‘disruptive innovation.’ Well, how does, and where does disruptive innovation happen? It doesn’t happen in the big planned R&D labs; it happens on the edges of the network. Many important ideas, especially in the consumer Internet space, but more and more now in other things like hardware and biotech, you’re finding it happening around the edges.
Resilience: the latest innovation buzzword http://smrt.io/LPKxhxSmartPlanet
Is resilience an “field,” as PopTech describes it on its Web site? Is resilience an innovation theory? A design strategy? Merely a catchy term of the moment? No matter how one describes the word, it could prove to be an approach that will resonate both philosophically and practically for businesses, communities, and individuals alike.
The Post-ROI Marketing World http://p.ost.im/p/ec8STnGreg Satell
The future of marketing services is to become effective API’s for open brands.  In the post-ROI world, the only limit is that of our imaginations.


If you like these links, check out all the previous “Innovation Must Reads of the Week“. And don’t forget to

What is Pixar’s secret to consistent success?

How has Pixar been able to produce 12 consecutive blockbuster movies with no duds? What is Pixar’s secret to success?

President of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios and five-time Oscar-winner Ed Catmull explained his secret to success to Kara Swisher at the tenth annual D: All Things Digital conference.

The interview is great and is well worth 37 minutes of your time.

At the end of the video, an interviewer ask Ed Catmull “what’s Pixar’s recipe for sustainable success?“.

Innovation = Creativity – Cynicism

What is the mathematics of innovation? Below is an excerpt from the book Emotional Equations by Chip Conley:

Fear is the most prevalent and contagious emotion in most companies, especially in bad economic times. Fear is a demotivator, and it has a corrosive effect on creativity and innovation. If we were to transfer this equation [Joy = Love – Fear] into the corporate world, it might be:

Innovation must reads of the week: 3 innovation models

If you like these links, check out all the previous “Innovation Must Reads of the Week“. And don’t forget to

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