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Arthur D Little: Innovation Manifesto

Creator: Arthur D Little is the world’s first management consultancy.

Purpose: To predict how innovation will change over the next decade in order for corporations to survive.

Innovation Manifesto

Five key innovation concepts for companies to focus on:

1. Customer-based innovation – engaging with customers in more meaningful ways.

2. Proactive business model innovation – creating new ways of building innovative business models.

3. Frugal innovation – originating new innovations in lower income, emerging markets and adapting these to more developed markets.

4. High speed/low risk innovation – getting products and services to market quickly and without flaws.

5. Integrated innovation – taking traditional innovation approaches from New Product Development and applying them across the value chain.

Source

Article on Business Wire

Cal Newport: The Career Craftsman Manifesto

Creator: Cal Newport is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University and author of three books for students.

Purpose: Studying for his PhD at MIT, Newport was seeking the underlying patterns of a students success. He’s now applied this philosophy to ‘career’.

A Career Manifesto

Career advice has fallen into a terribly simplistic rut. Figure out what you’re passionate about, then follow that passion: this idea provides the foundation for just about every guide to improving your working life.

The Career Craftsman rejects this reductionist drivel.

The Career Craftsman understands that “follow your passion and all will be happy” is a children’s tale. Most people don’t have pre-existing passions waiting to be unearthed. Happiness requires more than solving a simple matching problem.

The Career Craftsman knows there’s no magical “right job” waiting out there for you. Any number of pursuits can provide the foundation for an engaging life.

The Career Craftsman believes that compelling careers are not courageously pursued or serendipitously discovered, but are instead systematically crafted.

The Career Craftsman believes this process of career crafting always begins with the mastery of something rare and valuable. The traits that define great work (autonomy, creativity, impact, recognition) are rare and valuable themselves, and you need something to offer in return. Put another way: no one owes you a fulfilling job; you have to earn it.

The Career Craftsman believes that mastery is just the first step in crafting work you love. Once you have the leverage of a rare and valuable skill, you need to apply this leverage strategically to make your working life increasingly fulfulling. It is then — and only then — that you should expect a feeling of passion for your work to truly take hold.

The Career Craftsman thinks the idea that “societal expectations” are trying to hold you down in a safe but boring career path is a boogeyman invented to sell eBooks. You don’t need courage to create a cool life. You need the type of valuable skills that let you write your own ticket.

The Career Craftsman never expects to love an entry level job (or to stay in that job long before moving up).

The Career Craftsman thinks “is this my calling?” is a stupid question.

The Career Craftsman is data-driven. Admire someone’s career? Work out exactly how they made it happen. The answers you’ll find will be less romantic but more actionable than you might expect.

The Career Craftsman believes the color of your parachute is irrelevant if you take the time to get good at flying the damn plane in the first place.

Source

Blog post on Study Hacks

Seth Godin: Unforgivable Manifesto

Creator: Seth Godin, marketing extraordinaire was asked by cartoonist Hugh Macleod to submit a manifesto.

Purpose: To change things.

Unforgivable Manifesto

Does it take 500 words to change things?

Probably not. It probably takes less than a hundred, plus a secret ingredient.

The secret ingredient is your desire to actually do something about it. To take action, to believe that it’s worthwhile, to confront what feels like a risk but really isn’t. The secret ingredient is to ignore excuses, abandon procrastination and stop looking for proof.

So, where’s my manifesto?

The greatest innovations appear to come from those that are self-reliant. Individuals who go right to the edge and do something worth talking about. Not solo, of course, but as instigators of a team. In two words: don’t settle.

The greatest marketers do two things: they treat customers with respect and they measure.

The greatest salespeople understand that people resist change and that ‘no’ is the single easiest way to do that.

The greatest bloggers blog for their readers, not for themselves.

There really isn’t much a of ‘short run’. It quickly becomes yesterday. The long run, on the other hand, sticks around for quite a while.

The internet doesn’t forget. And sooner or later, the internet finds out.

Everyone is a marketer, even people and organizations that don’t market. They’re just marketers who are doing it poorly.

Amazing organizations and people receive rewards that more than make up for the effort required to be that good.

There is no number 9.

Mass taste is rarely good taste.

So, decide. Decide before the end of the day. If you reject the aphorisms above, replace them with your own. But don’t settle. That’s unforgivable.

Source

The complete manifesto on Hugh Macleod’s Gaping Void

Seth Godin on Wikipedia

Image from Ted.com

Dr Alan Goldman: A Toxic Leader Manifesto

Creator: Dr. Alan Goldman is a professor of management and faculty director of the W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University West and author of several books, including: Transforming Toxic Leaders (Stanford Business Books).

Purpose: “A toxic leader manifesto reveals behaviors critical to destructive and nasty rule. …Here’s a step by step itinerary of beliefs, attitudes, behaviors and characteristics of abusive leaders who specialize in workplace intimidation and belittlement. This twenty-five point toxic leader manifesto is provided as a service for those involved in human resources, executive boards and consulting as well as those who are walking the plank and wondering whether they are in the midst of a horrible boss.” (Quoted from the manifesto article)

A Toxic Leader Manifesto

1.      It is essential for the toxic and abusive leader to bypass dialogue and Q&A;

2.      The toxic leader must attack, deflate or discard employees who are identified as lacking in any way or who dare to challenge declarations and decrees from the top;

3.      Employees who are ranked beneath a toxic leader are identified as operating at a distinct disadvantage and they should be treated accordingly;

4.      Bullying developed in childhood is transferable into adulthood and the professional life of the toxic leader; bullying must be cultivated and nurtured via vigorous continuous improvement;

5.      Thou shalt yell at and demean employees who fall short, error or are deemed annoying;

6.      Thou shalt stifle any workplace conversation that is directed toward questioning toxic leader authority or decision making;

7.      Toxic leaders are placed on notice that privately and discreetly conducted verbal attacks against subordinates lack sufficient force, vigor and shame and must be brought out into public forums for all to witness;

8.      It is mandatory that yelling at subpar subordinates be conducted by toxic leaders in public in an effort to promote fear, humiliation and sufficient loss of face;

9.      Public humiliation of employees is not just a right of toxic leadership, it is a duty and is central to annual performance appraisals and continuous improvement of an embarrassing and inadequate workforce;

10. Solving workplace screw-ups requires on-the-spot, quick & between-the-eyes abrasive questioning and abrupt, consolidated decision making on the part of toxic leadership; toxic leaders will always be extremely diligent about not admitting any voluntary input from subordinates re: screw-ups;

11. A toxic leader demands immediate, piercing, cut-through-the-bull-answers to pointed questions aggressively directed toward subordinates in public arenas;

12. When criticizing employees, this must be carried forth harshly, publicly and without any opportunity for substantive response, whatsoever;

13. Leader criticism of underlings is a monologue not a dialogue; an exchange of ideas or the notion of a constructive conversation is outside the boundaries of toxic leaders who must reprimand, demean and lead employees around like dogs on a leash;

14. Civilized and substantive feedback is the mortal enemy of the top down toxic leader;

15. Progressive, liberal notions of empowerment and democracy are left wing fictions to be repressed, discouraged, trivialized and eliminated in an extremely timely fashion;

16. Employees deemed insufficient, inadequate or failing are not to be empowered within a toxic organizational system or provided any tangible means for self-improvement and enhancement;

17. The word of the toxic boss is complete and final and may not be brought under review to any other person, department, judge or entity within an organization or outside the company;

18. In support of a toxic leader an organization bestows as close to absolute 360 degree power as possible with all dissention heavily penalized;

19. In response to toxic leaders there are to be zero tangible or practical employee outlets for challenges to authority;

20. A repertoire of smiles, facial expressions and a variety of nonverbal veneers are essential to the toxic leader who may have to conceal pending judgments and admonishments from subordinates;

21. Facial and eye expressions conveying innocence, cluelessness and bewilderment are essential to the toxic leader’s veneer and the concealment of anger, venom, and pending outrage and bullying;

22. Aspiring toxic leaders do well to choose role models and prototypes to analyze and emulate during the course of their training in destructive and demeaning behavior; toxic leader mentoring is vigorously encouraged; accordingly, masterful toxic leaders are expected to volunteer as mentors;

23. Toxic leaders build from the ground up and demand 101% allegiance from all relevant departments, individuals and entities within the organization – in an effort to achieve complete, utter unanimity and the elimination of dissention, debates or diversity of views in response to toxic proclamations and rulings;

24. Toxic leaders master and regularly engage in “double talk” and sophisticated gobbledygook or verbal gymnastics in order to persuade themselves, subordinates and media that they are glorious, uplifting and chosen leaders who are certainly not destructive, villainous or toxic; and

25. Toxic leaders will take note of the psychological, emotional and adrenaline highs experienced when in an agitated state and in the process of abusing unworthy subordinates; efforts must be made to neurologically dissect, simulate and communicate-via-mentoring this “rush” and supernatural feeling of exhilaration when bullying targeted underlings.

Source

Article and complete Manifesto on Psychology Today

Published on July 18, 2011 by Dr. Alan Goldman in Transforming Toxic Leaders

Expanded Authors bio and published books

‘Toxic Leader’ on Wikipedia

37 Signals Manifesto

Creator: Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson are the founders of software company 37signals and authors of the book Rework. This manifesto was originally posted on their website from 1999-2001.

Purpose: It’s a collection of 37 nuggets of online philosophy and design wisdom. It’s a great introduction to the 37signals’ school of thought and a fun, quick read to boot.

37signals Manifesto

We See People
Manager of External Reporting
<blink>12:00</blink>
Not Full Service
Size Does Matter
$6,000,000,000
Are They Experienced?
Experience
And I Quote
Refugees
Copy Righting
Occam’s Razor
Eight Seconds
Breadcrumbs
83%?!
Short Story
No Awards Please
eNormicon.com
Suits Who?
Sloganeering
A not “Q”
B2whatever
Sightings
My Cousin’s Buddy…
Just Because You Can…
Make it Useful
Simplicity by Design
Tulipomania
Linkin’ Logs
ASAP
Reference
Highest
What’s in a Name?
Our Team
We Come in Peace
Signal vs. Noise
SETI

Source

Complete manifesto with descriptions on each item

‘Rework’ the book on Amazon

Image from Book Cover

Jonathan Heawood: A New Manifesto For Media Ethics

Creator: Jonathan Heawood is director of English PEN, the literature and free speech organisation.

Purpose: In response to the News of the World phone hacking scandal, British PM David Cameron has announced an independent investigation into media ethics and standards. Jonathan Heawood offers his ten principles for media ethics that could be used by newspapers, bloggers, authors and book publishers.

A New Manifesto for Media Ethics

1. We believe in a free press that informs, entertains and holds the powerful to account. This is as true now as it was in the 17th century when Milton first argued against press censorship. The newspapers of the 1640s were as partisan and populist as anything available today. We shouldn’t let today’s scandal disrupt our historic belief in the free press.

2. We believe that there is a public interest in exposing crime, corruption and impropriety, where this affects the public. The “public interest” is the holy grail in this debate; if we could define it, we could support newspapers that pursue it (even into legal and moral grey areas), while punishing those that use it to justify hacking and harassment. The test is whether media revelations affect our lives – our consumer choices and our voting. There is no public interest in titillation.

3. We believe in the artistic freedom to explore and depict the life of our society in whatever form we choose. Artists and writers have the same right to free speech as the news media. Unless they are also to be subject to new restrictions, the same principles should apply to press freedom and artistic freedom.

4. We believe that everyone has the right to tell or sell the story of their own life, even where this touches upon the lives of others, unless they have explicitly promised not to do so. Since the birth of western literature, writers have written “what they know” – routinely invading the privacy of their friends, families and lovers in the process. What’s the difference between these works of art and a kiss-and-tell story? Free speech is about the freedom to express ourselves – however crudely.

5. We believe that society is able to set moral standards around free speech and privacy without legal sanctions, except in the most extreme circumstances. If someone does kiss and tell, in either a tabloid newspaper or a literary memoir, society has the ability to turn their backs on them. Aren’t social sanctions more powerful than legal penalties anyway?

6. We believe that any legal constraints on artistic and press freedom should only be used to prevent irreparable, substantial and serious harm to individuals. The law is a powerful, if sometimes blunt, instrument. It is not there for brand management.

7. We believe that pre-publication injunctions should only be available when there is an overwhelming likelihood of irreparable, serious and substantial harm. Injunctions are one of the most powerful weapons in the state’s armoury and should not be used lightly. They should only be applied if the harm, once done, could never be undone.

8. We believe that the state should not control the press other than through the administration of impartial and transparent criminal and civil justice. The courts are obliged to balance articles 8 and 10 of the European convention on human rights but this should be a last resort. We should be confident in self-regulation, and our own right of reply.

9. We believe in the right to live our lives without intrusion or surveillance by public or private bodies. Let’s not forget that, while we’re worrying about the newspapers, we’re forsaking great swathes of our privacy by giving data to the state and to private companies, which have a poor track record of protecting it.

10. We believe that if we supply data to public or private bodies this should only be sold or conveyed onwards with our express permission. Private data is not fair game for blaggers or advertisers. This is where all of us – not just a few celebrities, or unfortunate victims of the News of the World – are exposed to the privacy invaders, and this is where tougher laws really are needed.

Source

Full article from the Guardian.co.uk – 13 July 2011

Haydn Shaughnessy: The New Work Manifesto

Creator: Haydn Shaughnessy writes for Forbes.com about Innovation within the New Economy.

Purpose: The stats show that unto 66% of US workers are actively dis-engaged with their work. That means only 33% are! Thus the search for meaning and empowerment from ‘unconventional’ sources.

The New Work Manifesto: Be Unconventional (Selection)

People are busy adding unconventional twists to their lives and their narratives, building twists like minimalism, reducing our dependency on material possessions – there’s a list of minimalist growth indicators here; or it’s about collective as well as personal innovation: looking for ways to engage, transitioning the relationship between the town and the countryside – or the wacky art allied to gardening, the vegan tattoo, or the conventionally unconventional like the street food movement.

The New Work Manifesto is I want to do it my way. This is not just or even a Gen Y phenomenon. It is a story that 66% of us might want to tell. So how do we reconcile people’s desire for personal innovation with the enterprise’s need for innovative people and ideas?

A couple of years ago I interviewed an artist at the Disonancias project which arranges artist residencies inside Spanish companies. Her observation of working in a company? Everything I proposed they found a way to cut.

As an artist she was accustomed to starting small and growing a creative work. In business she started small and still got cut.

Enterprise leaders need to look to how people are innovating and creating and then set out how they want to interact with the workforce. We have to take the personal seriously.

Source

Full Article on Forbes.com: The New Work Manifesto: Be Unconventional, 24 June 2011

Image from Daylife: Job Seekers waiting to talk to employment agencies.

The Blackberry Manifesto

Creator: In the spirit of the Peanut Butter Manifesto, An open letter from a high level anonymous RIM employee, makers of the Blackberry.

Purpose: RIM is not doing as this employee would like. They’re struggling and this is what he would do to make things better.

The Blackberry Manifesto

To the RIM Senior Management Team:

I have lost confidence.

While I hide it at work, my passion has been sapped. I know I am not alone — the sentiment is widespread and it includes people within your own teams.

Mike and Jim, please take the time to really absorb and digest the content of this letter because it reflects the feeling across a huge percentage of your employee base. You have many smart employees, many that have great ideas for the future, but unfortunately the culture at RIM does not allow us to speak openly without having to worry about the career-limiting effects.

Before I get into the meat of the matter, I will say I am not part of a large group of bitter employees wishing to embarrass us. Rather, I believe these points need to be heard and I desperately want RIM to regain its position as a successful industry leader. Our carriers, distributors, alliance partners, enterprise customers, and our loyal end users all want the same thing… for BlackBerry to once again be leading the pack.

We are in the middle of major “transition” and things have never been more chaotic. Almost every project is falling further and further behind schedule at a time when we absolutely must deliver great, solid products on time. We urge you to make bold decisions about our organisational structure, about our culture and most importantly our products.

While we anxiously wait to see the details of the streamlining plan, here are some suggestions:

(Headings Only)

Focus on the End User experience

Recruit Senior SW Leaders & enable decision-making

Cut projects to the bone.

Developers, not Carriers can now make or break us

Need for serious marketing punch to create end user desire

No Accountability – Canadians are too nice

The press and analysts are pissing you off. Don’t snap. Now is the time for humility with a dash of paranoia.

Democratise. Engage and interact with your employees — please!

Source

BGR.com blog by Jonathan S Geller

Related Manifestos

The Peanut Butter Manifesto

Brad Garlinghouse: The Peanut Butter Manifesto

Creator: Brad Garlinghouse, a Yahoo senior vice president, created this manifesto as an internal document. (2006)

Purpose: Yahoo wasn’t doing as well as Brad liked so he offered his thoughts as to how to fix the problems. Simply put he suggested ‘Yahoo is spreading its resources too thinly, like peanut butter on a slice of bread.’

The Peanut Butter Manifesto (excerpt)

Three and half years ago, I enthusiastically joined Yahoo! The magnitude of the opportunity was only matched by the magnitude of the assets. And an amazing team has been responsible for rebuilding Yahoo!

It has been a profound experience. I am fortunate to have been a part of dramatic change for the Company. And our successes speak for themselves. More users than ever, more engaging than ever and more profitable than ever!

I proudly bleed purple and yellow everyday! And like so many people here, I love this company

But all is not well. Last Thursday’s NY Times article was a blessing in the disguise of a painful public flogging. While it lacked accurate details, its conclusions rang true, and thus was a much needed wake up call. But also a call to action. A clear statement with which I, and far too many Yahoo’s, agreed. And thankfully a reminder. A reminder that the measure of any person is not in how many times he or she falls down – but rather the spirit and resolve used to get back up. The same is now true of our Company.

It’s time for us to get back up.

I believe we must embrace our problems and challenges and that we must take decisive action. We have the opportunity – in fact the invitation – to send a strong, clear and powerful message to our shareholders and Wall Street, to our advertisers and our partners, to our employees (both current and future), and to our users. They are all begging for a signal that we recognize and understand our problems, and that we are charting a course for fundamental change. Our current course and speed simply will not get us there. Short-term band-aids will not get us there.

It’s time for us to get back up and seize this invitation.

…Our inclination and proclivity to repeatedly hire leaders from outside the company results in disparate visions of what winning looks like — rather than a leadership team rallying around a single cohesive strategy.

I’ve heard our strategy described as spreading peanut butter across the myriad opportunities that continue to evolve in the online world. The result: a thin layer of investment spread across everything we do and thus we focus on nothing in particular.

I hate peanut butter. We all should…

Source

Wall Street Journal Article displaying the full manifesto (published November 18, 2006)

Innovation Manifesto

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A Career Manifesto

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Unforgivable Manifesto

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A Toxic Leader Manifesto

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37signals Manifesto

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A New Manifesto for Media Ethics

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The New Work Manifesto: Be Unconventional (Selection)

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The Social Customer Manifesto

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The Blackberry Manifesto

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Related Manifestos

The Peanut Butter Manifesto (excerpt)

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