Who would have thought it possible - I landed my dream job.
At the intersection of media and innovation is a nifty product called 'Smart TV.' I have accepted a position at a large consumer electronics manufacturer that makes top-notch smart tv products - how cool is that? Everything that a newly minted MBA could want - marketing, strategy, innovation, foresight, and ambiguity. Plus, a great team and a cool, new product.
In its simplest form, Smart TV can be thought of as a TV that connects to the internet, but in the last couple of weeks learning and exploring, I can honestly say that Smart TV has enhanced my entire television viewing experience. I'll stop raving about it now, because I risk sounding like an infomercial, but rest assured, I now watch more television programming than ever before. (I wouldn't have thought it possible, but there you have it.)
For legal purposes, I want to make it clear that all the opinions, etc. in this blog are my own and are in no way related to my employer. Now that that is out of the way, I hope that some of you will continue to read the blog as I embark on this new adventure!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Last MBA Presentation
I know what you're thinking - student presentations in a business school mean wearing a suit. Well, you would be right.
Most of the time.
Looking down the halls of Rotman, you WILL see a sea of black suits, shiny shoes and ties. Not so in Marketing Using IT.
For the purpose of this presentation, this common beachwear
was transformed with this:
Into Digital Marketing Executive.
Yes friends. Believe your eyes.
Seriously, stop rubbing your eyes! It's true! Our team was transformed from 'bum' into 'digital marketing executive' simply by adding a blazer, scarf and heel. This technique works for dudes as well! Your old band Ts and sports shirts are, in fact, professional when modestly covered with a suit jacket. Your old jeans are equally appropriate, with a pair of dress shoes. It's a miracle really.
Dear students doing presentations for such exciting classes like M&A, Value Investing, and Supply Chain Management. Don't be haters! I know you're jealous. I would be to - it's almost summer, the sun in shining and you are wearing black, constricting suits and I am wearing sandals and jeans.
There's not much I can do to help you work through your emotional feelings of anger and disbelief ("How on Earth can these jean wearing vagrants be earning a professional degree? It's not FAIR!"). Nor can I help you with your physical discomfort, ("This suit is so hot, I hope no one can tell how sweaty I am!"). I also can't help you stand out in your uniform ("Hey, nice suit! Is that 'midnight black' or 'nightshade'?)
Just know that I feel for you.
Most of the time.
Looking down the halls of Rotman, you WILL see a sea of black suits, shiny shoes and ties. Not so in Marketing Using IT.
For the purpose of this presentation, this common beachwear
was transformed with this:
Into Digital Marketing Executive.
Yes friends. Believe your eyes.
Seriously, stop rubbing your eyes! It's true! Our team was transformed from 'bum' into 'digital marketing executive' simply by adding a blazer, scarf and heel. This technique works for dudes as well! Your old band Ts and sports shirts are, in fact, professional when modestly covered with a suit jacket. Your old jeans are equally appropriate, with a pair of dress shoes. It's a miracle really.
Dear students doing presentations for such exciting classes like M&A, Value Investing, and Supply Chain Management. Don't be haters! I know you're jealous. I would be to - it's almost summer, the sun in shining and you are wearing black, constricting suits and I am wearing sandals and jeans.
There's not much I can do to help you work through your emotional feelings of anger and disbelief ("How on Earth can these jean wearing vagrants be earning a professional degree? It's not FAIR!"). Nor can I help you with your physical discomfort, ("This suit is so hot, I hope no one can tell how sweaty I am!"). I also can't help you stand out in your uniform ("Hey, nice suit! Is that 'midnight black' or 'nightshade'?)
Just know that I feel for you.
Monday, April 4, 2011
What I thought would never end, is ending... MUCH TOO FAST!
These days it seems that all of my time is spent reflecting. Reflecting on classes and readings for journal assignments. Reflecting on past careers job applications.
Today, I'm particularly pensive.
Grad Ball started with a toast of champagne and ended with sloppy hugs and pats on the back as we danced the night away with friends. The requisite slide show has an air of finality to it. Set to mournful ballads, I watched almost forgotten photographs flash across the screen. Collectively, the hall filled with whoops and cheers. Laughter and sighs. The whole affair had an air of finality to it.
Tomorrow is Rotman DisOrientation. The opposite of Orientation camp where we were fresh faced and relaxed. Anxious to meet new friends, our only worry was whether our costume for the 'Rock n Roll Legends' party was edgy enough (but not too edgy, it is a professional program after all!). DisOrientation is the exact opposite. This is yet another event where we all start to say good bye.
Where is this all this reminiscent, sappy, slightly-sad, lovey-dovey dribble coming from?
These past two years, I've been living in the moment. Scheduling my week, making 'to-do' lists, and getting assignments done. Well, my MUST-do list is getting shorter, and my WANT-to-do list is getting longer. All of the sudden, I'm very conscious that my time here is ending, and I want to hold on to what I've learned, the people that I've met, and the experiences that I've had. I want to hold them tight so that I don't forget them, don't lose them.
It's not that I want to delay my future. On the contrary, I'm ready to get out there and start the next phase of my life. More than that, I'm EXCITED to show the world what I've gained by being here. I'm imagining myself in that still to be defined future, and I'm proud of what I've achieved here. It is in that imagining, that I see myself taking those first steps into my future. First across the stage to collect my diploma...
With any new beginning comes an end. A change.
In all that I imagine, I cannot picture not being surrounded with these wonderful, bright, smart, funny people every day.
Today, I'm particularly pensive.
Grad Ball started with a toast of champagne and ended with sloppy hugs and pats on the back as we danced the night away with friends. The requisite slide show has an air of finality to it. Set to mournful ballads, I watched almost forgotten photographs flash across the screen. Collectively, the hall filled with whoops and cheers. Laughter and sighs. The whole affair had an air of finality to it.
Tomorrow is Rotman DisOrientation. The opposite of Orientation camp where we were fresh faced and relaxed. Anxious to meet new friends, our only worry was whether our costume for the 'Rock n Roll Legends' party was edgy enough (but not too edgy, it is a professional program after all!). DisOrientation is the exact opposite. This is yet another event where we all start to say good bye.
Where is this all this reminiscent, sappy, slightly-sad, lovey-dovey dribble coming from?
These past two years, I've been living in the moment. Scheduling my week, making 'to-do' lists, and getting assignments done. Well, my MUST-do list is getting shorter, and my WANT-to-do list is getting longer. All of the sudden, I'm very conscious that my time here is ending, and I want to hold on to what I've learned, the people that I've met, and the experiences that I've had. I want to hold them tight so that I don't forget them, don't lose them.
It's not that I want to delay my future. On the contrary, I'm ready to get out there and start the next phase of my life. More than that, I'm EXCITED to show the world what I've gained by being here. I'm imagining myself in that still to be defined future, and I'm proud of what I've achieved here. It is in that imagining, that I see myself taking those first steps into my future. First across the stage to collect my diploma...
With any new beginning comes an end. A change.
In all that I imagine, I cannot picture not being surrounded with these wonderful, bright, smart, funny people every day.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Spaghetti Organizations: Oticon’s revolutionary organization redesign & lessons learned for advertising agencies.
Prior to Rotman, I worked at one of Canada’s largest advertising agencies with well over 700 employees. Despite being a knowledge based organization, we were extremely compartmentalized and hardly spoke to one another. I consistently felt overworked and undervalued. Since leaving, I have struggled with understanding why my colleagues and I were so unhappy and why management was so blind to the problem. This week I finally had a breakthrough in Organization Design when we discussed Oticon, another knowledge based organization.
Lars Kolind
When Lars Kolind arrived, Oticon was clearly in crisis. The one time leader in hearing aid design and manufacturing was losing market share in Europe and North America. To make matters worse, they were struggling with innovation and design. The balance sheet showed a bleak future.
Kolind knew that dramatic changes were necessary to revitalize this company. Interestingly, the bold moves he took were not undertaken immediately. When Kolind arrived, Oticon was organized by product line, much like any other manufacturing firm. With a long history, the formal, compartmentalized culture was well engrained.
Short Term: Kolind’s first priority was cost-cutting. If the company was to survive, Kolind had to focus on the balance sheet. He eliminated inefficiencies by reorganizing by function which allowed for more economies of scale.
Long Term: Oticon is first and foremost a knowledge based organization. They stay ahead of their competition by constantly discovering new technologies and translating that knowledge to their products. As Oticon was struggling with R&D, Kolind took a bold, unconventional approach to design. He recognized that knowledge organizations are only as successful as the people in them, thus he reorganized in a way that both allowed knowledge transfer, broke down silos AND put people first.
The Spaghetti Organization
Upon reading about the resulting ‘spaghetti’ organization, my immediate reaction was, ‘this isn’t going to work’.
Employees were stripped of their formal job functions, rather, they were given very broad job descriptions and were encouraged to become far more well-rounded. The formal structure was completely decimated, instead they became project based, with employees choosing their own projects. The entire office was reorganized with furniture on wheels so that it would be mobile, workspaces could be changed at a drop of a hat. The most surprising development however, was the freedom offered to the employees who were free to set their own hours and vacation time. How on earth could a company operate without any accountability, you might ask? Well, performance and development were closely monitored and encouraged via monthly performance reports.
Lessons for Advertising Industry
The advertising that I worked at was organized by first and foremost by function. Within that function, we worked in groups by product (or client). For instance, I worked under a Vice President who was responsible for several of our major clients.
From what I have been able to glean from friends in the industry, this design is typical of large, full-service advertising agencies.
Could the Oticon ‘spaghetti’ organization design work for a large advertising agency?
1) Project based vs. function based (loose formal structure)
2) Broad job descriptions vs. Highly specialized
3) Employee freedom vs. 9-5ish in the office
I think the answer is yes and no.
Benefits: The project based approach makes a lot of sense, with the caveat that some continuity be maintained in order to develop a close client relationship. Additionally, employees believe it is necessary to change agencies in order to maintain fresh thinking. With the ability to constantly change projects and clients, attrition for this reason may be avoided.
Broad job descriptions would also be possible. For instance, there is currently overlap between many of the functional areas. For instance, media planners must develop a deep understanding of the consumer. This skill is also present in branding and relationship management (CRM).
Additionally, freedom to set your own hours, with the understanding that performance is constantly under review, is possible thanks to technology. In fact, there is an entire agency that exists using this premise. The Cloud Advertising Agents do not have a fixed office or hours. The entire organization operated using “free agents” on a contract basis.
The most interesting prospect of this organization design is raising the P&L to the agency level as opposed to the functional level. At times when I was working, the functions would fight over compensation. Splitting the compensation across divisions had several unfortunate drawbacks. Small cross-functional projects were rejected, or operated at a loss for one division. Staffing was inadequate in one or more divisions which lowered the quality of the work, decreasing client and employee satisfaction. Raising the P&L to the agency level may make more projects attractive and allow for adequate staffing.
Question Marks: It is not unusual for a company to employ multiple advertising and communications agencies. For instance, you will see Coca-Cola on multiple agency rosters. I’m unsure whether a spaghetti organization would attract a larger portion of the business from these clients or whether it would make a spaghetti organization less attractive.
Overall, I think that the Spaghetti organization structure shows promise for advertising agencies, and I don’t doubt that there are many that operate under this premise. For the organization that I worked at, however, as it is not in obvious crisis, I doubt management will undertake such a dramatic change. That being said, cracks are beginning to show in the once mighty ad giant. The question remains, is it smart to wait until the point of near bankruptcy, like Oticon, before making a bold change for the better?
Lars Kolind
When Lars Kolind arrived, Oticon was clearly in crisis. The one time leader in hearing aid design and manufacturing was losing market share in Europe and North America. To make matters worse, they were struggling with innovation and design. The balance sheet showed a bleak future.
Kolind knew that dramatic changes were necessary to revitalize this company. Interestingly, the bold moves he took were not undertaken immediately. When Kolind arrived, Oticon was organized by product line, much like any other manufacturing firm. With a long history, the formal, compartmentalized culture was well engrained.
Short Term: Kolind’s first priority was cost-cutting. If the company was to survive, Kolind had to focus on the balance sheet. He eliminated inefficiencies by reorganizing by function which allowed for more economies of scale.
Long Term: Oticon is first and foremost a knowledge based organization. They stay ahead of their competition by constantly discovering new technologies and translating that knowledge to their products. As Oticon was struggling with R&D, Kolind took a bold, unconventional approach to design. He recognized that knowledge organizations are only as successful as the people in them, thus he reorganized in a way that both allowed knowledge transfer, broke down silos AND put people first.
The Spaghetti Organization
Upon reading about the resulting ‘spaghetti’ organization, my immediate reaction was, ‘this isn’t going to work’.
Employees were stripped of their formal job functions, rather, they were given very broad job descriptions and were encouraged to become far more well-rounded. The formal structure was completely decimated, instead they became project based, with employees choosing their own projects. The entire office was reorganized with furniture on wheels so that it would be mobile, workspaces could be changed at a drop of a hat. The most surprising development however, was the freedom offered to the employees who were free to set their own hours and vacation time. How on earth could a company operate without any accountability, you might ask? Well, performance and development were closely monitored and encouraged via monthly performance reports.
Lessons for Advertising Industry
The advertising that I worked at was organized by first and foremost by function. Within that function, we worked in groups by product (or client). For instance, I worked under a Vice President who was responsible for several of our major clients.
From what I have been able to glean from friends in the industry, this design is typical of large, full-service advertising agencies.
Could the Oticon ‘spaghetti’ organization design work for a large advertising agency?
1) Project based vs. function based (loose formal structure)
2) Broad job descriptions vs. Highly specialized
3) Employee freedom vs. 9-5ish in the office
I think the answer is yes and no.
Benefits: The project based approach makes a lot of sense, with the caveat that some continuity be maintained in order to develop a close client relationship. Additionally, employees believe it is necessary to change agencies in order to maintain fresh thinking. With the ability to constantly change projects and clients, attrition for this reason may be avoided.
Broad job descriptions would also be possible. For instance, there is currently overlap between many of the functional areas. For instance, media planners must develop a deep understanding of the consumer. This skill is also present in branding and relationship management (CRM).
Additionally, freedom to set your own hours, with the understanding that performance is constantly under review, is possible thanks to technology. In fact, there is an entire agency that exists using this premise. The Cloud Advertising Agents do not have a fixed office or hours. The entire organization operated using “free agents” on a contract basis.
The most interesting prospect of this organization design is raising the P&L to the agency level as opposed to the functional level. At times when I was working, the functions would fight over compensation. Splitting the compensation across divisions had several unfortunate drawbacks. Small cross-functional projects were rejected, or operated at a loss for one division. Staffing was inadequate in one or more divisions which lowered the quality of the work, decreasing client and employee satisfaction. Raising the P&L to the agency level may make more projects attractive and allow for adequate staffing.
Question Marks: It is not unusual for a company to employ multiple advertising and communications agencies. For instance, you will see Coca-Cola on multiple agency rosters. I’m unsure whether a spaghetti organization would attract a larger portion of the business from these clients or whether it would make a spaghetti organization less attractive.
Overall, I think that the Spaghetti organization structure shows promise for advertising agencies, and I don’t doubt that there are many that operate under this premise. For the organization that I worked at, however, as it is not in obvious crisis, I doubt management will undertake such a dramatic change. That being said, cracks are beginning to show in the once mighty ad giant. The question remains, is it smart to wait until the point of near bankruptcy, like Oticon, before making a bold change for the better?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Strategy >> Winning By Design
I love how design influences all sorts of business. This month's Strategy Magazine focuses on a classic example: Retail.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Words that should be stricken from your business vocabulary
Business buzz words are annoying. They are confusing, unnecessary, and distracting.
Our guest speaker was clearly an expert in his field. His firm is called in when a firm needs to "re-organize". He is the consultant the manages people - and it shows. On this particular evening, he has approached the class presentation in a way that will garner our respect, and yet maintain a friendly, approachable demeanor. He is dressed in a suit, but the jacket is tossed on the back of the chair - much like a student would discard his jacket after a class presentation. He is wearing a button-down shirt, but it's a friendly blue colour, not the starched, snooty white that you commonly see. His sleeves are rolled up, like he's ready to dig into the work. He screams, "I'm a hands-on manager". Everything about him is likeable.
And then he speaks...
And his colleague chimes in, "it all comes back to the dialogue..."
STOP! I can't take it anymore! What is this, "dialogue" that you speak of? I can't focus on anything other than the ridiculous use of this word. When did it become uncouth to simple say you 'spoke with' the team? A few other vocabulary suggestions.
Next time you want to have a 'dialogue' with someone, try having a discussion instead. Try talking about the future Think about having a quick conversation. Heaven forbid you should chat with one another.
While I seethed in my chair, they continue dialoguing with one another.
Blue Shirt: We actually dialogue with teams"
Colleague, nodding in agreement: "We want people to be dialoguing together"
Our guest speaker was clearly an expert in his field. His firm is called in when a firm needs to "re-organize". He is the consultant the manages people - and it shows. On this particular evening, he has approached the class presentation in a way that will garner our respect, and yet maintain a friendly, approachable demeanor. He is dressed in a suit, but the jacket is tossed on the back of the chair - much like a student would discard his jacket after a class presentation. He is wearing a button-down shirt, but it's a friendly blue colour, not the starched, snooty white that you commonly see. His sleeves are rolled up, like he's ready to dig into the work. He screams, "I'm a hands-on manager". Everything about him is likeable.
And then he speaks...
"Our job is to start those dialogues..."
"In all the dialogues that we have..."
"How do you dialogue about the future?"
"The answer, is more dialogues..."
And his colleague chimes in, "it all comes back to the dialogue..."
STOP! I can't take it anymore! What is this, "dialogue" that you speak of? I can't focus on anything other than the ridiculous use of this word. When did it become uncouth to simple say you 'spoke with' the team? A few other vocabulary suggestions.
Next time you want to have a 'dialogue' with someone, try having a discussion instead. Try talking about the future Think about having a quick conversation. Heaven forbid you should chat with one another.
While I seethed in my chair, they continue dialoguing with one another.
Blue Shirt: We actually dialogue with teams"
Colleague, nodding in agreement: "We want people to be dialoguing together"
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
When airlines do silly things
United Breaks Guitars: A clever 3-part video series released on YouTube, created by a Canadian musician in response to an airline failing to respond to breaking a guitar.
We discussed this case in the context of the effect of social media on a brand - in this case, United took a hit and was publically shamed for its poor response.
Today I was reading the Huffington Post and came across this headline:
Will airlines never learn? United breaks a guitar and is subjected to public scathing. Did Delta really think they would escape with an impersonal 'sorry' and FIFTY BUCKS?
We discussed this case in the context of the effect of social media on a brand - in this case, United took a hit and was publically shamed for its poor response.
Today I was reading the Huffington Post and came across this headline:
OWNER OF A KITTEN THAT DIED ON A DELTA FLIGHT OFFERED $50, PLUS AIRFARE
Will airlines never learn? United breaks a guitar and is subjected to public scathing. Did Delta really think they would escape with an impersonal 'sorry' and FIFTY BUCKS?
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