Creating Blue Oceans

Radical Action for Radical Times

The new book featuring Gabor George Burt and nine other thought-leaders, sharing effective and inspirational strategies to help any organization succeed, regardless of the state of the economy.

For more information and to purchase your copy of Radical Action for Radical Times click HERE.

All book royalties are being donated to children’s cancer research.

The Perfect Calm Series: Six Solutions for Saving Water and Saving Lives

One of the most exciting spheres of application for Blue Ocean Strategy is the realm of Social Capitalism. This explosive market space is at the intersection of successful business and lasting social impact. Traditionally these two spheres were considered separate, but the two can be pursued simultaneously via Blue Ocean Strategy. Periodically, we feature stories which illustrate stimulating ventures, ideas and concepts targeting this very market space.

Especially fitting in light of Gabor’s recent visit to Chile, we select the story:  Six Solutions for Saving Water and Saving Lives.

Do you know of other companies, organizations or business visionaries sailing along the intersection of good business and social good? Share your ideas with the Creating Blue Oceans Community.

[Image via Fast Company.]

The Air Force gets involved

It was a good thing that Chile did not come under aerial attack last Monday, as Gabor met with the Commander of the Chilean Air Force, General Ricardo Ortega, and his top brass of advisors, for a behind closed doors luncheon at the prestigious Air Force Club in downtown Santiago.  The meeting was quite amicable and touched on several areas where the public or military sector of Chile could use some fresh perspectives.

[Image via Defense Industry Daily.]

CEOs embrace Gabor’s message of Unconventional Wisdom and Blue Ocean Strategy

Today we share with our readers the closing installment of our week-long coverage of Gabor’s visit to Chile.  The bouquet of high profile activities, ranging from multimedia interviews to private and public events, came to a close with a highly charged final session.

On Friday, dozens of CEO’s from Chile’s most respected companies and organizations gathered at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel for an invitation-only presentation on the theme of Defying Conventional Wisdom and Blue Ocean Strategy by Gabor.  At the end of the well-received presentation — which  underscored the need for Innovation  in a region which has long been dominated by more traditional thinking — Gabor challenged participants to be the first Latin American company on the Top 50 list of most innovative global organizations.

The session was wrapped up with an interview on CNN Chile.

Don’t miss out!  As a reminder, selections from recent interviews with Gabor will be made available to our readers in the upcoming weeks.  To be the first to know, send an email to info@creatingblueoceans.com .  

[Image via Ritz-Carlton Hotels and CNN Chile.]

Tuning-in to Gabor’s Innovation message

During this action-packed week in Chile, Gabor made the rounds with the country’s most prominent news providers — coordinated by Soledad Rodriquez and business bureau.  Here is a behind the scenes glimpse.
 
Gabor put on his best radio face to do an interview with one of Chile’s most respected radio hosts, Beatriz Sanchez, of ADN 91,7 Radio Chile. The interview focused on the timing of Gabor’s visit and the immediate applicability of the message and methodology he brings.

 

Next up, Gabor was chauffeured straight to the studios of TVN 24 Horas, Chile’s leading TV broadcasting company, for an interview with Finance and Economy journalist and television impresario Sebastian Pizarro Cristi.
 
And the afternoon was rounded out with a conversational interview with Emilio Maldonado, journalist of the most prominent economic daily newspaper of Chile, Diario Financiero.
 
A common theme throughout the interviews was the motivational effect of the current crisis for organizations to embrace unconventional thinking and strategy.  With so many media channels utilized, executives and government officials in Chile can’t help but hear the message.

In the upcoming weeks, we will be making portions of these interview available for our readers.  To be notified immediately once they become available, send a note to info@creatingblueoceans.com .

Telmex sets sail for Blue Oceans

Next up in our series covering Gabor’s high-profile visit to Chile, we visit the sunny, seaside town of Vina del Mar.  Vina del Mar served as the inspirational backdrop for the Workshop led by Gabor this week for the senior management of Telmex.
 
Telmex is the first company in Chile to apply the joint principles of Defying Conventional Wisdom and Blue Ocean Strategy, positioning itself as a true pioneer in a region where a tendency toward more traditional thinking is widespread.

The company didn’t just get its feet wet, it plunged fully in. Its entire 60 member team of top executives took part in the mind-opening session, with the intent of becoming a success example not only within Chile, but also within Telmex’s international group of companies.

After the Workshop, as seen in the photo to the right, Gabor is spotted with a couple of the brave participants from Telmex’s executive team: Francisco Chaparro, Communications Manager and Patricio Varas, Marketing Manager.

About Telmex:  Telmex Internacional,  is a Mexican holding company. The Company through its subsidiaries in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Ecuador provides a range of telecommunications services, including voice, data and video transmission, Internet access and integrated telecommunications solutions; pay cable and satellite television; and print and Internet based yellow pages directories in Mexico, the United States, Argentina, and Peru.

To schedule your organization’s highly-rewarding and insightful Workshop led by Gabor, get in touch with us at info@creatingblueoceans.com .

INFOWEEK cover story — exclusive interview with Gabor

Continuing in our week-long coverage of Gabor’s activities in Chile, today we share with our readers a sneak peak of the cover story from INFOWEEK, Chile’s leading Innovation magazine.  The December issue, coming out this week, features an exclusive interview with Gabor.

To read the full article in Spanish, click HERE (opens in PDF).

For those readers who would like an English copy of the article, send us a quick note to info@creatingblueoceans.com .

The December issue of INFOWEEK will be available at all major booksellers and newsstands throughout Chile beginning this week.

Touching down in Santiago de Chile

This week we have a special treat for our readers.  All week long we will be covering Gabor’s high-profile visit to Chile — ranging from multimedia interviews to private and public events on the theme of Defying Conventional Wisdom and Blue Ocean Strategy.  Gabor’s visit is in partnership with business bureau, Chile’s boutique provider of innovative concepts and events. 

It is no coincidence that Gabor’s recent arrival is happening in tandem with Chile’s pivotal Presidential elections, where Innovation has become a focal issue in one of the only global economies to weather the recent global financial crisis (see PDF report The Chilean Economy in the Current Global Financial Crisis).  For an enlightening overview of the current social and political landscape, and why the emphasis on Innovation, we bring to you a recent article entitled “Healing Chile’s Malaise.”

From BusinessWeek:

Chile has come a long way since 1990, when democracy was restored after 17 years of military rule. The economy has been one of the world's fastest-growing, inflation is a distant memory, the poverty level has fallen to 13% from 45%, and per capita gross domestic product has quadrupled, to US$10,100...

Many Chileans feel a certain malaise. They know their country is one of the most prosperous in Latin America due to fiscal discipline and the profound free-market reforms of the past 30 years. But Chile's explosive, Asian-style growth of the 1990s has given way to expansion averaging just 3.5% annually this decade. And despite efforts to diversify, volatile copper earnings continue to account for more than half of total exports. So Chile's leaders are seeking to reduce that dependence and nurture a knowledge-based economy via better schooling and more innovation.

While Chile ranks well on innovation vs. its Latin American peers, the government and business leaders know it must do more.

[Image via Vantage World Travel.]

The Perfect Calm Series: In Denmark, Ambitious Plan for Electric Cars

One of the most exciting spheres of application for Blue Ocean Strategy is the realm of Social Capitalism. This explosive market space is at the intersection of successful business and lasting social impact. Traditionally these two spheres were considered separate, but the two can be pursued simultaneously via Blue Ocean Strategy. Periodically, we feature stories which illustrate stimulating ventures, ideas and concepts targeting this very market space.



This week, we select the story:  In Denmark, Ambitious Plan for Electric Cars.

Do you know of other companies, organizations or business visionaries sailing along the intersection of good business and social good? Share your ideas with the Creating Blue Oceans Community.

[Image via btrplc.]

Innovation and Blue Ocean Strategy response: Connecting the dots

Yesterday, we published a letter from Terri, a student, looking for Gabor’s insight and clarity in her study of Blue Ocean and innovative strategies. We managed to catch-up with Gabor and get his personal response, which we are pleased to share today with Terri and our readers:
 

Hello Terri,
 
I can understand your confusion.  Innovation is a very general term, and a buzz word, like productivity — so its use can vary greatly.
 
Firstly, innovation should be one of the key drivers of a company’s strategy.  This means that the organization should embrace the perspective of continuously altering its offering, and make this thinking a part of its culture and processes.  This is what I would call an innovation-based strategy. Once this is done, innovation can take on many forms within the organization, be it  in process (Toyota), delivery (Dell), service (Cirque du Soleil), pricing related (iTunes), etc.
 
But the key thing you should always ask is:  Does the innovation result in real benefit to consumers, or does it serve only some internal purpose?  In other words, is it meaningful innovation or self-serving innovation?  The first creates real value, the other does not.

Best regards,

Gabor

Do you have similar ideas?  How would have you responded to Terri’s question?

[Image via 5plus5team.]

Innovation and Blue Ocean Strategy question: Connecting the dots

Here at Creating Blue Oceans we continually receive inquiries, from corporate executives and small business owners to students, asking for advice or confirmation related to the pursuit of innovative and distinctive strategies. Today, we open up our message box to share one such recent message:

Hi Mr. Burt,

I am writing to ask you to explain the connection within the strategic innovation of a company. I am having a hard time just connecting the dots. Where do business model and technology changes come in the innovative processes? 

Can you possibly explain this a lot clearer?

Thanks.

Terri G.
Student

Check back tomorrow when we’ll share Gabor’s response to Terri. In the meantime, how would you respond to Terri’s question?

[Image via Steinski.]