In part one of this two part series we defined what innovation means in the context of enterprise social and the traditional Engage, Evolve, Evaluate, Execute model. At a high level, innovation managed through a social tool can be represented as a pipeline not unlike traditional R&D-driven ideation cycles, again aligning with our four step [...]
It seems to me that today’s organizations are demanding more and more from their employees, who are also increasingly becoming information workers. They consume increasing amounts of information and context and they are expected to be constantly informed while producing faster results and making better decisions. It also seems that the employees themselves are expecting [...]
In this two part series, we’ll take a look at leveraging new Enterprise Social Technologies to manage ideation and ultimately to realize innovation in today’s modern companies. The value of fostering innovation is undeniable. By definition, innovation most traditionally results in the creation of a novel market-ready product or service, or in ideas aimed [...]
I was recently asked by one of my customers to recommend a few of my favorite Innovation-related articles, resources and examples. So I decided to share a few of these with you in the form of an “IQ test” (“IQ” as in Innovation Quotient). This is certainly biased and unscientific, but current and hopefully [...]
What started as a gaming device from Microsoft is continuing to generate buzz and curiosity from our customers. Last week, Microsoft released its latest software update for Kinect for Windows and the functionality keeps improving its use in business scenarios. Kinect is a commodity device allowing an application to gain information about the real world—about a [...]
A few simple web searches is all it takes to reveal an unfortunate image of the typical CIO and/or IT Manager in today’s enterprise. They’ve been characterized as ‘hijackers of the cloud’ (Information Week), ‘aloof and insular’ (Computerworld), and ‘no longer up to the job’ (TechRepublic). At the same time, these searches also point out that [...]
On March 18, Microsoft will kick off Convergence 2013 in New Orleans. I always look forward to meeting with customers and hearing about their unique challenges as well as discussing how they can use the latest innovations to create their own business success stories. Convergence is the premier event for the Microsoft Dynamics community, where [...]
The following is a guest blog post by Eddie Pate, Vice President, HR, Diversity & Inclusion Happy International Women’s Day! This marks the second year in which Avanade has participated in this global event, which celebrates the social, economic and political achievements of women throughout history. Through more than 50 local events, a series of [...]
Every time I use Microsoft Lync, I take for granted the limitless capabilities of the application and how it simplifies my ability to work without limits or within specific locations. Talking to my boss on the phone, organizing video conferences, instant messaging with coworkers, or sharing rich content with my customers and colleagues, it delivers [...]
Obviously, this is a big week in mobility with Mobile World Congress taking place in Barcelona. We’ll likely see a slew of new devices announced, and it’s not a stretch to guess that there will be a lot of focus on smarter devices with “must have” features, more form-factors, nicer screens, better cameras and so forth. [...]
