Professor Elam

The Fast 50 is Fast Company’s list of the 50 most innovative companies in the US.  Unlike Forbes or Fortune’s list of simply the biggest companies this is  list of those that really bring something to the table thru innovation.

Method at leftn founded in 2000n sold $100 M of eco friendly cleaing products last year. Elsewhere Fast Company is absolutely gaga over Google, devoting numerous pages to flattering photos of their managers. Indeed the photos of shaggy haired Silicon Valley latte sipping types echoes an era of coffee houses and societal  hippie drop outs of the sixties, except these guys are filthy rich from GOOG options. Just ask Al Gore who was lucky enough to snage a Board Seat.

I found number 42 interesting. Recall discount shoe seller Payless, yeah Payless?  Well look who is shining now.  Seems the new CEO decided DESIGN needed to take center stage. And so the company now features the hottest new female shoe designs sold thru some 400 re modeled hip stores. So in 2006 Payless doubled earnings.  Design, it’s what innovation is all about.   Click here for a look at the Payless Designer page.

What do you read?  My assignment to do a book report draws a sea of blank faces. If you are not keepig pace you are falling behind. Saying you read on the net would be fine but only if it really happens. One of my reads is Fast Company.   FC is all about innovation. In addition FC has hit on the concept of Design, even Business Week has quarterly features on Innovation.  I am firmly convinced that the first Business School which embraces the concept of design, overhauling its MBA program to include faculty from the Art Department, yes the Art Department, to teach the importance of integrating design into both service (thnk Apple Leopard) and product (Mazda Miata) will leap to the front of the pack.  Contrast those products  with the gosh awful MSFT Office 2007 or the slab sided new F 150, losers both to be sure. 

So, what’s in your backpack?