Beyond Creativity

How Ethical is Mobile Business? The Health of Our Children

Please, watch the following video. Australia's Interphone research group leader warns children (and adults) about mobile phones related brain tumours. Video starts when you click the picture.

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Background information.

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Another example comes from Russia:

Handsets pose danger for children

The Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (RNCNIRP) has expressed its opinion regarding the possible influence of handset electromagnetic field on children and teen-ages. The experiments, consultations and discussions held led to the resolution ‘Children and handsets: future generations’ health is under threat’. The given resolution comprises opinions of leading Russian scientists in hygiene and radiobiology of Non-Ionizing Radiation. The given resolution is based on mo… full text

Source: CNews

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Earlier children and mobile phone related warnings:

- France warns against excessive mobile phone use.

- Germany: Handys for Kinder sind nicht sinnvoll

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My questions:

How responsible are mobile phone manufacturers and carriers?

They have known these health risks for decades, but no single mobile phone box comes with any kind of warning or safe use recommendations. Additionally, carriers (teleoperators) are digging up telephone cables in countries like Finland and even small children are forced to use a mobile phone in their communication.

How can ordinary people and governments allow this kind of development?

Two Quotations - Radiation Risks

“I have no doubt in my mind that at the present time, the greatest polluting element in the earth’s environment is the proliferation of electromagnetic fields. I consider that to be far greater on a global scale, than warming, and the increase in chemical elements in the environment.’’

- Dr Robert O. Becker – twice nominated for the Nobel Prize

"The notion that non-ionizing radiation is harmless – the assumption of innocence – is no longer tenable. Research findings suggest that radiofrequency exposures are potentially carcinogenic and have other health effects. Therefore, prudent avoidance of unneeded exposures is recommended as a precautionary measure."

- The Late John R. Goldsmith, M.D., M.P.H.

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I welcome you to take a look at following two German inititiatives:

Mobilfunk Ärzteappell Allgäu-Bodensee-Oberschwaben (2006)

Bamberger Ärzteappell (2004)

+ Check the radiation level versus symptoms table.

When will the doctors in Nordic countries wake up?

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Update 30th April 2008: My personal experience is closer than I ever would like to witness. I wrote an opinion piece "Radiation risks under control" for the University of Tampere Aikalainen magazine. This opinion "Säteilyriskit hallinnassa?" is written in Finnish , but the additional base stations related information might interest some of you?!

Virtual Worlds - Where is the Business Beef?

Virtual worlds like Second Life provide some interesting features for prototyping new concepts. The following articles decribe some of these advantages:

- Virtual worlds get another life

- Scripting in the SL sandbox

On the 9th of June 2008 in Galway in Ireland we will have a workshop called "Going Virtual: Are There Real Opportunities for Business in Virtual Worlds?"

With Robin Teigland, Brian Donnellan, Brian O'Donovan and Steve Mahaley.

We will touch following topics:

1. How are business organizations using virtual worlds to create value?

2. What are the benefits of private vs public virtual worlds in these efforts to create value?

3. What are the best practices for implementing these virtual world efforts?

4. How are organizations attracting avatars in world?

Steve will be in the USA, while Robin, Brian D., Brian O. and I will be in Ireland.

Let's see how immersed we will get and how well we will 'fly'! (Since I love flight simulators, flying in the SL gives me kicks)

In the meanwhile ... Do you have a good Second Life collaboration or business practise to share?

The Nerd Test

You must have noticed my interest in quizzes?!

Maybe I will never learn to understand myself, therefore I like to take these tests ;-)
The following test "revealed" that I am social nerd. Am I?

Please, try the Nerd-quiz:

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Social Nerd   You're interested in things such as politics, psychology, child care, and peace. I wouldn't go so far as to call you a hippie, but some of you may be tree-huggers. You're the type of people who are interested in bettering the world. You're possible the least nerdy of them all; unless you participate in other activies that paled your nerdiness compared to your involvement in social activities. Whatever the case, we could still use more of you around.  ^_^
Musician
Drama Nerd
Literature Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Anime Nerd
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

Gatekeepers in the Innovation Process

In ECIS Galway in June 2008 Eoin Whelan and I will have a following session:

"Knowledge Diffusion in R&D Groups: The Impact of Internet Technologies"

Abstract:

Knowledge flows are the lifeblood of any R&D organisation. These firms are increasingly
discovering that the knowledge they require is often located beyond their boundaries. In this paper, we investigate how R&D groups acquire and diffuse external knowledge and the role Internet technologies play in this process.

The focus of our study is on the technological gatekeeper. Previous studies have found that gatekeepers are key nodes in the innovation process. These sporadic individuals have the skills to identify useful knowledge outside the firm and disseminate this among their local colleagues.

However, much of the seminal gatekeeper research has been conducted over two decades ago. In the time since, there have been huge advances in ICT and especially Internet technologies. These technologies have dramatically altered how knowledge workers source and share their information. Our objective is to advance the gatekeeper theory into an era where the knowledge worker is saturated with information. Using case study methods, we examine knowledge flows in the R&D group of an Irish medical devices firm.

Our results indicate that due to advances in Internet technology, the traditional gatekeeper no longer exists to any great extent. Instead, the modern R&D lab acquires and diffuses external knowledge through a combination of a ‘web gatekeeper’ and a
‘knowledge transformer.’

You are welcome to participate the session or comment the topic beforehand !

Creativity is ... Attitude

In Berkeley, CA, USA, I met amazingly wise and educated street merchants.
Somehow, I just wanted to have  the following sticker:

Ever since I got this sticker, it has been hanging on my door at the university.

Einstein was famous for his proverbs and quotations. I welcome you to take a look at them. If someone knows where these proverbs can found in German, I would be most grateful! (Einstein's English was not excellent, I suppose some of those English quotations are therefore translated from German).

Nowadays I am well known for my polite and still uncomfortable questions. It is a skill that gets better when you practise it a lot ;-)

Open Innovation and Strategy - Focus on Communities

Remember Porter's Five Competitive Forces?

1. Rivalry
2. Buyer power
3. Supplier power
4. Substitutes
5. Barriers to entry

Nowadays, if a company only focuses on them and misses communities, it may be counter-productive.

In the latest CMR article Henry Chesbrough and Melissa Appleyard point out:

"All of the tradional views are based upon ownership and control as the key levers in achieving strategic success. All focus largely within the firm, or within the value chain in which the firm is embedded. Non take much notice of the potential value of external resources that are not owned by the firm in question, but may nonetheless create value for the firm"

To illustrate the difference between Open and Closed Innovation, they differentiate Value capture and Value Creation in a company and in a community:

"The lingering questions for the business strategist are: Who actually is capturing the value created by open invention and coordination? How are they doing it?"

Finally, Chesbrough and Appleyard introduce a new concept, Open strategy.

"Open strategy balances the powerful value creation forces that can be found in creative individuals, innovation communities, and collaborative initiatives with the need to capture value in order to sustain continued participation and support of those initiatives"

After all this, I welcome you to take also a look at Michael Porter's newest work, " The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy" from HBR, January 2008. A miss-match?!?

Breaking Boundaries - Participating a Pilates Class

When you learn to laugh at yourself, there is no limit in entertainment :-)

A year ago I got interested in Pilates. It all started when I received an Inch-Loss Pilates DVD as a Little-Christmas present. I adore you, Lucy Knight :-) Ever since I have been a living room practitioner (only). Pilates seems to be advantageous for my breathing and body.

In April 2007  I had a research trip to Berkeley. There were too many meetings and too much sitting in the Innovation in Services -conference. So, I made a brave move and participated a  r-e-a-l Pilates class in the fabulous Claremont Resort hotel. There I was, the only man in a company of 8 amazingly talented women. Uhh, how gawky and uncordinated I was compared to them!  Somehow I felt like Wally in the Dilbert cartoon, but the reality was so different ;-) I am not so sure if I will participate public Pilates classes in the future *:o)

Red Orchestra - a Great Game or Just a Toy?

In my country, the Independence Day means remembering the wars we fought 60 years ago... Additionally, 80 % of Finnish men have served in the military, voluntarily. 

No wonder, we are so keen on playing military simulators of the 2nd world war era. One good example is Red Orchestra:

What makes this game so special? It has a fast Unreal-engine behind it, gameplay is well designed and it is realistic. I find it addictive and I sometimes play it with my friends. However, the game includes brutal scenes  and therefore I recommend to adults, only. Earlier I took a look at another military simulator, a mod called Finnish Defence Forces - Operation Flashpoint.

Still, isn't it a bit dumb to play games like that? In comparison, you should check the following paintball video from American woods. (Thanks again, Ari (Heinola) for this excellent tip).

BTW, What is the difference between boys and men?    

Bigger and more expensive toys ;-)

Riverdance - Creativity in Motion

As a long-time fan of Ireland, I managed to see the latest Riverdance show.

Wow, what a combination of great elements!

The video above provides only a glimpse of this phenomenon. Being in the actual show makes you feel The Sound Wall. Actually, these rhythms  make you move for days ;-)

Nowadays Riverdance includes Irish dances, Flamenco, Russian Folk dances  and American Step Dance.

Purists may not like it, but I and my wife did. Great dancers, musicians and singers. I happen to own a Bodhran but I never will learn to play it that well ;-)

Highly recommend !

Investment Theory of Creativity

The investment theory of creativity (Sternberg and Lubart, 1995) claims that creative thinkers are like good investors: They buy low and sell high.

Whereas investors do so in the world of finance, creative people do so in the world of ideas. Creative people generate ideas that are like undervalued stocks (stocks with a low price-to-earning ratio), and both are generally rejected by the public. [1]

When creative ideas are proposed, they are often viewed as bizarre, useless, and even foolish, and are summarily rejected, and the person proposing them regarded with suspicion and perhaps even disdain and derision.

My next task is to bring this theory to the area of leadership research ;-)

Merry Christmas

  Dear Friends

Thank you for reading and commenting this blog.

This year has been "bumpy" with stories ranging from hilarious to terrifying.

Now I am going to relax and wait for snow. Please click the picture below to start the Flash animation.

I wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

          Mikko

P.S. When I was a child, my family had a Labradorian Retriever called Mona. Maybe therefore I picked up that Christmas Card ;-)