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The three dimensions of sustainability

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 07/10/2021
What does it mean to be a sustainable business?  Pre-covid, when I asked this question the majority of people jumped straight to environmental sustainability. For me, with a background in finance and innovation, financial sustainability has always been crucial – are you making enough money to cover your costs and remain viable? And there has […]
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Stop Chasing Unicorns

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 20/09/2021
Ever since the whole frenzy with corporate innovation started back in 2010 countless millions have been spent by corporations around the world on a variety of innovation-driving vehicles.  Some companies were driven by the fear of disruption, others were driven by the pursuit of higher return multipliers. Regardless of the reason, a significant group of […]
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Why now? The case for becoming a better business

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 30/07/2021
Why does your business exist? 20 years ago most businesses would have said it was to make money for shareholders.  Nowadays it’s harder to predict the response. Businesses create value for their stakeholders. And we’re increasingly recognising that businesses should consider a broader set of stakeholders than just shareholders – and so ‘value’ needs to […]
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Why build a system for innovation

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 07/07/2021
While the debate of innovation being art or science is still raging on we have to admit that not everyone in a large company is going to be a ‘Steve Jobs’. And nothing’s wrong with that. Also, independent of how much your HR department is struggling to attract the best innovation talent, the company will […]
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What does it mean to be a ‘responsible business’?

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 07/06/2021
What does ‘responsible business’ or ‘purposeful business’ mean to you? For some it might be about transitioning to a greener energy supply and recycling as much office waste as possible. For others is might be about deprioritising profit as a goal and focusing on achieving a social objective such as helping homeless people get back […]
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Strategy ahead of the technological curve

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 11/12/2020
Most established organizations tend to be a bit more prudent when it comes to new technologies and integrating them in their strategic options, however totally ignoring these is not an option either. Technology developments influence our lives. They bring about disruption by enabling business models that weren’t previously possible. Business models which squeeze out the […]
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To drive innovation, you must understand your ecosystem

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 17/11/2020
An innovation ecosystem’s many elements must work in sync for growth to happen, write Cris Beswick, Dan Toma and Ricardo Vargas In 1878 Leo Tolstoy released what would become one of his most acclaimed works, the novel ‘Anna Karenina‘. The book started with a quote that over the centuries has transcended disciplines: ‘Happy families are […]
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The First Step in Improving an Ecosystem

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 13/10/2020
In 1878 Leo Tolstoy released what would become one of his most acclaimed works, the novel Anna Karenina. The book starts with a quote, that over the centuries will transcend disciplines: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Taken literally, the quote is a good reflection on family […]
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Creating an innovation strategy is a team effort!

  • Posted by Dan Toma
  • On 28/09/2020
An inclusive and consensual approach to developing bold innovation strategies is needed. Why, you ask? Historically speaking, strategy formulation was an activity reserved for a select group of individuals in an organisation or external consultants.  Starting in the 80’s the strategy development process was professionalised as it evolved from the chief executive’s domain into a […]
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