New Florence. New Renaissance.

John Hagel on innovation via supplier networks

John Hagel on how the Chinese in particular are innovating through vast, scalable networks of suppliers with deep specialization

With smaller vendors “the person on the other side is not a lawyer or a procurement executive – it’s someone who ran a plant like mine” 

As for lack of IP protection “I need to continually innovate …so I can stay a step ahead …even though I know I am being copied”

Via Dennis Howlett

"Golden Kitchen"

Little tech innovation - but definitely a great example of complex supply chain coordination and given the times, a great example of community service at work.

The Golden Temple in Amritsar, India - the holy shrine for the Sikh religion (mistaken by many as the same as Islam because followers wear turbans) serves over 30,000 meals a day (on some busy days over 100,000)

The stats are staggering - over 10,000 pounds of wheat, 4,000 pounds of lentils and more every day handled by over 400 cooks, dishwashers and other workers - all paid for in charity.

Innovation in US Financial Accounting

"Tax Almanac ...a free US resource that is built upon the MediaWiki platform...

and the SEC announced IDEA, the next generation of information delivery services for investors that makes use of XBRL and which will replace the clunky EDGAR service."

AccMan

Birth of a Sales Tool: LinkedIn Meets eBay

Fast Company

"Let's say you're a seasoned salesperson; other Salesconx users can pay you a small fee (usually about $100) for an online "introduction" in which you introduce them to one of your contacts. The idea is that every introduction be mutually beneficial; a snowplow salesman, for example, might connect a tire salesman and a truck salesman. Sohn hopes the marketplace will be trustworthy enough that it will allow top salespeople to leave inefficient practices like cold-calling or mass-emailing behind. Think of it as LinkedIn meets eBay."

"Salesforce.com paved the way for enterprises to trust a hosted service with their business information. Ebay set the stage for a transaction between two individuals that have never met. And social networks have really re-invigorated the notion of a referral as a means of connecting with a targeted individual."

EchoSign: Web based document signature and distribution

Zoli writes about the latest version of the tool which automates the messy process of document signatures, tracking and distribution.

In related news, don't you get the feeling electronic documents are finally overcoming paper ones? Can we dare talk about "Paperless office 2.0"?

Recruiting 2.0

"Recruiting has become quicker, more efficient and more targeted.  The use of RSS provides easy distribution of job ads.  Companies post job requirements to their blog, and ask other, related blogs, to post on their site as well, allowing for a wider scope. " Monica Hamburg catalogs how companies are using social networks and other web 2.0 innovations

New York Times on interviews with "avatars" in virtual worlds like Second Life "As far as job interviews go, my recent meeting with Sandy Gould was anything but ordinary. Mr. Gould showed up in a Superman costume. Next, he invited me to sit down next to him in a chaise longue that overlooked the crashing surf. As we talked about my strengths and weaknesses, crabs skittered along the sand at our feet. At another point, in the middle of responding to a question about overcoming professional challenges, I stood up and performed a hula dance. Finally, after thanking me for my time, Mr. Gould stood up, shook my hand and flew away."

The Independent warns of personal information on the web being used against candidates " In America, the monitoring of social networking sites for content that may   interest employers and officialdom is now so routine that software is being   put on the market that will automate the process. Sure enough, software to   try to defeat the snoops is also emerging – offering the prospect of a   privacy "arms race" in the years ahead. ReputationDefender, for   instance, offers the embarrassing personal information equivalent of credit   reports, claiming it can help expunge from the online record material you   regret revealing. Michael Fertik, the firm's CEO, said demand for their   service is now "ridiculous", with hundreds of UK clients already."

"Why don’t you pay us what you think it’s worth?’”

"Those are the exact terms on which the band is selling the downloadable version of “In Rainbows”: Buyers can pay zero or whatever they please up to £99.99 (about $212) for the album in MP3 form. Sixteen years and seven albums into the career that has made Radiohead the most widely pondered band in rock, it is taking chances with its commerce as well as its art. For the beleaguered recording business Radiohead has put in motion the most audacious experiment in years."

New York Times

Not just music, affects pricing for any content in digital form...

Innovation in US services firms

When Finland wants to innovate its services economy, who does it turn to? The US. This report is fascinating - it identifies 12 innovative US services firms using the Doblin 10 types of innovation framework.

The innovative firms cataloged include The Hartford (insurance), Crowe Chizek (accounting), Ingram Micro (Distribution) and Total Quality (Logistics).

Nice holiday present, this.

AMR's Top 25 Supply Chains

AMR Research has released its annual list of the Top 25 supply chains. This year, cell phone manufacturer Nokia took top honors, while Apple made the list for the first time. Familiar leaders like Procter & Gamble, IBM, Wal-Mart and Toyota also scored high.

Read more at Supply Chain Management

Recruitment via blogs and wikis

Ross Mayfield, founder of SocialText describes how he found a CEO

"One thing that is of interest is how we met Eugene through the strength of weak ties.  I blogged it and he saw the post via TechCrunch.  I also posted it on LinkedIn and sent it to my contacts.  One of them was a mutual acquaintance and when they happened to have breakfast the next week.  We had 250 applicants that we narrowed down collaboratively through a wiki, of course.  Finding the right guy in two months this way is in stark contrast to paying an executive recruiter $100k to act as a PI for six months."

Of course, helps that SocialText is a wiki software company...kinda eating your own dogfood, but an HR innovation others will likely also benefit from