Info Tech Management Class

I've had a Blogger account for a few years, but haven't gotten around to posting anything - until now. As part of my Info Tech Management class at the Carlson School, I will now be sharing my reactions to the class, and maybe I'll even delve into more topics if I start to feel inspired.

In today's class, we talked about how it's the intersection of business and technology that drives innovation. Having interned this past summer at 3M, where the slogan is "3M Innovation", I would agree. Without sales to keep funding the R&D, the innovation wouldn't be sustainable. But I also think this intersection creates tension, as businesspeople are constantly jockeying for territory with the inventors within companies. A successful partnership between these groups is key to maximizing innovation.

We also talked in class about "what makes you special" - an idea that should be applied to businesses who need to differentiate in order to survive. In marketing there are points of parity (things you have to do to compete) and points of differentiation (things you can do to achieve competitive advantage), but I like the idea of "specialness" because it means both different and better. You have to have some basic competency, but what makes a person or a product successful is how well they capitalize on this.