Harvard Business Review

APRIL 20, 2016

Every business is, willingly or unwillingly, a competitor on a software playing field, no matter which sector it’s in. In a world underpinned by ever more powerful, affordable, and public technology platforms, software is still king. You may be thinking: but my company isn’t a software company.

Software 14

Software Company System Industry 14

Harvard Business Review

JULY 6, 2012

In other words, what are Citibank, American Airlines, Amazon, UPS, and Volvo doing to create engaging apps that bind the user to the company, build brand equity, and provide high exit barriers for customers (and equally high entry barriers for competitors)? Leaders in this space include American Airlines and American Express.

Underperforming Technical Team 15

Underperforming Technical Team Course Data Policies 15

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 1, 2013

Think Apple, or Southwest Airlines, or for a more recent example, Zipcar. Top Amazon reviewers are often more powerful than traditional media reviewers. They associate your product or service with their desired outcome, and the fact that you help them achieve that in some way that makes you stand out. Give them a say.

Software Review 12

Software Review Technical Review Software Marketing 12

Harvard Business Review

MARCH 10, 2015

Aggressive moves by airlines to migrate frequent flyer metrics from miles flown to dollars spent have caused bargain-hunting road warriors worldwide to whine about “disloyalty programs.” ” A PriceWaterhouseCoopers review suggests roughly 45% of flyers would lose under the new schemes. This shouldn’t surprise.

Software Review 14

Software Review Comparison Technical Review Software Developers 14

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 21, 2011

Companies can offload their noncore technologies and focus on their core businesses, providing a better product for their customers. What if the cable from their internet provider were cut or — as has happened with alarming frequency lately — the service were disrupted by hackers or technical glitches?

Data 15

Data Technology System Software 15

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 13, 2014

Quick, name a product that was developed without using software. Software has become a crucial part of almost all goods and services. The rapid pace of change in software (e.g., For an example, I spoke with Andy Singleton , CEO of Assembla , a firm that helps software development teams build software faster.

Software 11

Software Industry Management Team Building 11

Harvard Business Review

MAY 25, 2012

A common mistake is refusing to tackle the tough technical problems that create revolutionary offerings. The entrepreneurial crowd has recently expanded its passion for technology to embrace user experience design. Apple continues to provide examples of how bold technical innovations can create new norms. So why didn't they?

LEAN 19

LEAN Agile Competition Software 19

Harvard Business Review

NOVEMBER 9, 2015

Researching a product online, using a mobile app to find a store’s nearest location, searching for tech support information on a smartphone—these are all digital customer experiences. Omnichannel support software also helps to create reliability. This consistency for the user requires consistent internal IT processes.

Software Review 14

Software Review Technical Review Software Survey 14

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 26, 2012

She finds an electronics review site, clicks on a banner ad, reads about the product details, and decides to go into the store to see the model. She also uses her smartphone to do a quick price comparison, and scans the QR code to get additional product information. validating emails).

Software Review 15

Software Review Data Technical Review Comparison 15

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 7, 2018

If consumers start turning regularly to smart speakers for their travel needs, they could end up interacting less and less with traditional airline, hotel, and even online travel agency brands. They also may provide airlines, hotel chains, and rental car companies more clout when setting up smart-speaker partnerships.

Industry 12

Industry Artificial Inteligence Data Technology 12

Harvard Business Review

MAY 17, 2017

The airline industry is a cautionary tale of what happens when companies emulate new business models without bringing over the associated mental models. For over 40 years, Southwest Airlines has been a disruptive force in the airline industry, creating an entirely new category and a record 43 consecutive years of profitability.

Change 15

Change Strategy Strategy Video 15

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 25, 2016

That is a remarkable example of how technology will reshape how we organize to get work done at scale in the future. For context, I worked at Delta Air Lines for many years before I joined Red Hat, the open source software provider where I am now CEO. Airline operations are a huge optimization challenge. That’s remarkable.

Software 15

Software Disruption Comparison System 15

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 12, 2015

But look under the hood and you will find an array of sensors and proprietary technology developed by GE that make their pilots smarter. The system looks for hidden patterns and saving opportunities, and allows the airline to cut its annual fuel bill by more than 1 percent. Doesn’t seem like much?

System 13

System Software Training Report 13

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Apple's recent legal victory over Samsung has prompted an outpouring of worried speculation about the future of technology and design that's almost unprecedented. Bloggers and reporters are pushing this idea from a business- or technology-oriented mindset. Some of the concerns being raised are valid.

Innovation 16

Innovation Design Report Technology 16

Harvard Business Review

DECEMBER 31, 2012

Technologies exist that allow them to easily post a recommendation to their Facebook friends, LinkedIn connections, and Twitter followers. Or to provide a product review on any site important to your market. Parallels Software did this recently in a customer survey, and uncovered 30,000 self-identified "promoters."

Software Review 10

Software Review Technical Review Underperforming Technical Team Product Development 10

Harvard Business Review

MAY 13, 2014

Chief Marketing Officer Beth Comstock told me they looked to see how they could take this battery technology to new markets. It took the financial backing and technical support of GE and the support of CEO Jeff Immelt to nurture this business through numerous technical and business model changes.

Technical Review 11

Technical Review LEAN Software Review Product Development 11

Harvard Business Review

APRIL 3, 2015

Most brands do invest in “social listening” programs, from monitoring software to teams of analysts who scan the feeds in the hopes of muffling bad feedback and amplifying positive feedback. I’m no road warrior, but I do clock an average of 100,000 miles a year, meaning I have some elite status on various airlines.

Case Study 13

Case Study LEAN Report Marketing 13

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 16, 2011

Although many people didn't notice, Nintendo took a similar route in the video game industry, where new technologies were making games complex; intimidating would-be players; and increasing R&D, manufacturing, and software development costs enormously. In the 1990s, low-cost airlines such as Southwest Airlines in the U.S.

Software Developers 13

Software Developers Software Development Strategy Strategy 13

Harvard Business Review

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

airline learned from an internal study that about 10% of the flights into its major hub had at least a 10-minute gap between the estimated time of arrival and the actual arrival time — and 30% had a gap of at least five minutes — it decided to take action. The technologies are new and in some cases exotic.

Big Data 10

Big Data Data Management Fractional CTO 10

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 22, 2011

Likewise, we can also think of more linear innovations that were evolutionary: better engines for cars; better sound systems for the phonograph; the World Wide Web (enabled by another incremental invention, html code) for the Internet. These are the ones that make the real difference.

Industry 16

Industry System Innovation Technology 16

Harvard Business Review

JULY 12, 2011

And American Airlines and Delta Airlines competed for an exclusive relationship with Japan Airlines. Long term commitment in a world where the technology is advancing almost on a daily basis is difficult to maintain. Global airlines manage their multi-partner alliances carefully to avoid duplicating routes.

Management 13

Management How To Strategy Strategy 13

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 19, 2014

National and airline leaders weren’t able to adjust to the fluid and complex situation by engaging external resources in the critical first hours and days after the plane’s disappearance. Together the officials and engineers overcame unprecedented technical challenges and brought about a rescue that most observers hardly thought possible.

Technical Review 10

Technical Review Software Review Collaboration Leadership 10

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 16, 2016

.” And yet the lean startup methodology, born in Silicon Valley as a way for startups to tune in to customer needs with limited resources, has been gaining major momentum inside big companies like General Electric, Alaska Airlines, Telefonica, 3M, and W.L. ’ Sometimes you need to be reminded of that.”

LEAN 14

LEAN Company Survey Guidelines 14

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 18, 2016

Note that whether the technology used is “leading edge” is secondary. If it would have an immediate business impact, such as the impact that an airline’s loss of its reservation systems would have, then it is likely to be a key operational investment. They are driven by novel ideas or perhaps a new technology.

Tools 11

Tools Software Review Technical Review Competition 11

Harvard Business Review

OCTOBER 9, 2017

But somewhere along the way, we recognized that they were based on definable pipelines and applied technology to manage those pipelines. With the right technology, could you manage this pipeline the way you manage a sales pipeline? As the service techs understood, the problem wasn’t actually the inspection.

Data 8

Data Technical Review Ideation Software Review 8

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 2, 2018

For example, I manage the finances for a team that travels very often, and I’ve been grateful for the intelligent guesswork that my expenses software extracts from receipts using machine learning: the merchant’s name, the dollar amount spent, taxes, and likely expense categorization.

Artificial Inteligence 15

Artificial Inteligence Underperforming Technical Team Data Software 15

Harvard Business Review

MAY 12, 2015

When these forces are weak, as in software and soft drinks, many companies are profitable. When they are strong, as in the airline and hotel industries, almost no company earns an attractive return on investment.

Strategy 15

Strategy Strategy Competition Industry 15

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 7, 2013

The digital marketer who effectively runs Qantas Airlines'' highly regarded — and very successful — loyalty program has an unusual iPad problem. Flight attendants on Australia''s flagship carrier can now get up-to-the-minute data on the airline''s most elite and valued frequent flyers displayed on their onboard tablets.

Marketing 11

Marketing Data Training Technology 11

Harvard Business Review

JULY 6, 2015

Today’s technologies allow digital businesses (as well as a growing roster of traditional companies) to change prices frequently, even minute-by-minute in real time if they want to. Over the past few years, however, technology has drastically shifted the economics of price changes.

Change 14

Change Trends Software Industry 14

Harvard Business Review

JULY 9, 2018

But it’s particularly difficult for large, traditional firms , especially those which operate in consolidated, non-growth industries (think pulp and paper, steel, airlines) and which are often located away from the metropolitan areas where data scientists live. Leveraging digital skills across the organization.

Training 13

Training Strategy Strategy Data 13

Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 28, 2015

That wasn’t as magical as it might seem, he argued in the 1979 piece, since the required technologies already existed in some form or other. More than 40 years after Southwest Airlines went public, tens of thousands of passengers fly daily with legacy carriers.

Disruption 14

Disruption Competition Industry Internet of things 14

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 7, 2012

As InformationWeek's Eric Lundquist put it recently , "The first question from most tech journalists — including myself — is 'Do you have some customers that I can speak with about your new product?'". Traditional media also gets this. Is your firm ready for this new age of peer-to-peer marketing?

Tips 16

Tips Underperforming Technical Team Case Study Engagement 16

Harvard Business Review

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

They may be petroleum engineers in an oil company, software engineers in a technology organization, industrial designers in a toy company, or pilots in an airline. Perhaps they prefer technical work. These are the highly professional individual contributors.

Software Engineering 12

Software Engineering Leadership Report Groups 12

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 1, 2016

Some very well-known companies such as Whole Foods (founder John Mackey dedicates a whole chapter to love in his book Conscious Capitalism ) and Southwest Airlines (their NYSE ticker code is LUV) make explicit reference to love. The good news is that love isn’t as absent from our organizations as one might think.

Underperforming Technical Team 15

Underperforming Technical Team Leadership System Policies 15

Harvard Business Review

AUGUST 29, 2014

War of the Cars This is Uber's Playbook for Sabotaging Lyft The Verge Fans of burner phones, secret credit cards, code names, and general espionage, look no further than your friendly neighborhood car-sharing start-up. No Fighting, Kids Don’t Want Me to Recline My Airline Seat? Competition Employee retention Hiring'

Software Review 9

Software Review Competition Technical Review Marketing 9

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 28, 2016

Given their capabilities, these entrepreneurs take a “do-it-yourself” approach and develop software to support organizational needs. APIs are a technology that allows firms to interact and share information with other firms at an unprecedented scale. With APIs, data integration investments need not depend on relationships.

Entrepreneurship 13

Entrepreneurship Data Comparison Resources 13

Harvard Business Review

JUNE 7, 2012

As InformationWeek's Eric Lundquist put it recently , "The first question from most tech journalists — including myself — is 'Do you have some customers that I can speak with about your new product?'". Traditional media also gets this. Is your firm ready for this new age of peer-to-peer marketing?

Tips 15

Tips Underperforming Technical Team Case Study Engagement 15