Why companies should make friends with rivals: “Collaboration isn’t so much an option as it is a growing necessity,” says futurist Daniel Burrus. It allows firms to speed up new product development — and cut costs — by sharing resources and brain power. But many confuse collaboration with cooperation; you cooperate because you must (an automotive supplier tying up with a car maker) but you collaborate because you want to (the GlaxoSmithKline-Pfizer joint venture for HIV drugs). Collaboration has benefitted some of the biggest brands in business, from Philips and Siemens to General Motors and Toyota.
Self-driving cars stand to destroy millions of jobs — and generate trillions in new business. Autonomous vehicles could displace the 3.8 million people who drive for a living. But the changes will also create new jobs and business opportunities — an estimated $7 trillion worth by 2050, according estimates from Intel. Startups like California-based Phantom Auto are developing remote centers where operators can keep tabs on five different autonomous vehicles at a time, intervening only when necessary, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. And when everyone becomes a passenger, that could open the door to a brand new in-vehicle services industry, where passengers can receive manicures, health care, or even a massage.
Remote work can be a company’s salvation — but it’s often used as a scapegoat when a company undergoes periods of turmoil, according to Aha! CEO Brian de Haaff. Instead of banning remote work at a time when a company may need it most, it’s crucial to identify the underlying problems: “Companies need to take a hard look at what is causing organizational strife and dysfunction,” according to de Haaff, who says blaming distributed workforces will just exacerbate existing problems.
If you’re not an early bird, stop trying to force it. You can actually be more productive by listening to your internal body clock and scheduling activities accordingly, says sleep expert Michael Breus, author of “The Power of When.” Breus has identified four chronotypes (or sleep patterns) people fall under: lions, which you may better know as early birds; wolves, aka night owls; bears, who are in the happy middle and about half the population; and dolphins, who are the troubled sleepers. For each, he has developed a schedule that optimizes productivity — and gives you a break when you most need it.
Idea of the Day: “We have bought into the myth of the ‘innovator,’ the lone hero whose ingenuity and foresight propels the rest of us to a dazzling future,” writes The Financial Times’ Hellen Barrett. Despite the Steve Jobs-ian stereotype, innovation is typically a team effort. Even Jobs didn’t act alone: There are more than 20 people listed on a key patent for the original iPhone. Says Stefanos Zenios of Stanford Business School:
“The moment of inspiration is a process, which relies on the hard work of multiple people.”