Research in Motion is in the news this week for all the wrong reasons. As more and more people trade in their blackberries for the latest smartphone – they’re not migrating to another RIM product. There is no trajectory like the one Apple has created from iPod to iPhone to iPad. Apple’s ability to create overwhelming demand to add each new product to the cadre of “must have” technology tools is already legendary. There are plenty of competitors who refuse to be daunted by Apple’s success. These companies are aggressively working to keep their companies in the mix of the current move to smartphones and tablets. RIM isn’t one of them.

The market evidence makes it clear that RIM has lost its innovation edge. And perhaps I owe RIM a debt of gratitude for providing an incredible example that innovation once does not equate to innovation forever. Repeatable, sustainable innovation is hard work but the alternative is much worse. Thank you RIM for providing a compelling case for the need to keep innovation front and center in the business strategy and in the operational model of every company that is passionate about growth.

There is another important storyline in the news about RIM’s plans to cut 2,000 jobs – and it’s the job creation storyline. Innovation is fundamental to job creation. When companies lose their innovation capacity they also lose their ability to create and maintain jobs. That is why innovation capacity should be at the heart of any conversation about strategies to create jobs. Need I say more?

A commonly asked question during the summer is, “What are you taking to the beach to read?” At the top of my list is Fareed Zakaria’s new book, The Post American World Release 2.0. I had already planned to do a future blog post on the book, but once I saw last week’s NPR interview, “What Does a ‘Post-American World’ Look Like?” I knew the lead paragraph from the interview was too priceless not to share:

“Thirty years ago, the United States dominated the world politically, economically and scientifically. But today?

‘The tallest building in the world is now in Dubai, the biggest factory in the world is in China, the largest oil refinery is in India, the largest investment fund in the world is in Abu Dhabi, the largest Ferris wheel in the world is in Singapore,’ notes Fareed Zakaria. ‘And … more troublingly, [the United States is] also losing [its] key grip on indices such as patent creation, scientific creations and things like that — which are really harbingers of future economic growth.’ ”

You won’t want to miss the entire interview. Here’s the link.

I hope the interview – and his book – will spur increased dialog about the competitiveness debate that I’ve blogged about previously. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Welcome to Myutiq’s Blog. Spring is here – and it’s time to begin planting new seeds for growth. We at Myutiq are embarking on a journey to explore innovation in new ways. Fresh thinking is a fundamental requirement for innovation to occur. We’ll be sharing resources and insights that we hope will spark big ideas for you and your company. We welcome you to join our journey.

As I think back over our work with clients – and tracking what’s happening with market leaders – its clear to me that its competitive differentiation that can either be the stumbling block to growth or the road to a company’s next big success story. Differentiation – it’s at the heart of why people buy from you and not someone else.

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