Dear reader, this blog, the Bearing Wave, was set up in 2009 to allow us to write about the methodology and experiences of the management consulting firm Bearing Consulting. As you may know we have been involved in projects across the World since we got started in 2001.
Over the years both employees and guest bloggers have expanded the scope of the blog and today it is more about leading edge ideas related to innovation, than only about the work of the management consultancy.
Through your feedback and comments, we know we have gained many regular readers and in 2014 we had 58,000 visits to this website.
On this first day of a new year, 2015, we thought it might make sense to look back on what has been published on the blog and highlight the most popular articles since 2009.
1. The Lego Innovation Story
The most read blog article of all time is The Lego Innovation Story. It was written in the winter 2013 as an example of successful transformation of a leading company when it faced failure through the hyper competition of modern times.
Innovate – Execute, the modern paradigm for corporate restructuring and implementation of change.
We know that several Universities use this blog as a case study in their teaching and this is most likely the reason for its success.
2. Beyond “Triple Helix” – towards “Quad Helix”
The second most popular blog article is a text about methodology. Beyond “Triple Helix” – towards “Quad Helix” was written by me and Christer Asplund in 2012 as an attempt to document a work model we use for regional development projects.
The article is about how to make a region innovative. To foster economic growth, innovation clusters need to draw on the power of an interrelated “quad” of sectors: public, private, civil, and academic in a new way, instead of working through the traditional Triple Helix model academia, business and government.
3. The S-curve for Apple is flattening
The third most popular article has been The S-curve for Apple is flattening, which was published in 2013. It is about what it means when the s-curve for a corporations development flattens, and what can be done about it. The topic is, no surprise, Apple Inc.
The bottom line is, a strategy focused mainly on retrenchment during tough economic times, as is so common nowadays after the Great Recession, is a strategy for continued trouble during the times of recovery. And even during a period of recovery, companies can’t become complacent. Crises are a regular fixture of business life, and executives will need to focus on leaping from their existing S-curve pro-actively through developing disruptive innovation, sooner than it becomes a must.
4. The 20 Most Influential Economic Papers
The fourth most popular article is The 20 Most Influential Economic Papers. It was written at the Institute of Directors classic headquarter building on Pall Mall in between meetings on a rainy day in London.
I wrote the text quickly and I never thought it would gain any popularity. The article highlights and provides links to the 20 most popular economics research papers from the last 100 years of the “dismal science”. Featured economists includes Hayek, Modigliani, Miller, Kuznets, Arrow, Friedman, Lucas, Stiglitz and Krugman among others.
5. 22@Barcelona – Quad Helix by the Mediterranean
The fifth most popular article of all time is 22@Barcelona – Quad Helix by the Mediterranean. This is the most popular blog article that directly relates to work by Bearing Consulting and it was published in 2012.
The article is about how the city of Barcelona, and the 22@ innovation district in particular, during the recent 15 years has developed into one of the most vibrant and energetic innovation environments in the knowledge economy, and about the people who made it happen.
This list of the top five articles of all times rounds-up todays rear view mirror. Next week we will look at the articles on the sixth to tenth place in popularity.