Reading the article in Wired about Kidrobots written by Alissa Walker, I felt there are some very important implications about how corporations need to redesign their business models for a successful future. Specifically on how organizations have to structure themselves towards customers, product design and internal working methods came to my mind. Here are my thoughts:
CEO as Chief Engagement Officer: The job of person on the top of such organizations is about having a loose control of various functions and people in the organization.His/her ability to bring together multiple talents either from within or outside will become increasingly important. His/her job is to drive active engagement across functions and people. There is a nice quote in the article by the owner Paul Budnitz where he says "You need someone with a very clear vision holding everything together, and frankly that's what I'm exceptionally good at..."
Employees as artists: The ability to embrace ideas and suggestions across the board will become important for the success of the corporation. As mentioned in the article, "When there's no sense of possessiveness or ownership in the artistic process, great things happen,.." Employees must understand and practice this approach across markets, departments and offices.
R&D as open source: Product development wil get more collaborative and hence they need to understand talent always may not reside inside the company. Like mentioned in this article, "ideas for new Kidrobot products are coming at Budnitz fast--from friends, musicians, fashion designers, graffiti artists, animators, even suggestions from Kidrobot's message boards..", R&D will be a lot more open than closed.
Products to extended experiences:Companies have to learn to work with alliances beyond their categories. It's no more just about the product but about the experiences in places where customers never expect them to be present. Like how the article mentions "Budnitz has overseen the design of a wildly successful tie-in with a shoe by Nike (NYSE:NKE) and exclusive apparel for Barneys. Then Volkswagen came knocking, with a plan to bring to life another bunny-inspired character, the Dunny, in a signature version of its new Rabbit. Budnitz was able to completely customize the vehicle, from interior textiles to the paint job..."
From retail to playtail : If an organization's customers have to interact with them at the retail level, it is no more about product placement and availability. It's the ability to provide an environment for customers to come-in and play with their imagination around products. The article goes on explain - "He transformed the spaces from toy galleries to lifestyle stores that feature a new limited-edition line of apparel."
Corporation as a network: The corporation of tomorrow must not structure itself as head offices, corporate offices and regional offices but as a network of excellence across the globe. As mentioned in the article "Budnitz lets that sort of fluidity permeate the entire company. With so many projects in motion, it's impossible for him to provide all the direction himself, so he divides his staff of about 45 into small groups, letting important decisions fall to anyone from an intern to a visiting artist."