La Tricoteuse

Thanks to Charles Dickens, one of the enduring images of the French Revolution is that of the ladies who sat around knitting between the public executions at the Guillotine. 

Over the last few years, I have been struck by how much “knitting” I see about our corporations these days - how quickly we write them off, pass judgment when they hit a speed bump.

The New Polymath had a case study on an innovation group at BP - a small group of 12 executives which have a remarkable track record of innovation for over a decade.  As soon as the Gulf spill hit the newswires, I started hearing I should drop them from the book. In the various speeches I gave on the book in 2010, I could see audiences expect me to call BP evil – instead I praised this group often to raised eyebrows.

The New Technology Elite has a case study on HP’s PSG supply chain. When HP briefly considered spinning the unit off last summer, I felt similar pressure to drop it from the book manuscript. I refused – the operation is impressive no matter where it might have ended up.

Both books have profiles on Best Buy – on its customer analytics, its Geek Squad, its social networking efforts. With its recent problems, many a market observer has written them off. Not me – not yet. I feel they have too many assets to evaporate quickly.

My readers know I take unpopular stands and criticize certain vendors. It’s only fair I defend others, especially when they are going through an unpopular phase. I suspect I would not have lasted long with Madame Defarge and her friends in Paris.