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The connection between the term MVP and the Israeli innovation culture

The connection between the term MVP and the Israeli innovation culture

Today, in our startup world, people are talking about a term called MVP: Minimum Viable Product. The idea behind it is to quickly validate your startup at an early stage: to check the market, customer needs and other parameters before spending unnecessary time and money on creating the product.

In a recent blog published by David Tsalani (http://blog.fastmonkeys.com/2014/06/18/minimum-viable-product-your-ultimate-guide-to-mvp-great-examples/), I found a great example, taken from the Spotify product development team, which demonstrates the MVP way of thinking:

how-to-build-a-minimum-viable-product

“If you want to sell a car (your successful end product) to your customer for the X price, a lot of times a badly designed MVP/landing page might  look a lot like a wheel (see picture). Instead of creating a wheel (incomplete MVP), think of something that would provide customers with the complete experience of getting from A to B faster than walking. A skateboard might be a very simplified solution to that and it requires a lot of manual power, but it is that complete experience and a faster way to get to B. And, of course, it is much cheaper and faster to build compared to the car.”

After reading the blog and the example mentioned above, it became clear to me that the MVP approach can also explain the Israeli innovation culture. Israelis will not invent the next Mercedes, but they will build something good enough that will be ready much quicker and for much cheaper; and in today’s volatile technological world, that is what counts: being fast, smart, cheap and, of course, useful.

The qualities of entrepreneurship and innovativeness are an inseparable part of Israelis’ culture. They think strategically for the short term, improvise, take risks, don’t waste time going into the small details, and are practical and adaptable to changes along the way.

From my point of view, based on my vast experience in working and researching global Israeli-owned companies, the underlying idea of the term MVP expresses precisely who we are in the Israeli culture.

The question now is: How can Israel take a step forward from being the “Start-up Nation” to becoming an international business powerhouse nation?

 

Anyone interested in better understanding Israeli business culture, its roots and characteristics, is invited to purchase the book Israeli Business Culture on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Israeli-Business-Culture-Effective-Relationship/dp/9659250401/

This practical book combines background information with real-life anecdotes and recommendations for good cross-cultural communication.

Read more about the author of the book and the blog, Osnat Lautman, and the services offered by the company OLM Consulting, at the website www.olm-consulting.com.

 

OLM Consulting Founder

Osnat Lautman is a well-known intercultural expert and the author of the Amazon bestselling book ‘Israeli Business Culture’. Osnat is passionate about cultures, connecting humans and breaking through culture barriers. She created the ISRAELI™ model of Israeli business characteristics (Informal, Straightforward, Risk-Taking, Ambitious, Entrepreneurial, Loud, Improvisational) to reveal the foundations of the Israeli innovative culture. Osnat supports many organizations and individuals to effectively connect and engage with Israelis, avoid misunderstanding and maximize the value of combining the innovative Israeli spirit into a multi culture environment.

Osnat is the founder of OLM Consulting and her customer include the Manufacturers’ Association of Israel, The Jewish Agency, Verint, NYU Tel Aviv, the British Embassy, the Swedish Embassy, the Belgium Embassy, FIDF, Israel Defense Ministry delegation in New York, JCC Association, National Bank of Australia, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 888 Holdings, Corning, SkyVision, ObserveIT, MX1, Israel Export Institute, StartApp, Tel Aviv Municipality, and many others.

Osnat lived in Hoboken, New Jersey, from 2009 to 2013. During this time, she started her extensive research on the differences between Israeli and non-Israeli business cultures, including video interviews with businesspeople from numerous origins. The recorded discussions are incorporated into her lectures and workshops for demonstration purposes.

Osnat holds:
M.A in Social Science and Communications, Bar Ilan University, Israel
Certificate in Organizational Development, New York University, New York
Coach License from Co-Active Training Institute, Israel

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