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:

“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.