Dell - The Dark Horse of Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Yes, I said Dell, as the dark horse of tomorrow's innovation and entrepreneurship.

It's not every day that you relate Dell to such terms usually synonymous with hip companies like the giants of Google and Apple, or start-ups like Soylent and Square. But the truth of the fact is, after being here in Round Rocks for exactly 1 month (#IWork4Dell), I am utterly convinced that Dell is not just your grandma's computer, nor is it merely a fast second mover - Dell is leading the next phase of innovation and entrepreneurship.

I had my own doubts at first, of course. I mean, just look at what your grandma's using - the big and bulky computer from the 90's. But that's exactly the point - it is from the 90's (and it still works!). The fortunate thing is that we are all well passed the 90's, and Dell, too, has evolved with the time. Dell leapfrogs the industry standard with new products that can only be described as SEXY (in all caps), like the infinity display on the XPS 13 and Dell Venue 8 - even servers, like the PowerEdge. Overall, I think the tech industry does get it - Dell didn't just win 25 awards at CES 2015 for nothing!

Dell XPS 13 at CES 2015: "I know I'm #sexy, so please, no amount of photos is too many photos!"

Dell's approach to innovation is grandiose,

unlike the orthodox 'innovative' practices that solely emphasize on product innovations. In general, Dell focuses on 3 main areas of innovation - people, product, and process. Simply put, these three areas of innovation work cohesively together to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and sustainability inside-out.

Think about it - in order to build innovative products, like the ones listed above, we need the right people at the right place. By hiring a diverse workforce, not only could Dell foster the next generation of leaders and brains to catalyze the next innovation, it could actually understand what innovation is from its customers' eyes - whom are also global and diverse.

Then, the rest falls in place all by itself with a culture of flexibility and freedom, which I see it as process innovation that fosters entrepreneurship. It's exciting how much freedom there is with your career path; in fact, you really get to choose what you want to do. The leaders at Dell believe in individual investments, so as long as you have what it takes, you can be an engineer one day, and a marketer the next. This kind of unique corporate culture does not merely allow the people to express themselves, but it encourage change and new ideas.

Such three-part innovation is what makes Dell's future truly exciting.

As the PC market continues to consolidate,

Dell continues to position itself in the market not by sheer volume, but by providing the cream of the crop products and services that are unmatched by its competitors. So how did Dell bring forth such a refreshing paint of coat on both its brand and its products, you ask? My belief is in its focus on innovation and entrepreneurship not only in its new product developments, but also in its people and our environment as well, through unbounded innovation and passion.

With innovations like the infinity display, sustainable mushroom packaging, and predictive support in services (read: ProSupport Plus), you have to admit, "dang, Dell is innovative!"  It is because of Dell's focus on its people, its process, and its products that really makes a difference. Do comment below and let me know what you think!

Dell did it once in 1984, and it is doing it again. 

Photo sourced from Dell Flickr.