What a nonprofit events group can teach business
WHEN it started in 1984, the TED conference (an abbreviation of “Technology,
Entertainment, Design”) brought together a few hundred people in California. It
has since grown into a global craze. It will soon pass a milestone: the
one-billionth download of an online TED speaker video.
How did it get so popular? The internet played an important role. So did
social media. But part of the success is the result of untraditional management.
Instead of controlling the most valuable parts of the business, the group took
the riskier path of opening them up to everyone. The method may hold lessons for
other companies.
