You are about to start a new project, congratulations!  You are starting an exciting journey where you will gain new experience, learn some lessons and remove some barriers.  You’ll figure out something here and there, but absolutely nothing that you can’t deal with.  Unless, that is, you screw up the whole thing from the very start.  If you are in software development, I bet you know how to do that.  I certainly do.

"Employees are the engine of every business.  Ensuring they’re inspired is critical to motivation and success.  A democratic culture creates a foundation of belief and togetherness that allows passion and inspiration to bloom"—Dave Balter

In any industry, organizations that innovate constantly and relentlessly have a big competitive advantage over those that do not.  So how can you make innovation part of your company's DNA, an integral element of its culture?

If the folks at Oracle play it smart, they could take advantage of the Sun acquisition to put together a serious Open Source portfolio and coherent strategy.  This would help them protect their existing customer base, expand their market reach and make them a lot of money.  Who knows, it might even help them improve their image with the tech community.