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Dear ,
A new season and almost a new year: a time to look back and, particularly, a time to look ahead. In this newsletter, we include a contribution from Patrick van der Duin, lecturer in futures research at Delft University of Technology.
The changing of the seasons offers the occasion for pro-Actuate to let you know (4x/yr) about - and inspire you on - new developments and pass on some criticisms concerning Innovation Delivery (ID). Of course, we’d love to hear your thoughts and work with you on a new briefing.
NEW BOOKS
Increasing competitiveness leads to decreasing differentiation. Let go of best practices and take a stand to do things differently as Harvard Professor Youngme Moon suggests. Her book is a source of inspiration and an exceedingly good way to bring the year to a close.
Finally, a voice that not only argues that the banking sector should operate differently, more client-focused, but that also details how banks can innovate. The book includes a number of interesting examples that may also prompt real innovation in other sectors.
Part of a change in the Dutch Telecommunication Act (2009) is the prohibition of unsolicited commercial e-mails to companies. We work with a select group of regular clients. You can subscribe to the newsletter on our website and unsubscribe, as always, through the link at the bottom right of this newsletter.
If you’d like to know more about Innovation Delivery, read the interview with Ton in Management & Literatuur (in Dutch only)
 Trainingen in the area of Innovation Delivery is provided by our affiliate
The book ‘Innovation from the polder’ (Innovatie uit de polder) sheds light on the opportunities and possibilities of innovation. Ton and his two co-authors sought the advice of fifteen innovation experts, including top managers at P&G and DSM, to produce solid recommendations and real examples at different levels that can help provide both organisations and individuals with an insight into how they can help realise growth. |
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Is there another way?
Winter has begun. It’s the season that represents the phase in the innovation cycle in which we look to the future and make plans for the new year.
Gone away is the bluebird – but the winter wonderland is sometimes more of a winter wasteland. T.S. Eliot wrote quite positively about the winter in his anti-optimism poem. It would appear that the winter is a comfortable season with little need for great activity.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers...
...
‘That corpse you planted last year in your garden,
‘Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year?
Eliot challenges us. When the end of a product life cycle approaches, only radical innovation can lead to a new life cycle starting.
Innovation processes are not projects
By Patrick van der Duin, lecturer in futures research and innovation management at Delft University of Technology
I often present my students with the following: choose one of these two clients. Client 1 knows exactly what he wants, how much it should cost and what the final product should look like. Client 2 has a vague idea of what he wants, can only estimate the costs and doesn’t know how long the project will last. A surprising amount of students opt for Client 1, but that could be because I teach at a university of technology. What I want to illustrate is that ‘Client 1 students’ are suited to project management and ‘Client 2 students’ are better off concentrating on innovation processes.
The distinction between project and innovation processes is exemplified in the North/South Metro Line in Amsterdam. As a project it has failed with both the time frame and budgets being hugely exceeded.
Innovation process methodology
The realisation of a new concept, or let’s say a developed product or business idea, is not the same as a ‘normal’ project. It’s not a case of carrying out a project with defined qualities and within a set period and budget. Innovation is by definition uncertain. It is after all something new and has therefore not previously proven itself.
Well-known project management methods such as Prince2 cannot be applied point by point to innovation processes. Innovation activities are about increasing opportunities,
Optimistic entrepreneurship
Prime Minister Rutte of The Netherlands is a lot more optimistic than T.S. Eliot. He recently spoke at the annual SME conference on the business-government-knowledge institutes triangle. Investment in knowledge has actually shrunk, with Dutch private sector investments in knowledge down more than 7 per cent in 2009 from 2008. “This might have negative consequences for the growth potential of the Dutch economy,” wrote Statistics Netherlands (CBS). And if Robbert Dijkgraaf’s warning is ignored, knowledge capital will decrease yet further (Robbert Dijkgraaf is president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and associate of the book ‘Innovatie uit de Polder’). Rutte correctly states that the key to success lies in “knowledge, know-how and cash till”. Stop compromising. Start working together. But there is more.
Dijkgraaf ascertains that taking knowledge to the market remains problematic. Cash tills only ring when customers want them to, so let’s not forget the market in the triangle. Innovate together and innovate from supply to demand.
Feel free to call us or mail us if you have any questions or comments on this newsletter.
We wish you a winter wonder Christmas celebration and a fruitful 2011.
Ton Langeler
+31 30 2313214
ton@pro-actuate.com
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