The Model T was an invention that made the automobile accessible to the middle-class, mostly male, consumer 100 years ago. The recent trend in the pickup industry, which is both male – and female-driven across many economic segments, required an innovative solution that would reestablish the F-150 as the undisputed leader in the pickup truck […]
Category: The Design of Things. to Come
Pragmatic Innovation (and How It Differs from Invention)
one of the key concepts to understand is how innovation today differs from invention and why innovation in business must be pragmatic. When Thomas Edison developed the system of electrification and the electric light bulb, and when Ford perfected the assembly line to produce an affordable automobile, the Model T, those were inventions. one replaced […]
A Mandate for Change
in their struggle to adapt to the new forces affecting the development of emerging products and services, executives of many companies find themselves “drinking from a fire hose.” These managers are thirsty for answers but find it hard to handle all that is streaming at them: the volume of opportunities and demands, of ideas and […]
Pragmatic Innovation — The New Mandate
As companies struggle to look for ways to compete against low-margin overseas competitors, they must turn to their creative side because cost-cutting manufacturing and quality initiatives no longer provide the competitive edge. Differentiation now must happen through innovation; that is the strategic weapon that drives profit in the new global economy. Burlington, VT. Robert Nicholson […]
Innovation Revealed
This book is about people. It is about the innovators who envision and create new products and services for the new global economy. it is also about the people who demand innovation at home, work, and play; in other words, it is about you. Throughout this book are many case studies about people and companies […]
So Who Are the New Breed of Innovators?
Edith Harmon, Chuck Jones, and Dee Kapur are the new breed of innovators. They have achieved a pragmatic sense of balance between the pressing needs of business and the open-ended possibilities of product opportunities. They also balance the corporate strategic big picture with the needs of particular product programs. It is more than using a […]
The New Breed of Innovator: Engineering and Advanced Thinking
Edith Harmon’s bachelor’s and master’s degrees are in mechanical engineering. But today, she heads one of the most dynamic advanced products groups in the clothing industry. Unlike a fashion company that makes shirts or jackets, New Balance makes state-of-the-art technology to support your body while you exercise. Athletic apparel, then, is more than fashion. It […]
The New Breed of Innovator: Global Brand and Industrial Design
It was August, and Chuck Jones was at Michigan International Speedway competing in a vintage Indy car race. Jones started racing cars at the rather young age of 8, turned professional at age 15, and now—in addition to his career as vice president of global consumer design for the world’s largest appliance manufacturer, Whirlpool Corporation—at […]
The New Breed of Innovator: Pragmatic Business
At the age of 18, Dee Kapur left India and arrived in New York City on the first leg of his journey to California to attend Stanford University. His flight was late, and he missed his connecting flight; Kapur found himself stranded in the Big Apple with $200, his suitcase, his tennis racquet, and little […]
Innovator
Innovation is about people. Companies focus on customer needs, wants, and desires as they design new products; after all, products are purchased by and for those who will use them. Those who design the products also are people—ordinary people who apply their skills to develop new ideas and products. Yet certain individuals have evolved to […]