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newsletter: ISSUE 2
Earlier this week, Ron Johnson,
Bruce Mau, Ken Walker and I were the keynote panel at the National
Retail Federation annual conference. The title of the panel, "Innovate or
Die", was particularly interesting because retailing is
one of the most conservative business sectors. The audience,
obviously wanting to become more innovative, inundated us with
questions about what one or two things they could do.
Ron, who was responsible
for re-positioning Target and is now in charge of retailing
for Apple (he is opening a new store every eight days)
was very clear that if Apple had done just one or two things
differently, they would not have achieved the phenomenal
success they now have. The
products, iTunes, knowledgeable staff, interior design, free
classes, a repair service, and many other innovations had
to work as a system in order for them to reach the same dollar-per-square-foot
as luxury retailers.
The lesson learned: even
the most conservative sectors feel the need to innovate;
innovation tends to be systemic instead of relying on a
silver bullet.
In this issue of the Institute of Design Strategy Conference
newsletter, we leap to the forefront of innovation in discussions
with three conference speakers who share their thoughts about
at fostering systemic innovation.
--Patrick Whitney
Steelcase/Robert C. Pew Professor and Director, Institute
of Design, IIT
INTERVIEW:
TARA LEMMEY
We begin by speaking with the successful innovator and CEO
of LENS Ventures, Tara Lemmey, about advising leading-edge organizations on innovative
future strategies and products that address our changing world.
READ INTERVIEW
ARTICLE:
JOSEPHINE
GREEN
Next we get perspective from Josephine Green, Director of
Trends and Strategy at Philips Design, in an exclusive article
explaining how the current technology-driven approach to
innovation should be balanced with a more socio-cultural
approach to generate relevant innovations that will allow
both businesses and society to prosper.
READ INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW:
LARRY KEELEY
Lastly, we share a provocative conversation with Larry Keeley
of Doblin, Inc. about the myths and miseries of current innovation
practices and how these can be superseded by more robust disciplines
to ensure innovation effectiveness.
READ INTERVIEW
Edited by Brandon Schauer and Vincent LaConte |
