Collaboration
When Customers Become Fans
Smartphone maker Xiaomi cultivates user pride through user-centered and open innovation.
Product Development
Latest
Climate Change
Strategic Sustainability Uses of Life-Cycle Analysis
Companies from Apple to Unilever employ life-cycle assessment in their sustainability work and reap hidden benefits.
Gregory Unruh
Innovation Strategy
Mastering the ‘Name Your Product Category’ Game
The ideal window of opportunity to enter a new industry starts when a dominant category label is introduced.
Fernando F. Suarez and Stine Grodal
Climate Change
For BASF, Sustainability Is a Catalyst
A focus on environment helped BASF to transform both its product lines and its culture.
Rachael Post
Global Strategy
The Surprising Effectiveness of “Assembly Line” Innovation
Unconventional approaches to innovation are speeding up new product development, making R&D faster and cheaper.
Leslie Brokaw
Global Strategy
Accelerated Innovation: The New Challenge From China
Chinese companies are reengineering new product development in ways that reduce lead times.
Peter J. Williamson and Eden Yin
Marketing Strategy
How to Position Your Innovation in the Marketplace
A new framework helps identify the best strategy for a particular product or service.
Glen Schmidt and Bo van der Rhee
Innovation Strategy
The Discipline of Creativity
Managers can’t afford to rely on haphazard, hit-or-miss approaches to idea generation.
Joseph V. Sinfield, Tim Gustafson and Brian Hindo
Social Media
SAP: Using Social Media for Building, Selling and Supporting
SAPs ten-year-old online network has nearly three million members.
Mark Yolton (SAP), interviewed by David Kiron
Collaboration
How to Create Productive Partnerships With Universities
Companies can improve collaborations with universities by giving more thought to relationship structure.
Markus Perkmann and Ammon Salter
Innovation Strategy
What It Takes to Be a Serial Innovator
An intriguing new book discusses the traits of serial innovators at established companies.
Martha E. Mangelsdorf
New Product Development
The Problem With Digital Design
Using digital design in product development has potential downsides as well as advantages.
Tucker Marion, Sebastian Fixson and Marc H. Meyer
Innovation Strategy
Is There a Tweaker Driving Innovation On Your Team?
Innovation often comes from tweakers who take existing ideas and turn them into something better.
Leslie Brokaw
Innovation Strategy
Five Steps for Embracing Consumer Innovation
Companies can work with consumer innovators, or “casual entrepreneurs,” by understanding their lead users.
Leslie Brokaw
Innovation Strategy
The Age of the Consumer-Innovator
Consumers generate massive amounts of product innovation — which has significant implications for new product development.
Eric von Hippel, Susumu Ogawa and Jeroen P.J. de Jong
Social Media
What Influences Customers’ Online Comments
Lessons for managers who are listening to social media.
Wendy W. Moe, David A. Schweidel and Michael Trusov
Culture
Is Your Company Ready for Open Innovation?
Without successful implementation, the benefits of open innovation strategies will not materialize.
Ulrich Lichtenthaler, Martin Hoegl and Miriam Muethel
Collaboration
Creating Employee Networks That Deliver Open Innovation
The key to open innovation? Ensuring outside ideas reach the people best equipped to exploit them.
Eoin Whelan, Salvatore Parise, Jasper de Valk and Rick Aalbers
Marketing Strategy
Why Every Project Needs a Brand (and How to Create One)
Project leaders should frame projects the same way marketing managers frame branding efforts.