Sustained innovation requires a business process that links the right people with the right ideas in a way that advances a firm's strategy. It occurs when people, skills, organizations and technology are mixed and matched in novel and productive ways.
Leaders today know that this economy makes the '80s and '90s look positively tranquil. Globalization. Outsourcing. Offshoring. The information age. Disaggregated corporations. The death of command and control. Knowledge economy. Sustainability. Not long ago, these terms were still somewhat foreign to most boardrooms. As a first step in organizing thinking about a response to these challenges, requirements can be grouped into two general categories – the “What” - information, knowledge and innovation – and the “How” - connectivity, disaggregation and partnerships. In other words, what companies need today to survive is information, which can be analyzed and turned into knowledge, which can then point them to innovation. We get there by connecting, disaggregating and reaching out in new ways.