February 2016

NEEDHAM, Mass. — (PRJ) — February 11, 2016 — The corporate quest to master innovation began in the 1990s. Prahalad, Hamel, Moore, Utterback, and Christensen’s writings seeded the field. In 2004, Business Week published its first ranking of the “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” and the innovation race was on.

For two decades now, the innovation body of knowledge has been both growing and refining. Models and frameworks by esteemed companies, consultancies and research firms have come and gone; as have about half of the initial providers of enabling techniques and software. Of course, what worked has remained.

Most companies are quite lean these days and only a few markets are growing rapidly. Future growth and profit will largely result from having a better product portfolio than one’s competitors. There is little fat left to cut. The mastery of innovation is essential to gain competitive advantage in the years ahead. Today’s ability to monetize and trade intellectual property (IP) assets now makes both products and their IP transactable commodities, furthering the importance of innovation.

GGI held our first Innovation Summit in January 2006. Each year we take a fresh snap shot of the state-of-practice across strategies, tactics, techniques, tools, software, and metrics. Our program focuses on the needs of CXOs, managers, and thought leaders to direct and enable innovation in their companies. Some five hundred companies have participated. Many initial participants rejoined us five and seven years later for a fresh update. You will meet some of them if you decide to register.

GGI’s 14th R&D-Product Development Innovation Summit will be held March 29-31, 2016 in Norwood, Massachusetts. Norwood is half way between Boston and Providence, providing participants with two airport choices to best their travel expenses. Group rates are available at our Four Points Sheraton Inn & Conference Center.

This information intensive event draws on our thirty years in business consulting to Fortune 1000 companies, findings from over fifty secondary research sources, and fifteen years of our own primary research on product development, innovation, IP, and metrics. Our six hundred-page color course book cites all references and enables participants to follow-up on their specific interests when they return to their offices.

Our Summit delivers the goods to update executives and professionals on the state-of-practice, and provides the empowering knowledge that is needed to increase corporate product portfolio and brand value from innovation and IP improvements in their companies. Many participants have said, “GGI’s Summit is the equivalent of an Executive MBA on Innovation in three days.”

Media Contact:
Company Name:   Goldense Group, Inc. [GGI]
Name:   Brad Goldense
Phone (optional):   781-444-5400
Email Address:   blg@ggisummits.com
Website:   http://www.goldensegroupinc.com

There are lots of trends and new ideas when it comes to the science of managing R&D. Some got started when a technological advance changed the best way to manage or make decisions. Others arose from new thinking in management science in the light of macro changes taking place in business and political structures, practices, and economics.

Twelve trends are addressed in this two part series in Machine Design magazine. As you read through the trends, keep “Big Data” in mind. It is a “macro trend” that will affect every industry and segment of the globe. It underlies more than half of the trends discussed, and, to a lesser extent, it will affect all 12. As an exercise, give some thought as to whether each trend is technology-driven or thinking-driven. In some cases, it’s both.

The 12 trends relating to the science of managing R&D are in the following twelve business and/or functional areas.

Trend 1.   Rapid Prototyping (aka 3D printing)
Trend 2.   Strategy
Trend 3.   Product Definition
Trend 4.   Organic Innovation and Growth
Trend 5.   Search and Synthesis
Trend 6.   Core and Functional Competencies
Trend 7.   Engineering and Development Automation
Trend 8.   Micro-Nano Effects
Trend 9.   Physical vs. Virtual Work
Trend 10. Measurement and Correlation
Trend 11.  Open Innovation
Trend 12.  Intellectual Property

Top 12 Trends in the Science of Managing R&D and Product Development: Part 1 [Machine Design – January 2016] discusses the first six of the trends.

Top 12 Trends in the Science of Managing R&D and Product Development: Part 2 [Machine Design – February 2016] discusses the remaining six trends.

The upcoming March 2016 issue of Machine Design will offer “Perspectives” across these twelve trends.

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If the opportunity to discuss these trends in person sounds appealing, please consider joining us at GGI’s 14th R&D-Product Development Innovation Summit on March 29-31, 2016 in Norwood, Massachusetts.  We will also be featuring new industry research on the emerging specific types of Disruptive Innovation.