Waves of Innovation: Raising the bar in 2012
When the subject of innovation comes up, immediately most people think of Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Larry Paige or Mark Zuckerberg. And before them, most people thought of Bill Gates, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein. According to Natural Edge, the world has arrived in its sixth wave of innovation. This sixth wave is comprised of several “soft” components. Items such as sustainability, green chemistry and renewable energy are all encompassing and can affect more industries compared to some of the previous waves. Look at renewable energy.
From the Natural Edge Project
IBM just brought out their annual forecast of five innovations that will alter the tech landscape within the next five years: “The IBM 5 in 5.” The first one on IBM’s list has to do with renewable energy, specifically, your body being an energy-generating machine. From walking to running to riding bikes, IBM predicts that anything that moves “has the potential to create energy.” Although IBM has its Watson Research Center and other global research centers, it advocates open innovation where those outside the company provide input for ideas. In addition, IBM has developed 40 Innovation Centers worldwide.
In another article written by the Wharton School of Business, it is stated that Proctor & Gamble’s CEO, Bob McDonald, has a bold plan – powering all of P&G’s plants with renewable energy. Since it will take decades to accomplish this goal, P&G has come up with several 10-year goals to ensure the company is making progress toward its BHAG (Big, Hairy Audacious Goal). Note that P&G brought in outside experts and utilized an innovation tournament – another example of open innovation.
Managed print services isn’t just about reducing costs it’s about efficiency. In order to move to the next level, MPS providers – OEMs, infrastructure providers, software firms, and channel providers – must be innovators. It is incumbent upon us to drive companies to be more efficient. There has to be a calling higher than reducing suppliers, optimizing assets, reducing paper and consumables. By the nature of our business we are change agents. Let’s all determine to make one of our goals for 2012 to raise MPS to a higher level by selling MPS as an improved customer experience. Cost savings will get you to the table; improved customer experience will get you the business.
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