“The Innovator’s Top Ten” - Keynote at The Management of Innovation Conference

Cleveland, OH (10 June, 2004). Mark Turrell, CEO and co-founder of Imaginatik, and Prof. Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School, were keynote speakers at the Management of Innovation Conference in Cleveland. The conference, organized by Enterprise Development, a non-profit organization that is part of the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, had over 150 senior level attendees from medium to large organizations in Northeast Ohio. Other companies presenting included Lubrizol, Energizer Battery Corporation, American Greetings and Timken.

Turrell’s keynote presentation – “The Innovator’s Top Ten” – provides a timely reminder of the innovation challenges facing corporate America, including increasing global competition, the struggle to deliver organic growth, and the challenge of avoiding product commoditization. “Why is it that 85% of executives say that Innovation is a top priority, and yet most companies systematically under-fund and under-prioritize innovation activities”, asked Turrell.

The audience was highly receptive to the message that companies have over-focused on Product Development to the detriment of other types of innovation, such as channel, packaging or business model.

The Innovator’s Top Ten list, developed by Imaginatik Research based on interviews with more than 300 companies, urged the audience to not rely on accidents, to set clear and tangible targets, and to invest in specialized processes to support radical or breakthrough innovation. Leadership is the most pressing issue, according to Turrell. “Innovation is doomed without strong, clear leadership.”

If you would like to receive a copy of the presentation, please contact research@imaginatik.com.