Innovation

Quick video perspective on applying design thinking to business strategy.

IBM unveiled a complete “quantum computing system,” IBM Q System One, last week. What’s more, it chose to do it at CES in Las Vegas. Should you take IBM’s claim of a “commercial” quantum computing system to mean that it is time to put quantum on your tech road map? The short answer is “no” — but, […]

The origin of the term “moonshot” — used to describe the most advanced, disruptive innovations — has returned again as an innovation focus of its own. Last week, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) disrupted its competitors, such as NASA, by landing its Chang’e-4 spacecraft on the dark side of the moon.   The CNSA’s own “moon shot” […]

Every company will face disruption from new market entrants and innovations that seek to solve some of the world’s most difficult issues. To get a sense for the potential impact of such innovation, a new Forrester report, “Disruptive Innovations Are Happening In Every Industry” by James Staten and Michele Pelino is a must-read for CIOs […]

The Forrester Analytics Global Business Technographics® Priorities And Journey Survey, 2018, shows that customer-obsessed firms currently have a 93% customer satisfaction rate — far above the 65% experienced by firms not prioritizing and investing in emerging technologies. These leading firms also have the highest three-year revenue growth.  By following the LIFT framework of activities consistently, CIOs […]

Web Summit took place for the third time in Lisbon earlier in November. Over the years, Web Summit has become one of the leading global conferences to discuss everything technology. The large presence of startups and fast pace of presentations across many different stages give Web Summit a particular edge. It is impossible for a single […]

Nearly half of the firms we survey are prioritizing innovation as key to their business strategy. When I step back and think about it, the reason for this is easy to understand: Exponential changes such as Moore’s law in the past and Metcalfe’s law today are accelerating the pace of business. In a recent study of […]

Forrester predicted in 2018 that digital would reach the hard stuff, the core of business: organization structure, operating models, and endless discussion of platforms. These themes are far from done; however, 2019 sees a distinct shift in emphasis — winter is coming. In 2019, economic uncertainty stalks the halls, and budgets will see pressure. Many firms […]

For years now we’ve been promoting the concept of “fail fast” as if failure is awesome, something to aspire to. In many ways, it is. Thomas J. Watson Sr., the chairman of IBM in its industrial heyday, advised “If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.” I can find you a dozen similar quotes, […]

As our research has shown, most companies today have pretty immature innovation efforts, and one of the biggest holdbacks is their corporate culture. Sadly, most humans fear change, and thus this mentality can keep you from being a driver of market shifts. And overcoming this issue can take years. Want to go faster? Focus first […]

Context And Timing Is Critical For Robots And Humans To Work Well Together

Volkswagen’s recent announcement of its decision to build its automotive cloud platform on Microsoft Azure is yet another example of the types of tech-driven innovation efforts that transportation leaders are taking to position themselves as customer experience leaders. The objective of Volkswagen Automotive Cloud is to transform the company to a digital-services-driven business. While the […]

Disrupt or be disrupted. That’s the name of the game when it comes to market leadership today. It’s also what Levi’s did by using innovation to create its Bluetooth-enabled jean jacket designed for the growing community of commuter bicyclists. This jacket gives commuters hands-free control over their electronic devices by integrating Google’s Jacquard technology into […]

JPMorgan enters the retail investing price war.

Financial services firms are on the hunt. They’re hunting unicorns. As firms like Revolut and TransferWise attain valuations of $1 billion or more, the pressure to find the Stripes of this world before their value skyrockets has never been stronger. But it’s not just the unicorns that firms are hunting. They’re also chasing the wolpertinger. […]

Best Buy has made yet another startup acquisition that enriches its customer value with innovative digital products: GreatCall, a San Diego-based startup offering health and medical alert devices and services. Most retailers’ “innovations” have been incremental digital tech investments that extend their retail value proposition and customer value. It’s great to see Best Buy investing […]

This value was strongly reinforced at Google Cloud Next ’18 this week. Several enterprises talked through how cloud services like Google Cloud Platform are not just sources of application agility and on-demand infrastructure but are platforms providing high-value access to technology chains they can leverage confidently for innovation efforts. For example, Larry Colagiovanni, vice president […]

The legendary R&B singer and songwriter Ben E. King got it so right in the Drifters’ 1960 recording of “This Magic Moment.” The song is timeless because it tells a classic tale of a first kiss. It also captures a moment in time in words and song that reminds us of the power of storytelling, […]

Those that don’t keep up with the rapidly changing pace of technology will cease to be competitive and get left behind. The most advanced enterprises have common threads. These agile, customer-obsessed firms rapidly take advantage of emerging technologies: working with new technologies in the lab, discovering new business possibilities enabled by these technologies, and then […]