Innovation Opens Up
IBM's Global Innovation Outlook - identifying and harnessing innovation opportunities and enabling the collaborations that matter
http://domino.research.ibm.com/comm/www_innovate.nsf/pages/world.gio.html

Mike Giersch, the Vice President of Strategic Planning at IBM was kind enough to share with us what IBM is doing in Open Innovation. In response to our last blog (IBM is a KIN member), Mike shared the IBM web site discussing their efforts. I wanted to reproduce it here to be sure you all saw it. I strongly recommend going to it and explore it more. I encourage others in our blog community to contribute their insights, experiences, best practices, or even questions they may have. After our next Exec Ed class for driving Organic Growth on 11/12/06, I will publish the list of companies in this community.


I read an interesting definition of an entrepreneur that I think is appropriate here. John Norberg, the author of “In Defense of Global Capitalism”, wrote an interesting editorial for the WSJ (10/02/06) titled “Humanity’s Greatest Achievement” citing the impact of entrepreneurs on the world. His definition is: “entrepreneurs are serial problem-solvers who search out inefficiencies and find more practical ways of connecting possible supply with potential demand”.

Open Innovation is the front of the entrepreneurial effort…….

Now to the IBM web site......

The nature of innovation is changing at a pace unheard of in modern history -- it is now increasingly open, collaborative, multi-disciplinary and global. And to reap the benefits of this evolution, an organization's processes and practices must adapt.

Enter the Global Innovation Outlook (GIO), where we have opened up our technical and business forecasting processes to include external leaders from business, academia, the public sector, NGOs and other influential constituents of the world community. The GIO takes a deep look at some of the most pressing issues facing the world and works toward providing solutions to those needs.

Now in its second iteration, the GIO has significantly expanded its efforts to seek the most fertile ground for innovation and attention, and is continuing to work with a wide array of participants to identify potential projects and initiatives to change business, society and the world for the better.

In 2005 and 2006, the GIO 2.0 gathered 248 thought leaders from nearly three dozen countries and regions, representing 178 organizations across four continents for 15 “deep dive” sessions to discuss three focus areas and the emerging trends, challenges and opportunities that affect business and society:
- The future of the enterprise
- Energy and the environment
- Transportation and mobility

Rather than thinking of these topics in terms of established sectors or vertical markets, the deep dive sessions approached them as broad, horizontal issues that could affect virtually every enterprise and organization on the planet.

The fascinating insights from these discussions will be released in March 2006 at two GIO Innovations Salons in New York City and San Francisco.

This initiative represents something that is uniquely IBM: A combination of world-class technology leadership and deep expertise in business and industry. Deep relationships with a broad range of clients, governments, universities and other ecosystem members around the world. A willingness to elevate the dialogue around important issues and examine the broad implications for the world.

To learn more about GIO 2.0, read the GIO 2.0 report, or ask your IBM contact for a copy and begin a conversation about what the changing nature of innovation means for you and your organization.

GIO 1.0

In 2004, over the course of 10 meetings in 24 days on 3 continents, more than 100 leaders from business, academia, government, and other organizations joined with IBM's top researchers and consultants to examine three areas that affect broad swaths of society and are ripe for innovation:
-The future of healthcare
-The relationship between government and its citizens
-The intersection of work and life.