…changing the rules of competition by radically innovating what things mean.
Back to some blogs on the Big Rethink. While participants in the Economist conference were mainly from the UK, there were a few North Americans (2-3) and one Italian –Roberto Verganti, author and Professor of Management of Innovation at the Politecnico di Milano.
Roberto’s 2009 book is called: DESIGN DRIVEN INNOVATION: Changing the rules of competition by radically innovating what things mean
The main theme is about how companies are using design to change how they compete, and what this means for business in the future. He used several examples to make this point — such as Artemide Lighting where while their focus in the past might have been around lights as objects, they are shifting to think more about “lighting” and the experience/atmosphere that the quality of light provides in terms of well-being.
He went on to analyze the Latin word designare (earmark, choose; appoint; mark)
derived from
DE (away, down) + SIGNARE (mark, stamp, designate)
— which leads to the concept that design is the giving of meaning.
He gave another example which was the design of a new “economical” FIAT where the back seat became a hammock — it was not about making a cheaper back seat, it was not about cutting costs, it was about changing the “meaning” of what the back seat is and what it can be used for.
Roberto ended with a parry back to the presenters who were making the pitch for “the user being paramount in design” . He maintains that radical innovation actually doesn’t come from users — it comes from a whole range of professionals making proposals to people.
When I am in Milan this June, I will meet with Roberto to pursue his ideas about design driven innovation and also to see what the curriculum is like at the Politecnico.
You can find more about him (and his busy schedule) at www.verganti.com.
Being a lover of design/design thinking, I wanted to comment.
“The main theme is about how companies are using design to change how they compete, and what this means for business in the future.”
In your mind, how will design thinking change the way businesses compete and strategize?
I also wanted to leave this quote.
“If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse”-Henry Ford
I would argue that innovation does not actually come from your user. But what does come from your user is that need. To be truly innovative, you have to address the need that seems so obvious once you’ve addressed it.
Design thinking helps that process. You go straight to the source of that need, which is your user. But as a company, you add value when you fix it.
Roger Martin recently wrote a piece in the JAN/FEB2010 HBR magazine. Great piece on design. I think you’d enjoy it!
I also wanted to remark that I’m a first year student at Sauder, and could’ve swore I saw you in the back row of one of my classes. I promise to say hi should you sit in on COMM486G again. 😀
Looking forward to a response,
Jeff
Hi Jeff:
Thanks for your comment — and yes, I have seen Roger’s piece in HBR.
I am interested in your comments on the role of the “user” — I guess for me it is a combo — you definitely need the understanding of the what is going on for the user (because great ideas come from this understanding) but for sure Paris wouldn’t look like it does if Haussman hadn’t been motivated by a big idea. If he’d asked users, they would have never supported the grand vision. This is an example from my background. I appreciated your quote from Henry Ford.
Yes — it was me up in the back of COMM 486G. I was there partly because I am interested in the course — and partly because James Tansey and I are facilitating the April 1 class. So please introduce yourself on April 1.
I did a “Design Means Business” workshop with the MBAs (Full and Part-time) on Friday. Interesting experience and great learning for me — and hopefully for them too. Am about to post a blog on the workshop.
Tomorrow I am heading to Berkeley for an Economist-sponsored conference on Innovation — Roger Martin and Tim Brown are both on the speaker list.
Thanks again for your response, Moura
Hi Ms. Quayle,
Will you be teaching any undergraduate courses next year (design thinking or otherwise), or covering design thinking on April 1st’s 486G lecture?
Looking at the workshop blog post you did, I’d love to be involved in a course/workshop like that in Sauder.
I also wanted to say that I’m extremely jealous of your chance to attend a conference where in addition to Brown and Martin, both Michael Porter, and Jacqueline Novogratz will be speaking.
I hope you blog about the experience and some of the big ideas from all of those talks!
Take care,
Jeff
Hi Jeff — yes — am teaching “The Sauder Studio” — a pilot with a 486 number in the Fall. It will be Wednesdays 3-6pm. Just getting that organized. The blogging is happening…looking forward to meeting you next week. Moura