Jul 01

Fourth of July Thoughts on Innovation from a New American

by Andy Zynga
No Comments » OI Community | Vision

Exactly one month ago I was sworn in as a US Citizen, and this 4th of July will thus have special meaning to me.  I will now look at what’s happening on this day with a sense of belonging and sharing, and being a part of something bigger. I think in a lot of ways that is what happens when people practice Open Innovation. When collaboration between two companies is done successfully, they will share many very important details around their future growth goals and projects, and create something that is bigger. It is almost like being “sworn in” to be a part of the community of Open Innovation Practitioners.

America became a very successful nation by being a “melting pot” of people from all nations; people that brought their brains, their energy, and their passion here in order to build a future for themselves and this country. Again, there is a striking analogy here since Open Innovation is also about people from all nations bringing solutions to problems that will help companies, and consequently also countries to have a better future. Could America have been as successful if only one set of people were allowed to contribute to this country?

Lastly, when thinking about the birth of this nation, there was a set of progressive thinkers that were passionate about doing the unthinkable:  To create a true democracy, with “The People” contributing to the development of the country and its institutions. Likewise, Open Innovation was started by some progressive thinkers that did the unthinkable: To say that more and more innovation needs to come from the outside!

My hope is that just like this great country that has been around for well over 200 years, Open Innovation is here to stay as well. It has had its revolutionary wars, but it has come a long way from its early days.

A Happy 4th of July Weekend to all of you!

Sincerely, Andy Zynga

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Jan 11

R&D Spending Down, Innovation Output Up- Theoretical Humbug or Going Practice?

by Andy Zynga
No Comments » General Innovation | OI Community | Vision

Most of us would rather forget about the economic hardships of 2009. This must be particularly true for the Research and Development Community in the US which saw spending cuts of 3.8% according to a recent report by Battelle.  You would think that this must inevitably lead to a drop in Innovation Output, and that may be true for quite a few companies. However, there are a good many leading Innovators out there that have been able to buck this trend by collaborating more with external partners, using the principles of Open Innovation. In fact, Business Week in an article on 16 December wrote that (in 2009) “Open innovation spread far and wide as companies sought to offset cuts in their own R&D budgets by soliciting help from outsiders, including customers, suppliers, and freelance experts”.

Over the years, we have seen many companies achieve great results through collaborating with external partners, by “exnovating” if you will. This led NineSigma to invest in new services that allow companies not just to get access to the global Solution Provider community and the pertinent breakthrough solutions, but also to embed processes in their businesses by which they could set up and maintain their own Innovation Ecosystems.

We have gained many insights and learnings through our work with more than 100 leading, innovation-driven companies and want to share and discuss those insights with all of you. That’s why we have set up this Blog, and that’s why we are excited about this new way to communicate with you. We invite you to contribute, to critique, and to enjoy our “BLOINC”.

So here’s the first challenge for you as we start off this new year….we believe that “R&D Spending Down, Innovation Output Up” is a going practice AND here to stay. What’s more, we believe that Open Innovation is NOT just for incremental innovation, but also for breakthrough and disruptive innovation.

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