Oxford Learning Lab

What do companies like IBM, HP, Unisys, GE, Ericsson, ABB, Michelin, and Nokia have in common? Despite working in very different industries and being of very different size and culture, they have all had to consider an important strategic issue. They [...]

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In 2006 the computer giant, IBM, announced the start of a massive advertising campaign called: "Innovation that matters." It included TV, print, outdoor and Web advertising aimed at positioning the company as supplying the means for corporations to innovate ('structurally, financially and operationally'). Whatever their own intentions, the effect was to, once again, put emphasis on the word 'innovation' in business circles. Since then, innovation has become a topical subject with books, seminars, 'summits' and conferences dedicated to it. Leading consultancies like Mckinsey have published research and 'white papers' on innovation needs. Although this might seems a little faddish, there is little doubt that service firms across the world are investing time and resources in "innovation" because clients are demanding fresh approaches. One small symptom of this is, for instance, the Financial Times's annual award for "the most innovative law firm". It is also clear that innovation management is at the heart of the successful differentiation achieved by organisations in other industries and is beginning to create real differences between the offers of different professional practices. There is a clear distinction between creativity and innovation. Creativity is the activity that produces new services or concepts whereas innovation is the management process by which an organisation captures, cultivates and exploits initiatives. There is evidence that, in recent years, a number of service companies have invested in and succeeded at both. This presentation explores their experience and their approaches.

The proactive creation of new products has been established practice for many years in a number of different manufacturing sectors. Leading organisations in those markets where this approach to new product innovation is a critical business skill have [...]

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Despite the fact that technology networks are the foundation of much of modern society, the services provided by technology companies and utilities have been a relatively neglected area of study. Books and conferences have been held on the marketing [...]

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The professional services sector of the world's economies is vast and varied. It encompasses a wide variety of businesses whose offer is based around specialist skill or knowledge. They range from executive search firms, recruitment agencies, legal p [...]

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