Smart technology scouting – Part 1
Posted 20 January 2010 | Jennifer Ernst

Technology scouting has been happening for many years. Yet the models for how best to find and secure opportunities are still emerging as companies increasingly look outside. In this post, I share advice and principles for effective technology scouting, including defining The Why (are we scouting?) and The What (technologies and specific technology characteristics are we looking for?) Furthermore, scope is a tricky thing: if a scouting team’s “find” mandate is too narrow, you’re likely to miss valuable options; but if it’s too broad, you end up exploring too many options that are never going to fly. How should a company assess its organizational capacity to absorb, define its time horizon for expected impct, and identify the technical needs it is scouting for?

Comments (3) Tags: open innovation, technology scouting Posted in business of innovation

On keeping U.S. innovation competitive
Posted 18 November 2009 | Tamara St. Claire

PARC today is no longer “Xerox PARC” but a commercial entity with multiple Fortune 500 and other clients. We’re building our contemporary innovation model by positioning ourselves at the heart of industrial R&D, government contracts, and world-class university research. (For us, the last one is translated as bringing together the top minds from diverse fields: our talent is our primary asset.) To support the next waves of innovation, we need to examine how the rest of the U.S. and world will replicate Silicon Valley – with its access to top talent, multicultural citizens, venture infrastructure and corporate partners, universities, and inexhaustible energy. But here’s the thing: two-thirds of our commercial income comes from abroad. Asia, in particular, is aggressively probing for new engines of innovation.

Comments (2) Tags: competitive edge, innovation, open innovation Posted in business of innovation, our culture & processes, our milestones

Opening communication for open innovation: Should you share your strategy?
Posted 27 August 2009 | Jennifer Ernst

“Open Communication” is frequently cited as a necessity in successfully working with partners. But in my experience, opening up to the depth of communication required for successful open innovation is often a scary proposition for some companies. Should you share your strategy? Yes, with deliberate purpose.

Comments (8) Tags: innovation strategy, open innovation Posted in business of innovation

Harnessing intrapreneurial horsepower to drive corporate strategy
Posted 26 August 2009 | Tamara St. Claire

Instead of generating undirected, academic solutions that can dilute the focus of the research organization, intrapreneurs can address target market needs. Their creative juices can be aligned with a well-articulated (and hopefully well-understood) vision about the future of the organization. The key is to channel individual efforts so their combined energy is directed to solving problems that the company can take advantage of – especially if the findings are breakthrough and game changing. Wouldn’t it be a shame to solve world peace if you weren’t in the peace industry??

Comments (2) Tags: collaboration, innovation strategy, open innovation Posted in business of innovation

Building innovation teams
Posted 2 July 2009 | Jennifer Ernst

I recently enjoyed moderating an almost rowdy dialogue on Building World-Class Innovation Teams, as part of a Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXChange event. For someone immersed in innovation at PARC, it’s always intriguing to hear the viewpoints from those who aren’t as lucky.

Comments (0) Tags: collaboration, open innovation Posted in business of innovation, our culture & processes