9:30 -12:30: Morning Workshop

Your Innovation Challenge:
Are We Innovating to Create Competitive Advantage and Growth?

The responsibility for ensuring the flow of innovation throughout the company is shared by
executives, business leaders, project managers, and team members. The leadership from every
level is challenged by the tension between powerful and seemingly conflicting forces which can
cause bottlenecks in the flow of innovation. In particular, the bottlenecks created by misalignment
of business and innovation strategy and by inadequate portfolio management must be opened to create competitive advantage and growth.

Key Innovation Learning Points:

• How the flow of innovation is connected to growth
• How bottlenecks can constrict the flow of innovation
• How to open the constriction to enhance the flow

Innovation Leader:
Dr. Carol Pletcher
President
PLETCHER, INC.

 

2:00 -5:00: Afternoon Workshop

Your Innovation Challenge:
Finding Innovation Breakthroughs (An Outside-In Approach)

Identifying breakthroughs – especially “white space” opportunities – calls for exploration into areas
adjacent to but outside your traditional business boundaries. A “business as usual” mindset doesn’t
deliver – unconventional approaches are required to uncover these high value opportunities and to
convert them into attractive businesses. This interactive session provides insight into novel ways business leaders can seek breakthroughs, look for White Spaces, expand their strategic opportunities and build their innovation pipeline.

Key Innovation Learning Points:

• Strategic intent and organizational alignment, competitive awareness and positioning, partnering abilities
• Personnel skill sets & mindsets required for creativity, pattern recognition, behavioral research, design research, and team effectiveness
• Making sense of your research: turning data into insights
• A platform approach to opportunity identification and concept development
• Working with external experts: Thought Leader Innovation Panels
• New, non-traditional ways of leveraging your external stakeholders
• Crowdsourcing: tapping into the wisdom of the creative consumer

Innovation Leaders:
Cheryl Perkins
Founder and President
INNOVATIONEDGE

Soren Kaplan, Ph.D.
Managing Principal
INNOVATIONPOINT LLC