Report on User-driven Innovation in the Nordic Region

Nordic Innovation Centre has recently published a report about user driven innovation projects in the Nordic region. This is a field that involves an even greater focus on the user as a source of innovation. The report maps the national initiatives and good examples from individual companies in each Nordic country, and the results are promising. From Norway, one of Tine's innovation processes is studied.

Download the report here

Exploring Service Models for Technology Induced Innovations in Elderly Care

I know I haven't written for a while, so here comes an update after my visit to UC Berkeley.

In addition to writing mandatory assignments I have been developing the problem statement for my PhD project – with related hypotheses. For the time being, the problem statement concerns the lack of knowledge and conceptualization related to services in business model constructs. Much of the business model literature still applies the product logic where the user is considered as a passive receiver of value. Consequently, the inclusion of the user’s infrastructure in the value creation logic of business models is seemingly in need of rigorous development. I have therefore spent time on conceptualizing a model where the business model of the provider and user is integrated as part of a service system. By considering two business models, one is compelled to consider the infrastructure (skills, processes and network) of the user as a critical component of a service development endeavor.

In order to test out my hypotheses, technology induced service innovations in elderly care will be the empirical focus of attention. The emerging resource challenges related to the care of elderly as “baby boomers” head for retirement are enormous and indeed call for collaborative efforts. In order to provide sound innovations which might aid care workers and concurrently increase care quality a deep understanding of user needs is required.

A pilot project is now being organized to collect data in Østfold, Norway. The idea is to identify the most important problems in private homes where elderly need help. The focus is set on understanding problem parameters such as: importance, frequency and frustration related to different ‘jobs to be done’. By applying a framework where we are able to understand the infrastructure of the user we might be able to identify accompanying technologies and business models more precisely in the context of Norwegian elderly care.

Business Models Beyond Profit - Social Entrepreneurship Lecture

Dr. Alexander Osterwalder is in many ways a Guru within Business model design. Check out this SlideShare Presentation about social entrepreneurship. Very impressive indeed:

Business Models Beyond Profit - Social Entrepreneurship Lecture

View more documents from Alexander Osterwalder.

What is Catalytical Innovation?

Professor Clayton Christensen from Harvard Business School has increasingly been recognised as a guru in the field of innovation theory. His "The Innvoator's XYZ" books prove his concept of disrupive innovation in a very exciting and cheerful manner and make them an interesting read indeed.

The main focus for his disruptive innovation theories is often directed towards private sectors. However, Christensen has also adapted business based theories in the context of social change - coined "Catalytical Innovation". Interestingly, the principles of disruptive innovation may support organizations who aim at creating new solutions to social challenges. Christensen, Bauman and Heiner have identified several criteria for catalytical innovation:

The Five Qualities of Catalytic Innovators:

1) They create systemic social change through scaling and replication.
2) They meet a need that is either overserved (because the existing solution is more complex than many people require) or not served at all.
3) They offer products and services that are simpler and less costly than existing alternatives and may be perceived as having a lower level of performance, but users consider them to be good enough.
4) They generate resources, such as donations, grants, volunteer manpower, or intellectual capital, in ways that are initially unattractive to incumbent competitors.
5) They are often ignored, disparaged, or even encouraged by existing players for whom the business model is unprofitable or otherwise unattractive and who therefore avoid or retreat from the market segment.

Interesting stuff!