Case Studies: g-i

Giffgaff has grown into a successful player in the highly competitive mobile phone network business in the UK by working with its users to create a community which offers a continuing stream of innovation

A fascinating story about turning conventional wisdom on its head and how a business profited from utlising the brain-trust of the whole world.

Case study of design consultancy working in the automotive field.

Muhammad Yunis won the Nobel Prize for his work in developing the concept of ‘microfinance’.  This case explains the basic idea behind the Grameen bank, the venture he established to implement the idea.

Report describing a number of case studies of companies participating in the WWF Climate Savers programme and the changes this has led to in their operations in China. Companies include: Lafarge, Volvo, Nokia Siemens Networks, Fairmount Hotels, TetraPak, Sony

Start-up case in the leisure shoe business.

A famous case study which highlights the challenges of introducing radical ideas into established organisations. This is a classic study of the problems of innovation adoption, describing how an apparently ‘better’ innovation can be resisted and offering a rich understanding of the many factors contributing to this.  It is based on the work of Elting Morison and these links are to a chapter in his book Gunfire at sea and to an article he wrote on the story: A case study of innovation. You might use the ‘accelerating diffusion’ activity to explore this case further.

Video interview and case study of Haberman Global Innovations, offering useful insights into user-led innovation and in particular the challenges of IP protection in innovation.

Hasselblad was a major camera manufacturer well-respected for its technical features which meant its equipment was widely used by professionals; it was part of the moon landing equipment which sent back the first pictures from the surface.  But along with Kodak and Polaroid it experienced serious disruption with the advent of digital imaging.  In this case Christian Sandstrom explores the story.  It offers some helpful insights into the challenge of architectural innovation and knowledge management within an organization.

Case study of digital TV in healthcare.

Detailed case study of a major German producer of automotive components, especially headlights and electronics.  A number of chapters focus on different aspects of their innovation history and on the way they are dealing with current challenges in innovation management – see below.

This case reviews the ways in which an organization builds additional capacity for innovation as it grows.  It uses the metaphor of putting together a fleet of ships designed to undertake different kinds of ‘innovation voyage’.  It also highlights the need for continuing review and for ‘innovation model innovation’.

Detailed case study of a major German producer of automotive components, especially headlights and electronics.

Detailed case study of a major German producer of automotive components, especially headlights and electronics.

Explores the idea of continuing reflection and challenge to the underlying innovation model - and the need to constantly upgrade and extend this

Case examples of a number of firms whose names may not be well known but who have built strong and competitive businesses over time through a commitment to innovation.  Examples include Christian Hansen, Wilo, De La Rue, Marshalls, Hella.

A Report exploring the role which innovation networks play in boosting productivity across a sector.

Report and a series of case studies discussing innovation in the humanitarian sector.

A study on innovation and branding for the web.

A case study highlighting changes over time across the sector.

Interview and case example of process improvement innovation to deal with the challenge of anaphylaptic shock. You can find the transcript of the interview here.

Catherina van Delden talks about her start-up, ‘Innosabi’, and working in the crowdsourced innovation space.
Video interviews can be found here.

Innovation managers – in their own words…

Report  produced by the Network for Business Sustainability exploring dimensions and directions for sustainability-led innovation

A series of cases exploring the way in which innovation can and does take place within the legal sector.

TED talk by the founder of ‘Interface’ on building a business around sustainable innovation, ‘The business logic of sustainability’.

Video of interview with Helle Vibeke Carstensen of the Danish Ministry of Taxation describing how they took a user involvement approach to innovation.