Посты с тэгом: university of cincinnati

Academic Focus: Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for S.I.T.

Published date: April 15, 2013 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,

The University of Cincinnati announced it will launch its first Massive Open Online Course (called MOOC) next fall. It will be the first MOOC to teach Systematic Inventive Thinking (S.I.T.), an innovation method based on templates.

MOOCs are unique because they allow literally thousands of students to learn together via distance learning technology. MOOCs provide students from around the world the opportunity to learn from industry experts at little or no cost. They are a great way for individuals to learn new concepts and test their readiness for continued professional development.

S.I.T. is a structured process of innovating new products, services, and processes used by many corporations globally.  A growing number of universities are teaching the method including Columbia University, University of Chicago, Wharton, MIT, and several outside the U.S..

Open online courses have risen in popularity over the past year, but they have generally not been tied to a university credential. UC is addressing this issue by launching an innovative new program this fall known as MOOC2Degree. In MOOC2Degree, the UC MOOCs will feature the same academic content and taught by the same instructors as our traditional classes. More importantly, students who successfully complete the MOOC2Degree course and enroll in an applicable UC degree program may earn credit.

As noted by Dr. Larry Johnson, UC’s interim provost notes, “We’re confident that once MOOC students begin interacting with our expert faculty and their fellow classmates, they’ll begin forming a lasting educational relationship with the university.”
Since Academic Partnerships and UC’s announcement of the MOOC2Degree program in late January, the revolutionary program has already been featured in articles from The New York Times, Inside Higher Ed and The Cincinnati Enquirer.

The first UC class to be offered in the MOOC2Degree initiative will be Innovation and Design Thinking, a cross-disciplinary course collaboratively offered by the Carl H. Lindner College of Business and the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences. The MOOC will be taught by assistant professors Drew Boyd and Jim Tappel.  Students who complete the MOOC and enroll in a UC Business or Engineering degree program can apply the credits.

For more information on the UC MOOC2Degree program, please contact BJ Zirger (bj.zirger@uc.edu) (513-556-7148) at the Lindner College of Business or Eugene Rutz (Eugne.Rutz@uc.edu) (513-556-1096) at the College of Engineering and Applied Science.

The Innovation Tools Graduate Course

Published date: January 16, 2012 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,

I’m looking forward to teaching “Innovation Tools,” the graduate marketing course at the University of Cincinnati.   The course teaches how to use Systematic Inventive Thinking, a method based on three ideas.  First, most successful innovations over time followed one of five patterns, and these patterns are like the DNA of products that can be re-applied to innovate any product or service.  Second, innovation happens when we start with a configuration (the “solution”) and work backwards to the “problem” that it solves.  It turns out that humans are better at this than the traditional “problem-to-solution” approach to innovating.  Finally, better innovation happens when we start within the world of the problem (the Closed World).  Innovations that use elements of the problem or surrounding environment are more novel and surprising.  We innovate “inside the box,” not outside.

Students learn not only how to innovate, but they also learn how to link it to marketing strategy.  We teach the Big Picture marketing framework so that students know how to tie innovation and strategy and create an innovation roadmap.

We have 50 graduate students, mostly from our master of science of marketing program plus candidates from other colleges.  Student teams are working on the following projects:

  1. Retail Shelf Display:  Two teams are working for a consumer packaged goods company to innovate new ways to display products in retail stores like Walmart and Target.  Companies develop detailed “planograms” that try to optimize the amount of product and information packed into the assigned shelf space.  These teams will create new-to-the-world ways to improve business results at the point-of-sale.
  2. Pharmaceutical Sales:  This team is innovating the selling process for a large pharmaceutical company.  Companies deploy thousands of sales representatives worldwide to “detail” products at doctor’s offices.  The goal of this project is to find innovative ways to use this massive resource differently.
  3. Publishing:  Two teams team are trying to innovate how books are written, published and ultimately consumed by the end user.  The publishing industry is going through dramatic change as digital publishing continues to grow.  Ideas from this team will be reviewed by one of the largest publishing companies in the world.
  4. Online Experience:  This team is tackling how to innovate the online customer experience – what happens when people visit a website.  Websites continue to evolve with familiar patterns and standards embedded in them, especially with activities such as search and navigation.  Ideas from this team will attempt to break that mold and bring new value for the end user.
  5. Logistics Packaging:  This team has the challenging assignment of applying SIT to traditional logistics packaging systems – boxes, tape, packing material and so on.  Most would consider this a commodity industry, so it is ripe for new, innovative products and services.
  6. Industrial Tubing:  This team is working for a client in the energy sector to create new products and services for high quality steel tubing.  This industry (like most) has a lot of “fixedness,” and I am expecting the team to develop completely new innovations in this space.

The output from each team is a “Dream Catalog,” a hypothetical portrayal of the best of the ideas in graphic form.  This is a technique we teach so that students know how to bring innovations to life and align an organization to gain support.

As in past courses, the final exam is a complete and comprehensive demonstration of “innovating on demand.”  Students are given a product that they do not know ahead of time.  They have three hours to use each of the five SIT patterns correctly to create completely new-to-the-world innovations in that category.   You can see the output of these final exams and the dream catalogs at our innovation wiki.

Academic Focus: The Rotman Business Design Challenge

Published date: March 21, 2011 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,,

The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto will host the Business Design Challenge from March 25-26, 2011.  Teams of graduate students from business and design schools in the US and Canada will work to solve a case study in the area of health and wellness.  The case was developed by Doblin, a Chicago-based innovation strategy firm and the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation (CFI), who will incorporate the solutions developed into delivering improved health and wellness outcomes.

Learning outcomes include:

  • Understanding how design thinking broadens possibilities for innovation and develops growth strategies that strengthen competitive advantage.
  • Discovering new principles and tools to define new business-building opportunities to help shape the organization’s activities.
  • Experimenting and applying the principles and tools of business design thinking to their business on an on-going, day-to-day basis.
  • Generating new and tangible business ideas, which incorporate unmet user needs and strategic growth opportunities.

The Challenge

Innovation Tools – The Course

Published date: February 14, 2011 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,

It’s that time of year again for “Innovation Tools,” the graduate marketing course at the University of Cincinnati.   The course teaches how to use Systematic Inventive Thinking, a method based on three ideas.  First, most successful innovations over time followed one of five patterns, and these patterns are like the DNA of products that can be re-applied to innovate any product or service.  Second, innovation happens when we start with a configuration (the “solution”) and work backwards to the “problem” that it solves.  It turns out that humans are better at this than the traditional “problem-to-solution” approach to innovating.  Finally, better innovation happens when we start within the world of the problem (the Closed World).  Innovations that use elements of the problem or surrounding environment are more novel and surprising.  We innovate “inside the box,” not outside.

Students not only learn how to innovate, but they also learn how to link it to marketing strategy.  We teach a bit of the Big Picture marketing framework so that students know how to tie innovation and strategy to create an innovation roadmap.

We have 45 graduate students, mostly from our master of science of marketing program.  It is a diverse group and includes masters and doctoral candidates from other colleges.  From this class, we created eight teams working different projects.  The mix of products, services, and government programs should demonstrate that innovation methods can be applied virtually anywhere.  Here are the projects:

Academic Focus: The Live Well Collaborative

Published date: January 3, 2011 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,

The Live Well Collaborative at the University of Cincinnati is an academic-industry innovation incubator for regionally, nationally and internationally prominent firms.  The focus of LWC is the aging population.  Firms partner with UC to address product or service needs for the 50+ market. The UC students and faculty conduct research and develop ideas incorporating expertise from fields including design, business, engineering, medicine and anthropology.

From the Live Well website:

The Live Well Collaborative is an invaluable resource of up-to-date, ever-growing information about the 50+ market. As a member of the LWC, your organization will have access to unique research and consumer insights on the Baby Boomer population. We work with industry leaders, experts in the fields of design, engineering, marketing, nursing, and medicine, and utilize a host of young creative talent. LWC is perfecting this new model, harnessing the vast potential of interdisciplinary problem solving and innovation.
Working with the University of Cincinnati (UC), a major research university, the Live Well Collaborative taps the talent of the top-ranked College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, College of Business, College of Medicine and Nursing and College of Engineering, each with a long track-record of successful industry-sponsored research and studio projects.
The Live Well Collaborative presents innovation and problem-solving workshops to meet the needs of industry partners as well as interested organizations. The LWC also provides yearly collaborative events focused on the 50+ consumer.

Img-process_model LWC uses a structured innovation and design process.  The process begins with the sponsoring company identifying an opportunity to be explored. This could be a product or a service solution. Next, the interdisciplinary faculty and staff team is created. During the 10-12 week studio project, the sponsoring company provides background information and reviews progress. Based on qualitative research, consumer insights, and company feedback, the teams then design innovative products or services which can include prototypes, technology solutions, and business models.

Craig Vogel, President of LWC and Associate Dean of Research and Innovation at the College of Design Architecture Art and Planning at the University of Cincinnati said that the over-50 consumer of today wants to continue their current quality of life as they age.  “Younger consumers look for the latest technology breakthrough while 50 plus consumers look for comprehensive innovation. A new product for over-50 consumers must be technologically advanced but also easy to adopt into and support the needs of aging consumers’ diverse and active lifestyles.”

To get your company involved with the Live Well Collaborative, contact info@livewellcollaborative.org.

Innovation in Practice: Three Years and Counting!

Published date: December 6, 2010 в 3:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,

Today marks the third anniversary of Innovation in Practice. I am happy to say I see no end in sight.  Blogging is the ultimate truth serum: it helps you discover what you know, how you learn, and how you connect to a community of fellow bloggers.  I use this blog to test my ideas, develop new ideas, and practice what I preach.  I appreciate all of you who read this blog, and I encourage you to reach out to me.  I welcome ways to improve the blog and I would love to hear topics you want me to focus on.

The themes of this blog are:

  •  Innovation is a skill, not a gift.  It can be learned like any other skill such as marketing, leadership, or playing the guitar.  To be an innovator, learn a method.  Teach others.
  •  Innovation is a two-way phenomena.  We can start with a problem and innovate solutions.  Or we can generate hypothetical solutions and explore problems that they solve.  To be a great innovator, you need to be a two-way innovator.
  •  Innovation must be linked to strategy.  Innovation for innovation’s sake doesn’t matter.  Innovation that is guided by strategy or helps guide strategy yields the most opportunity for corporate growth.
  •  The corporate perspective, where innovation is practiced day-to-day, is what must be understood and kept at the center of attention.  How the corporate practitioner views the academic community, the consulting community, and the research community is where we will find best practices.  This is where truth is separated from hype.

2010 Highlights

  • I became a full-time academic after retiring from Johnson & Johnson in May.  This frees up a lot of time to do the writing, consulting, and research in innovation that I have always wanted to do.  Even though I’m in academia, the blog’s focus will remain “The Corporate Perspective” because this is where I believe innovation has to be ignited to drive economic growth.  Academics teach, and practitioners do.
  • The LAB series continues to push me to innovate in new ways.  This year, I innovated the Blackberry, the game of baseball, website design, retail selling, Legos, service models, water access, party planning, an aquarium, wedding invitations, and the iPad.

2011 Focus

  • New Audiences:  I want to expose innovation methods to kids, seniors citizens,  people with disabilities…anyone who wants to make a difference with innovation.
  • New Relationships:  I look forward to strengthening my ties to some very special people including Jacob Goldenberg, Amnon Levav, Yoni Stern, and the entire team at S.I.T..  Also, Christie Nordhielm and Marta Dapena-Baron at Big Picture Partners, Bob Cialdini at Influence at Work, Yury Boshyk at Global Executive Learning Network, and the team at the Washington Speakers Bureau.  I look forward to new projects with Mark Adkins at PDMA and Randy Rossi at Bally Design.  All good stuff.
  • New Colleagues:  Special thanks to the UC marketing faculty (Karen, Chris, Fritz, Dave, James, Frank, Bob, Inigo, Norm, Jane, Raj, Constantine, and Ric).

 
Drew

The LAB: Innovating Water Access in Developing Countries (May 2010)

Published date: May 24, 2010 в 2:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,,

 Shortage of water may become a more catastrophic problem than food or energy shortage according to experts.  The problem affects developing as well as developed countries including the U.S..  For this month’s LAB, we will look at how the corporate innovation method, S.I.T., can be used to address such a serious issue.  The following ideas were developed by students at the University of Cincinnati working on the PUR water filtration system from Procter & Gamble.  They are excellent examples of purpose-driven innovation.  You can download the team’s complete portfolio here.

Pur trek open 1.  TASK UNIFICATION (assigning an additional job to an existing resource):  Hikers and campers can now experience PUR Trek and the confidence of having filtered water at all times anywhere they go. These 16-oz, single-serving, disposable, portable, and easy to carry drink containers offer a flat design for minimal storage, with easy-to- expand, biodegradable Tetra Pak inspired material.  For quick filling at a stream or other water source, the open top design allows the user to quickly scoop up the cool unfiltered water.  Then as the user drinks from the active filtering spout, all sediment and harmful particles are left behind in the bottom of the container.  Consumers can count on one disposable container to last up to 10 days, and they can be purchased individually or in 10- packs.

2.  MULTIPLICATION (making copies of a component but changing it):  The PUR-2-Go is PUR’s latest product targeting the needs of busy students and singles. Its two compartment pitcher is easily filled through PUR’s new electronic filter system. Integrated in the lid, this new filter works so fast that it filters instantly and makes a holding compartment in the pitcher unnecessary. The two compartments of the pitcher easily break in two. The bigger compartment can stay in the kitchen while the smaller compartment transforms into a reusable bottle of water to go.  This makes the use of bottled water unnecessary because the PUR-2-Go is just as easy to handle and quick to use. This grab and go usability of the PUR-2-Go makes it more convenient for everybody to commit to a greener lifestyle.

Systematic Innovation Tools: The Course

Published date: April 12, 2010 в 2:00 am

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,

I am teaching my innovation course, Systematic Innovation Tools, at the University of Cincinnati this month. The course is a fusion of Systematic Inventive Thinking and The Big Picture marketing framework.  The Syllabus can be downloaded, but here are some details about it:

“This course focuses on how to create value and growth through
innovation in new and existing markets. Students will learn the skills
of innovation and how to apply those skills within the context of a
marketing strategy framework. Students will apply innovation methods
across the entire marketing management continuum including strategy,
segmentation, targeting, positioning, and the 4P’s. The course will be
taught using interactive workshop methods and techniques throughout.
Students will first experience these facilitation techniques while
learning innovation. They will then learn and practice these techniques
so that they can apply them routinely throughout their graduate
experience and beyond.”

Two aspects of this course are unique.  First, we don’t just talk about innovation…we DO innovation.   This current group of 31 graduate students are very bright and skillful when learning and applying innovation.  The other unique aspect is the creation of new products and services that are formalized in a hypothetical company catalog – The Dream Catalog.  This is an effective way to take new innovations and rationalize them into a coherent pipeline for growth.  Students work in teams to create an actual Dream Catalog within an assigned category.  We have six teams for the following clients:

  1. Pitcher1_box_large Procter & Gamble:  This team is innovating the PUR Water Filtration system to make the product line more adaptable in a variety of markets and situations.
  2. General Tool:  The team is innovating a medium sized jet engine to find new improvements or features that would extend the use of the engine into non-aviation applications.
  3. Cincinnati Art Museum:  This team is creating new ideas for how the museum displays art to create a whole new user experience for its visitors.
  4. Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati:  The students in this team are creating new clothing products and accessories for people with Down Syndrome.
  5. Twist Design Studio:  This new start-up company will feature unique, custom-made wedding and corporate invitations.  The students are using structured innovation to create completely new forms of invitations and paper-based products.
  6. Metro Innovation:  This organization holds innovation competitions on behalf of sponsoring cities to drive economic development.  The assigned students are using innovation tools to re-invent how the competitions are run.

For the final exam, students will be given a product randomly (with no advance preparation).  They must use each of the five templates of innovation (Subtraction, Task Unification, Multiplication, Division, and Attribute Dependency) on that product to create new-to-the-world inventions.  They have to take each invention and plot what strategic quadrant of The Big Picture would be most suitable. It demonstrates: 1. mastery of the skills of innovation, and 2.  the ability innovate within the context of marketing strategy.

I will post some of the results the Dream Catalogs and the final exams here on the blog. 

The LAB: Innovating an Aquarium Using S.I.T. (February 2010)

Published date: February 20, 2010 в 3:31 pm

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,

 There are a 183 million pet fish in the United States, more than double the number of dogs.  Fourteen million U.S. households
have fish.  During the past decade, the pet fish category grew by more than 20% making it one of the fastest growing in the industry.  For this month’s LAB, we will apply the corporate innovation method, S.I.T., to the mainstay of fish keeping – the aquarium.

Here are five unique aquarium concepts invented by one of my graduate students, Janette Douglas, at the University of Cincinnati as part of her final exam in “Applied Marketing Innovation.”  For the this exam, each student was given a product randomly.  They had three hours to create new-to-the-world concepts and demonstrate proficiency using each of the templates.

To use the S.I.T. method, Janette starts with a component list:

  1. glass panels
  2. lid
  3. bottom of tank
  4. fish
  5. gravel
  6. plants
  7. filter
  8. water

Here are her ideas:

1.  SUBTRACTION (remove an essential component):  Remove the fish.  Make the tank a “plant only” tank.  The benefits are: lower maintenance, lower cost, more flexibility, and more room in the tank.  The target audience is people who enjoy the peaceful nature of an aquarium but don’t want the responsibility of taking care of an animal.  (DREW’S NOTE: this idea actually exists today, especially for a niche of aquarium owners who “aquascape“.

2.  TASK UNIFICATION (assign an additional job to an existing resource):  Assign the gravel the additional job of regulating water temperature. The benefits are: no need to monitor water temperature as it is self-regulated, easy to add fresh water without having to worry about temperature, and less expensive as you do not need a separate water heater.  Target audience is people who tend to make frequent changes to their home’s temperature or people who live in climates with extreme temperature changes.  Feasibility is a question mark – not sure if this technology exists or could be developed.

Double Tank 3.  MULTIPLICATION (make copies of a component but with a qualitative change):  Multiply the filter but change direction of flow – instead of filtering waste out, the second filter adds components to the water.  The benefits are: easy to add vitamins and other useful chemicals making it easier to control water quality.  Target audience is people who have exotic fish that require specific water conditions.

4.  DIVISION (physically or functionally cut the product or component):  Cut the glass in half. This creates two separate spaces in the aquarium to support two separate marine environments side-by-side.  Target audience is people who want to enjoy fresh and saltwater tanks.  It could also be used by
marine biologists who want to use two separate tanks to do research (manipulate one side and compare results to the other).  (DREW’S NOTE: this product exists).

5.  ATTRIBUTE DEPENDENCY: (create or break a dependency between internal and external attributes):
The glass panels change (clarity) depending on the oxygen levels in the external air and internal water environment so that adjustments can be made accordingly.  Potential benefits: greater accuracy of water composition in relation to the external air.  Target audience is fish hobbyists or scientists needing to carefully regulate oxygen for specific types of fish or plants.

Janette did a nice job on this final exam even though she is not an aquarium owner.  What I like about this example is that is shows how well people can innovate even when they are not experts in the product or service.  I doubt that a person who had
never seen an aquarium could have generated these ideas.  But with just a general knowledge about the domain, people can innovate routinely using structured innovation methods.

Applied Marketing Innovation

Published date: January 8, 2009 в 4:33 pm

Written by:

Category: Uncategorized

Tags: ,,,,,

Learning a corporate innovation method begins with formal training, and there is no better place to do that than in graduate business school.  I am looking forward to meeting the 37 students enrolled in my MBA course at the University of Cincinnati this month. The course, “Applied Marketing Innovation,” is a full credit course.  It is a fusion of Systematic Inventive Thinking and The Big Picture marketing framework.  The Syllabus can be downloaded, but here are some details about it:

“This course focuses on how to create value and growth through innovation in new and existing markets. Students will learn the skills of innovation and how to apply those skills within the context of a marketing strategy framework. Students will apply innovation methods across the entire marketing management continuum including strategy, segmentation, targeting, positioning, and the 4P’s. The course will be taught using interactive workshop methods and techniques throughout. Students will first experience these facilitation techniques while learning innovation. They will then learn and practice these techniques so that they can apply them routinely throughout their graduate experience and beyond.”

Two aspects of this course are unique.  First, we don’t just talk about innovation…we DO innovation.  MBA students in particular are aggressive and skillful when learning and applying innovation. I am sure this group of students will be no different.  The other unique aspect is the creation of new products and services that are formalized in a hypothetical company catalog – The Dream Catalog.  This is a clever way to take new innovations and rationalize them into a coherent pipeline for growth.  Students work in teams to create an actual Dream Catalog within a business of their choice.  In past courses, some students have used this assignment for their own companies.  It is a graded assignment.  I will publish the results of this exercise here on the blog.

The final exam is scary!  Students will be given a product randomly (with no advance preparation).  They must use each of the five templates of innovation (Subtraction, Task Unification, Multiplication, Division, and Attribute Dependency) on that product to create new-to-the-world inventions.  They have to take each invention and plot what strategic quadrant of The Big Picture would be most suitable.  It is a tough exercise.  It demonstrates: 1. mastery of the skills of innovation, and 2.  the ability innovate within the context of marketing strategy.  I will also post some of the results from the final exam here on the blog. 

If you have a product that you would like to see innovated by my students on the final exam, please let me know!

I want to thank Professor Jacob Goldenberg at Columbia Business School and Professor Christie Nordhielm at the Ross School of Business at The University of Michigan for their support in developing this course.  It is intended to be a blend of their tremendous contributions.  It is a privilege to teach it.

Get our innovation model that has worked for 1000+ companies.

    No thanks, not now.