86. How innovation and marketing drive change together

The Unicorny Marketing Show

In this episode of The Unicorny Marketing Show, Professor Ben M. Bensaou of INSEAD Business School joins us to discuss how organisations can build a culture where innovation thrives.

Bensaou shares real-world examples from companies like Starwood Hotels and Fiskars, showing how even established businesses can invigorate their innovation processes by involving everyone, not just the experts.

• Understand how to foster innovation across your entire organisation.

• Learn the significance of considering non-customers in your innovation strategy.

• Discover ways to manage and sustain innovation beyond just the R&D teams.

Don’t miss out on this valuable discussion that could transform your approach to innovation in business.

About Ben M. Bensaou

Ben M. Bensaou is Professor of Technology Management and Professor of Asian Business and Comparative Management at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France. He served as the INSEAD Dean of Executive Education from 2018 to 2020. He was a Visiting Associate Professor at the Harvard Business School for 1998-1999, a Senior Fellow at the Wharton School of Management for 2007-2008 and a Visiting Scholar at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley for 2013-2015. He was also a Visiting Professor at Kobe University for 2021-2022.

Bensaou is a leading expert on Innovation and how to build, maintain, and enhance a company’s collective innovating capabilities. He was nominated for the 2023 Thinkers50 Innovation Award and his book Built to Innovate: Essential Practices to Wire Innovation into Your Company’s DNA (2021, McGraw-Hill) was selected as one of the Thinkers50 Top 10 Management Books for 2022. Bensaou explains in detail his systematic approach. It defines specific innovative practices and roles for employees at each level of the organization, offers tools and a process methodology for innovating, and presents a host of vivid case studies that illustrate the dramatic benefits possible.

Links

Full show notes: Unicorny.co.uk

LinkedIn: Ben M. Bensaou | Dom Hawes

Website: benbensaou.com

Sponsor: Selbey Anderson

Other items referenced in this episode:

Built to Innovate by Ben M.

Bensaou with Karl Weber

Fiskars

How gamers with disabilities helped design the new Xbox Adaptive Controller’s elegantly accessible packaging by Deborah Bach, Microsoft

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée A. Mauborgne

Unicorny episodes Maja Gedosev from JetBlue Airways

Joyce King Thomas' VCU Brandcenter graduation speech May 2019

Chapter summaries

The state of creativity in business

Dom Hawes explores whether short-term thinking and remote work are stifling creativity in business. He introduces the episode’s focus on reigniting innovation with insights from Professor Ben Bensaou.

Meeting Professor Ben Bensaou

Professor Ben Bensaou shares his background and his work in helping organisations enhance their ability to innovate. He introduces his approach to transforming traditional companies into leaders in innovation.

Insights from Starwood Hotels

Bensaou discusses a case study involving Starwood Hotels, where 700 frontline managers participated in an innovation exercise in Paris. The result was a significant number of new ideas, highlighting the value of engaging all employees in the innovation process.

Fiskars: Building on a legacy

The conversation turns to Fiskars, a 400-year-old company that systematically entered new markets through a disciplined approach to innovation. Bensaou explains how understanding customer journeys led to the creation of award-winning products like the Waterwheel.

Rethinking innovation myths

Bensaou challenges common beliefs about innovation, stressing that it’s not just for a select few, doesn’t always require major breakthroughs, and shouldn’t be confined to specific departments. He advocates for a more inclusive approach to innovation within organisations.

Structuring innovation efforts

Dom and Ben discuss how to effectively manage innovation within organisations. Ben introduces the concept of encouraging innovation across the entire company, and shares practical advice on how to achieve this.

The importance of non-customers

Ben introduces the idea of non-customers and how focusing on them can lead to valuable innovation opportunities. He provides examples from companies like Nintendo and Philips to illustrate the potential of this approach.

Philips: Shifting focus to unlock opportunities

Ben Bensaou explains how Philips successfully pivoted their sales strategy for a new mercury-free lamp by targeting CFOs and sustainability teams instead of traditional purchasing departments. This shift highlights the value of engaging with non-traditional stakeholders to drive innovation in B2B settings.

Keeping the flow of new ideas

The episode concludes with Ben’s advice on how to consistently generate and manage new ideas. He highlights the importance of looking for innovation opportunities in all areas of business and fostering a culture that supports this.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Podder - https://www.podderapp.com/privacy-policy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy