Business Week's 25 Champions of Innovation
Who makes the top 25 and why? Michelle Conlin writes that championsshare many traits, but three stand out: First, they speak the language of design and user-friendliness. Second, they derive their clout directly from the top and are the CEO's consiglieri on creativity. And finally, they are mostly women. Nearly 70 percent of the Innovation Champions are female. Ponder that.
Reading through the portfolios of the innovators, one characteristic pops out over and over again - these innovators have knowledge of their customers, deep knowledge, and they combine this with empathy. Their "empathy" or "insight" enables them to tap into aesthetics and functionality of products or services that work for / delight us, their customers. All of them seem to be masters of design thinking.
Tags: innovation
