The key to how IBM innovates is that it manages to create collaboration among all the moving parts—not only internally, but externally as well—into a key competitive advantage. Because it actively works across the innovation ecosystem, it is able to see things—and act on them—earlier. Meyerson believes that putting customers at the center is crucial.

[expand title=”Read More . . .”]Steve Jobs famously said that “people don’t know what they want until you show it to them,” but Meyerson counters, “Our customers can’t tell us about a future that doesn’t exist yet, but they can tell us about unresolved problems and we can get to work on them. Addressing a really grand challenge like Watson can begin 5 or 10 years before the result is seen in public. It was a science project, but with business problems in mind.”[/expand]

Reinventing the Future: How IBM Innovates – Innovation Excellence

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