For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Case Study: How HP Drives World-Class Product Innovation

Openness And Tight Management Define HP's Innovation Process

by Paul Jackson, September 21, 2009

In HP's 70-year history, it has innovated in many new and established technology fields. But how does the firm cope with the inevitable slide — faced by most dominant global firms — into driving established products rather than innovative ones? Whether . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

War Games Help Top Leaders Build Better Strategies

Booz Allen Hamilton Organizes War Games For Business And Government

by Tom Grant, Ph.D., September 15, 2009

Booz Allen Hamilton's war-gaming practice uses highly structured, well-researched simulations to give business and government leaders more insight into strategies and their consequences. War games began as a tool for militaries to suggest and test new . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Music Release Windows: The Product Innovation That The Music Business Can't Do Without

by Mark Mulligan, September 4, 2009

In the late 20th century, music business artist contracts, development cycles, release schedules, and promotional activity were all shaped around getting a little shiny disc of a dozen or so tracks into the stores. Now in the 21st century, the album straightjacket . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Accessible Innovation

How Interactive Marketers Can Reduce The Risk Of Innovating In A Recession

by Shar VanBoskirk, September 1, 2009

A down economy provides the perfect environment for interactive marketers to innovate; emerging media provides cost-effective ways to keep firms ahead of competition and customer needs. Forrester's Accessible Innovation framework helps firms overcome . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Being Innovative Means Moving Beyond The Hype

B2B Tech Vendors Need To Focus Innovation On Strategy, Management, And Metrics

by Chris Andrews, August 12, 2009

In a recent survey of technology strategy and marketing professionals, more than 84% said that "providing more innovative products and services" is a primary goal for their organizations given the current economic climate. The data shows just how important . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

How The Recession Is Affecting Tech Vendors

Despite The Challenges, Tech Strategists Seek To Innovate And Provide Solutions

by Chris Andrews, July 10, 2009

For the first few months of 2009, many technology companies operated in a general state of confusion. As the credit crunch of late 2008 took its toll on spending, technology vendors were adapting their strategy on the fly — trying to quickly align their . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Innovating Corporate Strategy Services

by Daniel Krauss, May 29, 2009

Blurring boundaries within the broader consulting services market are leading to heated competition among consulting firms around thought leadership and business model innovation. In this context, strategic management paradigms and models are playing . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Driving Consumer Product Innovation

Introducing Forrester's Consumer Product Innovation Viability Scorecard

by Paul Jackson, April 10, 2009

We are entering a period of near-unprecedented change in the consumer product space — available technology, global markets, and new levels of consumer engagement are clashing head-on with recessionary spending pressures, new competitors, and a raft of . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Four Essential Components Of Successful Innovation Initiatives

by Chris Andrews, April 2, 2009

In 2009's difficult economic environment, many technology vendors are placing a renewed emphasis on their innovation capabilities. Not content with adopting a reactive market strategy, these vendors are pushing forward with plans to develop disruptive . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Widgets Complement Mobile Operators' Consumer Mobile Internet Services

But They Accelerate Operator "Deportalization"

by Ian Fogg, March 19, 2009

Only 5% of European mobile phone owners access the Internet on their mobile phones weekly. Widgets — mini, single-purpose applications — improve the convenience and accessibility of the mobile Internet. Alongside flat-rate mobile Internet plans, they . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Market Momentum: Tech-Enabled Business Services Market Activity, H2 2008

by Chris Andrews, March 17, 2009

Many IT service providers are seeking to embed themselves deeper in the core business processes of their customers. In the process, they are uncovering new market opportunities that are increasingly differentiated from traditional IT services work. Service . . .

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Vendor Landscape: Innovation Management Software

by Matthew Brown, March 2, 2009

Increasingly, companies tap information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals for help with corporate innovation programs. In fact, some I&KM pros have already extended traditional collaboration tools, like messaging and team workspaces, . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Five Strategic Priorities That Change In A Recession

New Market Conditions Force Vendor Strategists To Align Short- And Long-Term Goals

by Chris Andrews, February 18, 2009

The economic crisis that hit financial markets in October 2008 has taken its toll on the technology industry. IT customers — many of whom were in a state of confusion in late 2008 — have now implemented their recessionary plans and reduced or eliminated . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Cisco 3.0: A New Tech Star Rises In The East

Cisco Uses India To Evolve From An MNC Into A Globally Adaptive Organization

by Navi Radjou, December 29, 2008

Cisco is systematically globalizing its US-centric corporate culture. To capture the exploding market opportunities in the eastern hemisphere, CEO John Chambers opened the Globalisation Centre East (GCE) in Bangalore in 2007, which de facto acts as Cisco's . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

From Financial Crisis To Economic Recession

What Should The Telecoms Sector Do?

by Mike Cansfield, December 24, 2008

Despite the efforts of governments and regulatory bodies, the financial crisis rumbles on and has yet to be fully resolved. As feared, it has spread like a contagious virus from finance and banking into other sectors of the economy including communications. . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Leveraging Forrester's Research And Models For Strategic Advantage

Uncertain Economic Times Create Competitive Opportunities

by Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., Daniel Krauss, December 22, 2008

A recession provides companies in general and vendor strategists in particular with a unique opportunity to leapfrog the competition. But not all strategic paradigms and models are equally well suited for this task. We have designed Forrester's research . . .

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Enterprise Innovation Needs A Game Plan

by Gil Yehuda, Chris Townsend, December 19, 2008

The practice of fostering innovation by tapping into large groups on the Web to capture their great ideas — also known as crowdsourcing — has received much attention. Yet new trends often breed misunderstanding, and crowdsourcing is no different. Many . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Innovating Strategic Management Paradigms And Models To Thrive Amid Global Change

by Daniel Krauss, Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., December 19, 2008

To navigate to a successful future, you have to understand the patterns of the past. To support strategists in this imperative, Forrester reviewed research on and the practice of strategy and strategic management over the past 100 years. Drawing upon . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Satyam Ignites Innovation From The Bottom Up

Satyam's Distributed Leadership Model Lets Grassroots Innovation Blossom

by Navi Radjou, December 18, 2008

Unlike its rivals, Satyam has seeded its Innovation Network from the inside out, by first unleashing the entrepreneurial talent of its 50,000 employees. Satyam's grassroots "intrapreneurship" initiative is part of a larger corporate experiment to promote . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Sourcing Innovation From Crowds

by Chris Townsend, December 10, 2008

Crowdsourcing has become a media darling — which, rather paradoxically, represents a major threat to the very innovation vendors that market it. Why? Because trendiness breeds misinformation, confusion, and poorly reasoned use cases — making enterprises . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The Tech CEO's 2009 Innovation Agenda

CEOs: Execute A Five-Point Innovation Program To Win In 2009 And Beyond

by Navi Radjou, December 1, 2008

As they elaborate their 2009 strategic plans, tech CEOs might be tempted to prioritize "restructuring efforts," such as across-the-board cost-cutting, in order to survive the deepening global economic recession. While these tactical moves are necessary . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

The Hour Of The Vendor Strategist: Three Mega Business Trends Will Reshape The Tech Sector

by Thomas Mendel, Ph.D., Navi Radjou, November 21, 2008

The news headlines are awash with gloom-and-doom news about the mortgage crisis, the financial sector's meltdown, and rising unemployment. Western economies are undoubtedly plunging into a recession. Yet, Forrester encourages forward-thinking tech vendors . . .

For Technology Product Management & Marketing Professionals

Serious Games Uncover Serious Requirements

by TJ Keitt, Tom Grant, Ph.D., November 19, 2008

Serious gaming provides an alternate way to collect and analyze product requirements. An increasing number of companies are using serious games to inform product decisions. At the same time, a small number of serious gaming vendors have emerged, providing . . .

For Sourcing & Vendor Management Professionals

Embed Innovation Within The Sourcing Contract

Contract For Above- And Below-The-Line IT Services Impacts

by Euan Davis, October 28, 2008

The innovation labors of vendors disappoint sourcing decision-makers. To avoid this disappointment, sourcing groups should link innovation with two broad themes — driving transformation or lowering cost and risk. These themes represent innovation delivered . . .

For Vendor Strategy Professionals

Tech Strategists: Shift Your Innovation Priorities

Business Model Innovation Is Key To Winning In The Post-American Tech Economy

by Navi Radjou, October 16, 2008

More than 81% of tech strategists report that innovation is important or very important for their job responsibilities. Unfortunately, most tech vendors prioritize product and service innovation over novel business models and creative partnerships. By . . .