General Motors

A STRATEGY FOR NEW GROWTH The electric car itself is not a new idea. But there have always been problems with the state of batteries—they’ve been too bulky and expensive and only offered a limited driving range. The Volt team turned the problem on its head by embracing the range limitation, conceiving a car with… Read More

Syngenta

MEETING THE INNOVATION CHALLENGE As one of Earth’s largest agri-businesses, Syngenta aims to achieve many different kinds of growth on a daily basis. Formed in 2000 as a result of a large merger, the Basel, Switzerland firm found itself unable to bring to market enough new products to achieve consistent, organic growth—even though the 25,000-employee… Read More

Innovation Lessons from Electric Cars

What will customers expect from electric vehicles? It is a critical question that automobile companies are debating right now. And the way in which companies answer the question carries important lessons for innovators. Nissan believes that customers will use electric vehicles primarily for short trips around town, which mirrors most people’s current car usage. The […]… Read More

What Edison Would Tell Utilities Today

The other day my colleague Mark Johnson wrote that it is taking utilities a long time to develop smart grid technologies because the smart grid is fundamentally about less — i.e. running the grid on less electricity via better and more efficient operation, which stands in direct contradiction to power companies’ fundamental business model. But […]… Read More

How to Jump-Start the Clean-Tech Economy

The authors propose a framework for thinking about clean tech that consists of four interdependent components: an enabling technology, an innovative business model, a careful market-adoption strategy, and a favorable government policy.… Read More