In order to orient new product and service development towards the (normative) goal of sustainable development, innovation processes most likely need to be adapted. Which structural changes are necessary (e.g. phases/gates/checkpoints), which tools are required (e.g. strategic LCA) and which (new) actors have to be involved?
Erik,
good question! May be this paper can support you with a slice of the answer you need: http://www.saiplatform.org/uploads/Library/HBR_Sustainability_Driver_Innovation_Sept.2009.pdf
I will search other papers on the subject. Regards, Farley
Hansen:
According Thiollent (1994), technological innovation should deal with introducing the best technique or form of organization in the production environment, with positive effects not only evaluated by criteria of economic profitability, but also from social to environmental criteria.
Traditionally, three factors drive the development of products (KAEBERNICK et al., 2003):
(A) the performance of the product; (B) the cost of the product; (C) the cost of development. However, to reduce the time-to-market, another factor is embedded: the speed of development. And with the recognition that we need to achieve sustainable development, there is a fifth objective: environmental performance.
According Luttropp and Lagerstedt (2006), decisions made early in the PDP, influence the selection of materials and components as well as the attributes of the life cycle, including production, use and disposal. Thus, it is essential that environmental issues are considered from the beginning. Some tools are used brainstorming, checklists and information from other projects.
According to my practice here in Brazil working with Danone (and their director for innovation & sustainability) there are two main impacts. First, how the regular innovation stream/pipeline integrates avaliations of social and environmental impacts. Danone e.g. did not launch a potentially very profitable product because it´s CO2 footprint was too high and could not be remediated. Second, how to foster sustainability oriented innovations. There I recommend our new book on "Social Intrapreneurism & all that Jazz" which came out at Greenleaf this year.
It is an excellent topic raised by Erick and the paper listed by Farley Nobre is a good one. "Sustainability" requires wider attention from all sections of society .'Eco friendly living' require a sea change in attitude among producers, manufacturers, industries&consumers.Natural resources need to be used wisely with maximum care. Renewability and recycling requires more attention. Effort to minimize pollution is essential in all walks of life. Drastic change in the present day consumption pattern is essential if we want to address the issue of equity and satisfaction to maximum number of people. We should keep in mind the famous saying that Nature has every thing to meet one's need but cannot meet one's greed! We have to devise a strategy which will help us to enjoy the fruits of nature but at the same time allow us to leave a better world for the coming generations!
Hi Erik !!!
the attached working paper may be of some help .
From my lifelong experience , however, I would add a couple of veyr basic points : tax incentives and/or the role of the State as a key player in structural changes
Hugs !
Dear Erik, I think the paper written by Bocken et al. can provide you a very good answer to what you're asking for.
Bocken, N.M.P., Short, S.W., Rana, P., Evans, S., 2013, A literature and practice review to identify Sustainable Business Model Element Archetypes, Journal of Cleaner Production
Let me know and Regards
Flavio
Hi Erik, thanks for your excellent question. First, I think that the innovation objective changes and that this has consequences for the innovation process as the pursued outcome is related to more stakeholders (not just consumers but further societal stakeholders). Stakeholder involvement should as a consequence be one core difference to many more conventional innovations. Best wishes, Stefan
Hi Erik, I am very interested in your question...
I do not know if you read French, but I wanted to share with you an applied research report we published last year on Sustainable Innovation. We sent for about 40 interviews with Innovation or Sustainability Officers. Have a look...
http://institut-innovation-competitivite.eu/sites/default/files/innovation_durable_i7_escp_europe_weave_air_2013_0.pdf
According to a integral legal framework, that considered social, legal, economic, technical and other items, sustainable innovation is a key factor for future development and to get a complete growth.
The question could have been addressed from a reversed angle: Would innovation change methods of sustainability? The original question presumes a particular notion of sustainability and addresses to how new managerial techniques can be used to achieve that. The suggested reversed question allows an engagement in stakeholder direction led by the character of innovation. I discussed this in
“Implementing Sustainable Development: Institutional Features” Encyclopedia of Life Supporting Systems (with Lawrence Lai), a joint project of EOLSS and UNESCO, 2004
Here is a link to a paper Nicholas Ashford and I wrote on the "Importance of Regulation-Induced Innovation for Sustainable Development". The paper talks specifically about the need to stimulate disruptive innovation, drawing on the work of Clayton Christensen and others.
Article The Importance of Regulation-Induced Innovation for Sustaina...
As some respondents have reasoned, the normative goal of sustainable development has to be attributed to an entity.
For example, a sustainable development of a market entity may cause a sustainable degradation of the society. Here attribution to a company effectively sets innovation limits. An absolutely sustainable company grows into a monopoly. Yet the focus on a market entity could be interesting and productive. It leads to invention of efficient instruments for inside-innovation, drives company maturity and incentivizes technological costs reduction.
Another example, a sustainable development of a geopolitical entity may cause a sustainable degradation of its internal market and market-driven entities. Here attribution to a country effectively sets innovation limits to dictatorship. Yet the focus on a geopolitical entity could be productive in terms of goods and services for the general population. It leads to invention of efficient instruments for outside-innovation, drives societal efficiency and effectiveness, incentivizes costs reduction by adjustment in business models.
There are several other examples. Be imaginative. To list them all is not that important at the time.
The point is: firstly, ask yourself, do you encompass the sustainability of what ? The answer limits the potential of innovation. It sets restrictions on the kind of innovation, which would be successful. It dictates what kind of methods are available to innovators and which structural changes are in demand. It very much restricts the use of technologies, instruments and tools. That is phases/gates/checkpoints. They will be different for different entities in the goal-setting.
The evident answer here: sustainability does change and even strangles the innovation process at the same time.
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