MackCenter for Technological Innovation

Connect and Develop: Managing Networks of Innovation

Left to right: Larry Huston, VP Innovation at Procter and Gamble who co-organized the event (with George Day); Henry Chesbrough, UC-Berkeley, keynote speaker and author of the book "Open Innovation"; and Darren Carroll, CEO of InnoCentive Inc. the firm that pioneered matching problem-solvers and "solution seekers" in molecular science on the Internet.

"Connect and Develop: Managing Networks of Innovation" was one of the most popular conference topics in 2004- as our distinguished group of speakers and panelists presented a glimpse of the future of innovation.

Our speakers described cutting-edge strategies for obtaining as much as 50% or more of R&D innovation from outside the company, by tapping into Internet based communities of expertise from China, Russia, India and many other previously inaccessible regions of the world.

Henry Chesbrough, author of "Open Innovation" contrasted the old "closed" pipeline for R&D projects developed wholly inside the organization with new "open innovation" approaches that have made the entire technology/marketing pipeline "permeable" and "accessible" so ideas flow both in and out of the company at all stages of the innovation/R&D process.

Darren Carroll said a firm may know every researcher in for example, the chemical industry, but NOT realize that the solution to a chemical problem may come from a physicist or other expert OUTSIDE the known community. Larry Huston described how P&G and other large corporations are beginning to look outside the company for technologies, products and marketing ideas. Dr. Mark Myers, Visiting Professor at Wharton and Senior Fellow in the Mack Center, moderated the panel that synthesized the issues presented at the conference.

Organized by Prof. George Day (Wharton) and Larry Huston (VP Innovation at Procter and Gamble) Click here to see the full agenda.

4rd Annual Technology Mini-Conference - March 5 & 6 - 2004

Deputy Dean David Smittlein (left) welcomed the participants in the 4th Annual Tech Mini Conference at Wharton on March 5-6. Faculty presenters chosen from papers submitted in advance of the conference presented their working papers and received commentary and guidance from senior faculty members as well as peer faculty in the audience. This dynamic and valuable exchange of ideas is part of the process of producing "rigorous" research findings that provide value to companies and management researchers.

The Mack Center for Technological Innovation and Wharton Dept. of Management are proud to host a group of distinguished "rising star" faculty from leading business schools, at fourth annual Technology Mini-Conference.
This annual event is an important part of the Mack Center's effort to encourage and help groom the "next generation" of management researchers and is hosted in collaboration with the Wharton Dept. of Management.