Newsletters

April 10 Member Update

By SZarifi@nam.orgApril 10, 2023

4/10/2023

Annual Conference

Learn how to evolve your portfolio to be at the core of sustainability from by José Méndez-Andino, EVP and Chief R&D Officer, Owens Corning.
Discover how John Deere’s ecosystem steered the organization to become a modern smart digital enterprise.
Hear the latest research from Mars Wrigley, the Fox School of Business, and Thinaer on how organizations can guide the cultural changes of digital transformation.
Find out how Georgia Tech’s AI Institute for Advances in Optimization is changing the future of supply chain.
Gain strategies to kickstart meaningful change inside your organization from Brant Cooper, author and CEO of MovestheNeedle.
Learn what new technologies are driving the future of sustainability at DuPont, Michelin, and more.

Join us in Philadelphia May 22-25 for the 2023 IRI Annual Conference!

Visit our website to view the agenda, register, and book your hotel.

Only a few more weeks until the Shaping Innovations Leaders program!

They understand the importance of seeing the world from outside their walls. Participants learn from their peers and competitors as much as from the world leading faculty. Case studies and group work are primary value providers from this course at the highest ranked business school in the world when it comes to developing leadership and this course takes the best of the best to train your high potentials as leaders, while teaching them how to communicate and work with other business functions at your company. It’s like a "mini-MBA" program for rising stars in the innovation world.

Team members acquire the skills needed to successfully manage large projects.
They learn the same vocabulary, needs and constraints as other "MBAs" in the organization.
More new products make it to market because my managers learn how to communicate across the organization.
The course brings together an impressive group of up-and-coming innovators to exchange ideas and gain fresh perspective.
The networks formed with peers last a lifetime.
Kellogg’s top-notch instructors cover topics ranging from marketing, legal, production, finance and more.

Enroll Now

Move quickly and in a disciplined way from concept to cash!

Join us for the IRI TRACK Workshop: Business Model Innovation in Practice on Wednesday, April 20th, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Business Model Innovation can help new concepts succeed in your organization by creating new revenue-generating ways and increasing profitability. By developing a unique business model, your organization can differentiate itself from competitors and capture new market opportunities. This approach can be particularly effective in industries where traditional business models are no longer effective, or disruption is imminent. Business model innovation also allows for experimentation and flexibility, enabling organizations to adapt quickly to changing market conditions. By embracing new and innovative approaches to business, organizations can remain competitive, attract new customers, and achieve sustainable growth in the long term.

Why Attend?

Find out how business model innovation can help new concepts succeed in your organization
Define business models in a way that helps you understand what makes each work
Learn how to develop, test, and introduce a new business model
Master the Business Model Pyramid to advance your own business model innovation efforts

Jim Euchner, PhD, Partner, Outside Insight Consulting, LLC. Dr. Jim Euchner is Visiting Professor at Aston Business School (UK) and Editor in Chief of Research-Technology Management. In his consulting practice, he helps companies to implement businesses enabled by emerging technologies, including AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), automation, and predictive analytics.

Please join us for a very timely IRI TRACK Workshop: Managing Innovative People on April 26th at 1pm EDT.

Creative individuals often work on innovative and cutting-edge projects, which require them to think outside the box and challenge the status quo. They tend to have different perspectives on problem-solving and may be more willing to take risks and explore unconventional ideas.

Understanding and appreciating their unique skills and perspectives is essential while providing them with the necessary resources and support to succeed.

The workshop will focus on the pragmatics of managing creative people and building innovative organizations. It does not focus on technical management but rather on the range of skills a researcher or technical staff member needs to be both successful and fulfilled.

These include building relationships, addressing the common challenges of managing independent and creative staff, hiring for success in the organizational context, engaging people with widely varying motivations, approaches to mentoring, and helping people to manage their career paths.

The Management Molecule
The Challenges of Managing Creative People
Hiring and Retention
Employee Engagement
Managing Hybrid Work
Mentoring Career Challenges

Presenters:
Martha J. Collins, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, Harbison Walker International (HWI). Dr. Collins has 33 years’ experience as an innovator in the chemical, refractory, and oil and gases industries. She has worked in research and development organizations leading innovation teams developing and acquiring new products, platforms, and technologies.
Jim Euchner, PhD, Partner, Outside Insight Consulting, LLC. Dr. Jim Euchner is Visiting Professor at Aston Business School (UK) and Editor in Chief of Research-Technology Management. In his consulting practice, he helps companies to implement businesses enabled by emerging technologies, including AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), automation, and predictive analytics.
Spencer Pugh, PhD, Principal, Prospect Ridge Consulting, LL. Dr. Spencer Pugh is an executive with over 40 years of experience in technology development, product commercialization, and business management.

April 14, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT

RTM Lunch and Learn: Do traditional product companies need to shift their patent strategy for digital products and services?

Paul Germeraad, a leading international IP expert, argues that they do.

Learn why at an RTM Lunch & Learn on Friday, April 14. Paul will give a brief presentation about why companies need an IP strategy that includes freedom-to-operate and freedom-of-action. He will explain why using this approach will enable traditional product companies to create a cost-effective, competitive advantage for both their core hardware and new digital/software business lines. Paul will answer participants’ questions in a Q&A following his presentation.

IRI Launching New Conference in Fall 2023 – Save the Date to Join Us in Atlanta on October 2-4

Join innovation thought leaders this fall to explore the tactical side of innovation management and the tools your company needs for an innovation tune-up. Content will be provided in a diverse array of formats like accelerated TRACK workshops, dynamic roundtables and research projects, case studies, keynote panels, and off-site sessions hosted by Georgia Tech.

This event will combine elements of the Networks Program, SPRING communities, TRACK Workshops, and PILOT research projects into an immersive learning experience, covering topics such as:

How AI is the Changing the Way We Work
Sustainability + Agile + StageGate
Getting the Right People for the Job
Portfolio Prioritization and Decision-Making in the New Normal
And much more!

Mark your calendar to join us in Atlanta on October 2-4! Registration will open at the end of the IRI Annual Conference.

IRI’s Sustainability Community

The J.M. Smucker Company is working with their suppliers around the world, including the Upper Midwest, to promote sustainability in their practices. This includes working to promote healthy soil practices in the Great Plains to help ensure that the wheat going into Uncrustables™ sandwiches causes fewer holes in the bread and keeps jam from leaking out! To get the full story, check out this podcast with Rebecca Ott, Director, Sustainability, at the J.M. Smucker Company.

Want more sustainability content? Join IRI’s Sustainability Community. We’ll also be meeting live with an interactive session at IRI’s Annual Conference that will help you assess your organization’s sustainability maturity (and figure out how to move it forward!) with Jamie Pero Parker, Sustainability Lead, RTI Innovation Advisors.

Related News

Newsfeed: How a Chemical Manufacturer Made Testing Easier

November 13 Member Update

September 11 Member Update