Early this week I went to The Foundation�s Forum which debated the above. Speakers included Mat Hunter from the design agency IDEO and Russ Shaw, the former Chief Innovation officer from Telefonica, so unsurprisingly the discussion responded with a resounding �Against � innovation is as important as ever!�.
Despite the predicable outcome the discussion was fascinating and it was Martin Chilcott, CEO of 2degress, who really got me thinking. 2degrees is an online network designed to help people find solutions to sustainability problems. He focused on the need for innovation to create products and solutions that help mitigate �the next mass extinction� i.e. climate change.
A big part of this has to be getting everyone to buy less stuff. So I left the discussion feeling slightly confused about what all this innovation actually is. To me, from a corporate perspective, it�s ultimately about finding ways to encourage consumers to buy more of your product. Does this not conflict with innovating to find solutions to slow climate change? Further growth in consumerism will only make the environmental battle a harder one to win.
So how should people be innovating in these times? It was Mat�s message that I think best sums up the desired approach � whatever the innovation is, it has to meet a real social need.
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