Transforming R&D To Win In Global Innovation Networks

As Western firms look to serve markets beyond national borders and source ideas across national boundaries, they are ditching their rigid, self-centered R&D approach in favor of a fluid market ecosystem, which Forrester calls Global Innovation Networks. This dynamic market structure matches global demand for innovation with worldwide supply. Forward-thinking companies like IBM, P&G, TCS, Best Buy, BT, and Whirlpool have begun to map internal and external resources to the four value-delivery services in the Global Innovation Networks model: inventor, transformer, broker, and financier. In his presentation, Navi Radjou will explain:

• How are Global Innovation Networks different from traditional R&D models?
• How can Western firms use Global Innovation Networks to harness the talent and market opportunities available in India and China?
• Which processes and skills firms need to integrate their globally-distributed R&D activities?
• What are the public policy implications of R&D globalization? How will the US economy – at both national and regional level – be affected?
• What’s the roadmap for transforming the corporate R&D function from a technical inventor to a market-focused orchestrator of Global Innovation Networks?

Presenter(s)

Navi Radjou is a Vice President at Forrester Research, an independent technology and market research company, which focuses on the business implications of technology change. Navi investigates how globalized innovation, with the rise of India and China as both sources and markets for technical innovations, is driving new market structures and business processes, which Forrester designates as "Innovation Networks." He advises senior executives worldwide on new organizational designs and business processes their firms must adopt to sustain global competitiveness through technology-enabled innovation.

From 1999 to 2004, Navi served as Forrester's lead supply chain analyst, advising manufacturers around the world on issues related to product development, supply chain, and customer service. Navi has had wide exposure in national and international media, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, BusinessWeek, and Business 2.0. He is a frequent speaker to senior executive groups and at conferences.

Prior work experience includes IT consulting for the National Computer Board in Singapore and the Ministry of Science in Thailand, as well as working as a development analyst at IBM's Toronto Software Lab.

Navi holds undergraduate degrees in computer science from the University of Paris and CNAM-Paris and an M.S. in information systems from the Ecole Centrale in Paris. He attended the Yale School of Management.