PO Box 20641, Bethlehem, Pa, 18002-0641
Helping clients drive customer-based innovation within their organization
The key phrase here being customer-based. True innovation (or at least profitable innovation) must originate from the perspective of the customer and the customer’s applications, by better understanding how he/she is doing their job and what problems he/she is trying to solve. Finding ways to make that job dramatically easier, safer or more efficient is what results in truly disruptive products.
My approach is to work directly with a client’s own cross-functional team – directing them to engage with their own customers and end users to better understand that customer’s key needs and drivers. We will also consider how those needs are evolving, based on changing industry trends and regulations. This will allow us to define a strategy and identify innovative solutions based on those anticipated future customer needs. Completing this as a team creates alignment among team members and instills a high level of ownership in the resulting approach.
We will also investigate and identify emerging technologies which could enable new and better solutions to meet those customer needs. Once this technology landscape is understood, I will guide a client’s team through a structured effort to develop confidence in applying these new technologies to their own product offerings. Developing this confidence somewhat offline, upstream from a full scale NPD program will minimize risk and improve the chance of later project success.
Most companies appreciate the importance of having alignment around a well-defined VISION. However, many organizations struggle to look more than one project cycle ahead, which constrains the possibility of truly disruptive innovation. What I propose is a similar approach around an entire product platform or category. The resulting intelligence can be used to define a broader product and technology roadmap focused on a 3-5 year horizon. Such a roadmap can facilitate alignment across the organization on the business direction and execution strategy. I will direct your team through this process.
Fundamental to this approach is an organizational CULTURE which encourages innovation - a forward thinking environment where new ideas are encouraged, shared and collectively developed. Individual creativity is an asset to any organization, but a team of employees who are willing to share and build upon each other's ideas is far more capable of developing breakthrough yet feasible concepts. Such a culture can develop from within the team, but absolutely requires the support of senior leadership. I will assist you to build this culture.
Once the intended direction is defined, I will lead a client's team through an assessment of the technical CAPABILITY needed to execute the strategy effectively. This starts by developing an inventory of the specific skill sets which will be important to the intended future state, and understanding the specific strengths and gaps of their current organizational capability against these future needs. Once the future skills gaps are understood, the team can explore alternatives to fill significant gaps in a variety of ways, including :
- Hiring strategy,
- Technical training & development,
- External partnerships and alliances
- Acquisitions.
Learn More
Contact us to explore how this approach could be applied to the specific challenges in your organization.
Profile -
.jpg/:/rs=w:400,cg:true,m/qt=q:1)
David R. Hicks - Managing Principal
David Hicks is an experienced technical executive with over 30 years of achievement in the development of new products and solutions. His expertise is derived from a history of success in New Product Development and Technology Integration spanning seven different businesses of Ingersoll Rand Company and a diverse portfolio of industrial products and applications. He has built and led global engineering teams distributed across the Americas, Europe and Asia while facilitating highly collaborative workplace cultures passionately focused on meeting dynamic customer needs.
David holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Clemson University,
a Masters of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University and
an Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from the Sloan School at M.I.T.