The PDMA Handbook of New Product Development defines Radical Innovation as “…a new product, generally containing new technologies, that significantly changes behaviours and consumption patterns in the marketplace.” During the PDMA conference last year I had several discussions with people regarding the level and type of product innovation in New Zealand. A recurring theme from these discussions was the surprise at the number of radical product innovations that have come out of a small country like New Zealand. From Richard Pearse, purported to be the first man to fly, to Ernest Ruthford, the Hamilton Jet, Gallaghers electric fence, Fisher and Paykell’s smart drive, Fonterra’s milk powers – the list goes on and on.
A particularly interesting radical product innovation I came across recently is a system to better enable blind people to navigate around unfamiliar places. See http://www.povidi.com/. A short excerpt from this website:
“Povidi is proud to announce the SoundPost Orientation System, a simple affordable solution that allows for the first time, a blind citizen to cross up to 30 metres of open space. Straight across the car-park out front to the entrance, across the foyer to the information counter, or maybe the ability to identify a specific building along the street, the possibilities are endless and the benefits speak for themselves.”
I have been asked by PDMA’s Vision magazine to write a short article on radical innovation in New Zealand. Over the next couple of months, a small team at Massey University will be looking at case studies of radical innovation in New Zealand in an attempt to uncover if we are more inclined to radical innovation than many other countries and, if so, what are the key drivers. Perhaps it’s our small size, our willingness to chat with everyone and anyone, our lack of financial resources or that inate ability to make something out of very little.
If you have any thoughts on this topic – case studies, comments for and against my theory, please send me an email A.M.Anderson@massey.ac.nz
