Springboards for Innovation: Going Beyond the Product
Mary Poul, Business Development Manager, 3M Healthcare
Rita Shor, Shor Enterprises, LLC and former 3M Innovator
Do you struggle to find ways to apply innovative thinking to your existing business, especially if you are not responsible for new products?
Does your team find it difficult to convert marketplace input into business concepts that will create a long term sustainable new business?
Using 3M experiences and other materials from their recent workshop at the Innovations Immersion Conference, Mary and Rita will provide you with some of the tips and techniques you can employ to combine what you know about your customer and marketplace needs with innovative solutions that can add significant value to you and your customers…beyond the product or product category.
You will use the following tools to generate creative solutions to your marketing, communication or business development efforts:
• Consider the Doblin 10 innovation categories for your business
• Use business model springboards
• Apply Lead User and “Make it Stick” thinking
About The Speakers
Rita Shor and Mary Poul have passionately pursued innovation techniques to drive business growth throughout their careers. They each led pilot teams to develop the Lead User Research method featured in the Harvard Business Review and taught in MBA programs globally.
Rita Shor is a former teacher, entrepreneur, and 33 year business growth expert with 3M. She has driven new product growth for a variety of 3M businesses, including occupational health, automotive industry, and medical products for surgical applications. As a capstone of her 3M experience she has led the coaching organization that has deployed 3M’s new stage gate process globally with an emphasis on marketing excellence. Late in 2007 Rita is combining her extensive corporate and entrepreneurial experience to launch Shor Enterprises where she will assist organizations in effectively deploying teams that accelerate successful innovation projects.
Mary Poul has dedicated her career to getting new products and business ideas successfully launched. Previous to joining 3M eleven years ago she worked with clients such as GE Medical Systems, ITW, Micro Medical Devices, and American Express to commercialize new products into new markets. At 3M she has built on this experience to commercialize everything from a consumer skin repair product line to a new refrigeration technology, managed a group that provided new business growth expertise to all 34 divisions and 68 international subsidiaries of 3M and currently is a business development manager for 3M Healthcare.
About the Event Sponsor
The Master of Business Communications program at The University of St. Thomas is a unique program for professional communicators. It offers professional development for mid-career professionals, communications specialists, and people in transition. For more information, go to www.stthomas.edu/mbc or call (651) 962-4380.
Expanding on our innovation theme for the January meeting, we are introducing a networking activity at 7:45, hosted by Spoken Impact. Come early to participate in a fun “mix and mingle” activity that will lead to more new relationships and business contacts. Why not make the most of your AMA membership!
Meeting Specifics
Date and Time
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
7:30 – 7:45 AM: Registration
7:45 – 8:00 AM: Networking Activity
8:00 - 9:00 AM: Program
9:00 - 9:30 AM: Q&A / Meet the Speaker
Location
University of St. Thomas
Minneapolis Campus, Opus Hall Room 201
1000 LaSalle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 926-4000
Directions
Cost
Member $35
Guest $60
Student $25
Registration
Advanced registration is now closed but you can still register at the door.