Celebrating 125 years of strategic consulting, Arthur D. Little today outlined how society can learn from history to power future innovation. The firm highlighted five key past innovations we can learn from:
- Moon landing (1969) "´ Vision and a large-scale goal is important, even if necessary technology and processes must be developed as programs progress. Arthur D. Little conducted key experiments ahead of the moon landings, also working in related areas like space suit insulation and laser reflectors.
- Synthetic penicillin (1960s) "´Turning penicillin´s accidental discovery into a mass manufactured drug was a complex, long term program. Arthur D. Little patented a process to synthetically create penicillin, helping save millions of lives.
- Solar power (1988) "´ Rather than lab research, solar power emerged using freely available resources, adapted to meet our needs. Arthur D. Little participated in solar power´s early development.
- Fibreglass (1931) "´Continual research finds new uses for fibreglass across multiple industries, showing the value of developing existing technologies in new areas. Arthur D. Little´s R&D efforts were the catalyst for fibreglass´s commercial manufacture.
- Electronic trading (1968) "´ For global projects, working as a team is paramount. Arthur D. Little designed the ground-breaking NASDAQ Stock Exchange system "´ the world´s first all-electronic trading system.
Rick Eagar, Head of the UK Technology and Innovation Management Practice, Arthur D. Little comments, "Our ability to innovate and advance knowledge underlies modern societies´ wealth. Valuable lessons learnt from past projects will help underpin innovation for the next 125 years."
Companies shouldn´t become self-satisfied with innovation efforts but remain in a state of "curious restlessness". Arthur D. Little´s recent research reveals greater concentration on new business areas drives future innovation, alongside shifts of innovation capabilities to Asia and South America. The full report can be downloaded from www.adl.com/InnovationManagement.
ENDS
Arthur D. Little "´ 125 years of innovation
Founded in 1886 as the world´s first consulting firm, Arthur D. Little has continually transformed business thinking and practice by applying its expertise in the areas of strategy, innovation and technology. Today, Arthur D. Little helps companies to create growth, overcome challenges, improve innovation capabilities, and increase efficiency and competitiveness in a globalised marketplace.
