
Innovation in services
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Service Innovation: The Next Big Thing - BusinessWeek
When most consumers and corporations think of innovation, sleek, user-friendly products such as Apple's ( AAPL ) iPod come to mind. But leading companies, innovation consultants, and academic researchers are shifting their focus from products to services as the next hot area. The Mar. 28 launch of the Service Research & Innovation (SRI) Initiative, an ambitious Silicon Valley nonprofit founded by executives at IBM ( IBM ) and Oracle ( ORCL ), is a sign that the concept of service innovation is quickly becoming top-of-mind, at least among executives at high-profile companies in the technology industry. "People have a good idea of what technological innovation is," says Jim Spohrer, director of service research at IBM's Almaden Research Center. "But service innovation is more hidden." Though the phrase is not yet widely recognized in the business world, the concept of service innovation isn't new, as Spohrer illustrates with the example of the lightbulb.Try it now, and do the pilot Idea Challenge! Involving your employees, partners, suppliers, customers and even the consumer in your innovation process is the future paradigm of innovation. Quickly set up a pilot Idea Challenge to experience the added value of crowdsourcing and open innovation yourself. This is your unique opportunity to become an innovation frontrunner!

