'Summit Forum on Permanent Innovation': Leading industries to new heights

Words by Industrial Development & Investment Promotion
Committee of Taichung City
Translated by Naomi Lai

"Innovation" is a key to economic development for individuals, industries and nations in the 21st century. After the havoc of the financial crisis between 2007 and 2009, difficulties never before experienced are today challenging businesses around the world as economies continue to struggle. In times like these, innovation becomes even more important. To help industries, governments and professionals effectively utilize innovation to increase business value and competitiveness, the Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Comittee of Taichung City hosted the "Summit Forum on Permanent Innovation" at The Splendor Hotel Taichung on September 28.

The forum invited Langdon Morris as a guest speaker. Morris is the author of "Permanent Innovation" and is a Senior Practice Scholar of the Ackoff Center at the University of Pennsylvania, with a research focus on the application of high-level creativity and innovation in complex problem solving. Financial Publishing President Chin-ho Hsieh hosted this event with Chaoyang University of Technology Vice President Wen-Goang Yang, who made introductions at the forum. Taichung Mayor Jason Hu and Globe Union Industrial Corporation President Ouh-Youn Ming also participated in the discussion, which attracted over 600 industrial, government and academic representatives.

Langdon Morris is a partner of InnovationLabs and an affiliate of WDHB Consulting Group. His work focuses on innovation, strategy and collaboration methodologies to solve complex problems with very high levels of creativity and innovation. Recent clients of his have included NASA, American Heart Association, SAP, Gemalto and many others. In his above-mentioned position at the University of Pennsylvania he is also researching complex social and business systems, even as he serves as a senior fellow/member for many other academic research groups.

In "Permanent Innovation", Morris shared his thoughts on innovation which, in his words, is the process of creating new ideas and turning them into new values. "Permanent innovation" is the process of innovating continuously, as a matter of strategy, method, and habit. In his book, he proposes that there are four types of innovation, 10 principles of permanent innovation, and 38+2 great ideas to get started with. The four types of innovation include incremental, breakthrough products and technologies, new business models, and new ventures. Morris also emphasized that the application of innovation cannot depend on chance or luck but, rather, needs to be an integral part of the system, a repetitive process of value innovation and organization adaptation. To reach permanent innovation, it must develop into an innovative culture.
Representing industries, Globe Union's Ming said that if industries in Taiwan wanted to move towards the rich end of an "M-shaped society", they needed to start moving towards the two tips of the "smiling curve"--patents and technology, and brands and services. Taiwan's core industry is OEM (original equipment manfacturing), an industry that needed to innovate its services, products and business models through creative ideas and designs to increase competitiveness.

Taichung Mayor Hu shared his visions about city government innovation, saying that he had treated "the government like a storefront and the mayor like the store owner" since taking office. In managing the city like a corporation, he hopes to "move towards Seattle and surpass Singapore", establishing Taichung's own culture and brand through his advocacy of city aesthetics. Through concrete contruction projects such as the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Fulfillment Ampitheater and planned Taichung Metropolitan Opera House; or through grand cultural events such as Pavarotti's concert and the Jazz Festival, and other cultural activities like the Taichung Lantern Festival, Mayor Hu is pushing tirelessly to brand Taichung as a cultural city. His efforts have drawn younger residents and business people into the city, seeking what they call a "leisure city", a progressive city and a place with hope. Another emphasis for city government innovation is increasing efficiency and decreasing corruption. Just like in a store, good customer service is important and offering it brings a good living environment to the city, as well as loyal customers and profits.

Overall, participants in this valuable event allowed representatives from different fields of business to leave with a deeper, broader understanding about new directions and methodologies for innovation.