United States Faces Stiff Competition from China and India for the Lead in Innovation, According to Survey
NEW YORK & LAUSANNE, Switzerland--Nov. 2, 20059, 2005--IMD:-- Automotive, Technology And Internet Sectors Most Vulnerable To Foreign Competition;
-- US Policies Needed To Increase US Talent Pool Of Science And Engineering Graduates;
-- Apple Computer, Google and 3M Top List Of Most Innovative Companies
The results of a quarterly "Fast Track Leadership" survey of business professionals released today suggest that China and India are likely to gain significant market share from the US in the information technology, automotive and Internet sectors. Further, the vast majority of survey respondents (81.1%) believe the US needs to develop policies to increase its number of graduates in engineering and science to maintain its innovative competitive edge against other countries.
The survey, conducted in October 2005 by IMD MBA, Fast Company magazine and Egon Zehnder International, includes responses of 1,962 business professionals in the US and abroad who were asked online quantitative and qualitative questions about the relationship between innovation and business performance. The survey's findings are being published in Fast Company's December issue, now on newsstands, and will be available online at www.fastcompany.com by December 5.
Inroads Against US Market Share
Following are the percentage of respondents who said that they strongly agree or agree with the statement: "China and India's innovativeness is likely to lead to significant market share gains (relative to the US) in several industries."
China India
----- -----
Information Technology 62.4% 85.7%
Automotive 53.9% 12.6%
Biotechnology 37.9% 47.6%
The Internet 35.7% 61.4%
Medicine 29.3% 43.7%
Entertainment 14.6% 23.7%
In addition, more survey respondents agreed (46.6%) than disagreed (27.5%) or held a neutral view (25.9%) that MBA students should pursue jobs in China, India or other fast-emerging markets to advance their creative and innovative talents. Further, most agreed (74.5%) that in today's global market innovation can and should happen anywhere in the world and that US companies should worry less about international rivalry and focus more on where to get things done (74.5%).
"Respondents identify increasing competition from China and India but support the importance of gaining experience and doing business in those markets," said Professor Sean Meehan, IMD MBA Program Director.
Most Admired US Innovators
When asked to name a company they admire for its innovation and creativity, respondents most frequently cited the following companies in this order:
1. Apple Computer 6. Microsoft
2. Google 7. Dell
3. 3M 8. Target
4. General Electric 9. Starbucks
5. IDEO 10. IBM, Southwest Airlines
When respondents were asked why they identified a company as being innovative, the most common reasons cited were:
-- "Continuous innovation and quality products; company stays on the cutting edge."
-- "Listens to customers and meets their needs; focuses its creativity on making business better."
-- "The company's culture fosters innovation and creativity."
-- "Created a new market; transformed their industry."
"While our respondents admire certain U.S.-based companies for their creativity, they also clearly recognize that emerging economies are moving beyond their past roles as sources of raw materials or inexpensive labor," says Mark Vamos, editor of Fast Company. "The United States no longer has a lock on innovation."
Innovation's Key Benefits
Respondents were asked a series of open-ended questions for their views of why a company was admired, how they define innovation and creativity, and what encourages workplace creativity.
When asked to describe the role that innovation plays in their work environment, many respondents said that innovation and creativity are not limited to generating new ideas. Creativity requires fostering the right work environment, enabling employees to listen to customers and creating ideas that work, and responding with solutions to meet the real needs of customers and the marketplace.
According to the survey, the three key benefits of innovation and workplace creativity that respondents consistently cited were:
-- Organizational support and company culture. It is important to foster a workplace culture of creativity and innovation that encourages risk and supports failure, empowers employees, and encourages new, fresh ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. The freedom to succeed or fail and freedom from company politics and bureaucracy should be an important part of workplace culture.
-- Customer focus. Listen to customers and develop solutions that fulfill customer needs.
-- Continuous innovation with ideas that solve company or customer problems. Consistently create new, quality products to keep a company on the cutting edge and create new markets and transform industries. Techniques such as brainstorming, debate, and questioning may help generate these ideas. Focus on creating solutions to company or customer problems.
"Creativity is related to creating the right company culture and focusing on customer needs to develop unique solutions to problems," added Professor Meehan. "Respondents see creativity more as practical solutions to real needs, not just wild ideas."
Sources of Workplace Creativity
Respondents were asked to identify those company departments where creativity is most often found. Their responses (% who agree / strongly agree):
Marketing 69.4%
R&D / Product Development 62.9%
Customer Service 60.4%
Sales 52.7%
Senior Management 52.0%
IT 50.2%
Purchasing/Sourcing 34.4%
Manufacturing 29.4%
Finance 25.4%
When asked about the level of innovation and creativity in their company and their job, more than 50% of respondents agreed that:
-- My job requires innovation / creativity (93.4%);
-- The chance to be creative is a key part of my job motivation (85.4%);
-- My company values innovation / creative ideas (76.9%);
-- My company encourages employees to use their innovative and creative talents (68.5%);
-- My company is innovative (62.0%);
-- My company culture fosters creativity and innovation (54.5%).
Respondents who indicated that their companies value creativity and encourage it among employees were more likely to agree that creativity is found in all parts of their organization.
"These results demonstrate how important room for creativity is in the eyes of today's executives, a fact companies will increasingly have to take into account to attract and retain top talent," said Justus O'Brien, Partner at Egon Zehnder International, New York and Co-Leader of the North America Board Consulting Practice.
Internal Drivers of Workplace Innovation
When asked what produces creative ideas or innovations within a company, more than 50% of respondents agreed that:
-- Workers are most creative when they care about their work and stretch their skills (93.5%);
-- Cross-functional teams best drive innovative results (85.5%);
-- Outsiders seeing a problem with fresh eyes generate creativity (83.7%);
-- Reducing the consequences of failure increases creativity (77.5%);
-- Creative ideas come from teams assembled from many different geographies within a multi-national organization (61.6%).
Only 41.7% of respondents said they agree that confrontation within a team facilitates creativity.
External Drivers of Innovation
Respondents said they strongly agreed or agreed that the following external sources drive innovation and make a contribution to their company's creativity:
Customers 78.7%
Competitors 75.4%
News Media 64.3%
Suppliers 49.5%
Industry/Trade Associations 48.2%
Consultants 46.8%
Universities 44.3%
Government Organizations 13.0%
Legal Advisors 10.6%
Banks 7.3%
About The "Fast Track Leadership Survey"
The "Fast Track Leadership Survey" is a quarterly online survey of business professionals conducted by IMD MBA, Fast Company Magazine and Egon Zehnder International to provide insight into the drivers of business performance. Survey respondents in the US and abroad are asked a series of quantitative and qualitative questions. The survey focuses exclusively on issues affecting business performance in the areas of industrial design, executive leadership, workplace innovation and creativity, and competitive strategy.
Survey Respondent Demographics
-- Total Respondents - 1,962.
-- Under age 35 (27%) / Over age 35 (73%).
-- Male (68.9) / Female (31.1%).
-- Lived outside US at some time (50.6%).
-- Live in US (72.7%), Europe (10.1%), Canada (8.0%), Asia (3.5%), Elsewhere (5.7%).
-- Management Position: Middle Mgt. (29.8%), Senior-Mgt. (26.1%), CEO (15.6%), Lower Mgt. (12.7%), Self-Employed (6.2%), Other (15.8%).
-- Industry: Consulting & Professional Services (15.8%), Technology & Computers (9.8%), Education & Training (6.8%), Finance & Investment (5.6%), Medicine & Healthcare (5.6%), Manufacturing & Construction (5.0%), Engineering (3.0%), Government (2.9%), Other (45.5%).
-- Company Size (# employees): Less than 100 (40.9%), 100-999 (20.9%), 1,000-9,999 (18.1%), Over 10,000 (20.1%).
About The IMD MBA Program
IMD, one of the world's top ranked international business schools, is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. IMD's unique Real World, Real Learning(R) instructional approach prepares its MBA participants for future business success. IMD's state-of-the-art learning facilities and market-driven faculty provide MBA participants the necessary speed and intellectual rigor to address complex business and management issues. IMD is the global meeting place for leadership and has more than 50,000 alumni in over 140 countries. Visit www.imd/mba.ch.
About Fast Company Magazine
Founded in 1995 and published monthly, Fast Company (www.fastcompany.com) covers ideas, trends and individuals devoted to managing change in today's economy. The magazine is owned by Manseuto Ventures.
About Egon Zehnder International
Egon Zehnder International (www.egonzehnder.com), with 300 consultants operating from more than 59 wholly owned offices in 38 countries, was founded in 1964 with a distinctive vision and structure aimed at achieving two basic goals -- to place its clients' interests first and to lead its profession in creating value for clients through the assessment and recruitment of top-level management resources.
A copy of the survey report is available upon request.
