→ Fierce competition today forces companied to become much more → creative and → flexible in their dealings with customers to give them exactly what they want – faster. Creating a partnership with customers will help your organizations maintain the focus you need to → make good decisions and harness the power and commitment you need to weather volatile times.

Keep your major suppliers and → customers well informed of your → new product/service development plans and build bridges through allowing them to work together to develop these → new solutions .

Besides, companies in your → value chain  , as well as their suppliers and customers all need to know what the future will bring so that they can invest in and develop or acquire the → competencies they will need.

Lessons from Winners

BMW’s Virtual Innovation Agency (VIA) is the point of contact for all external innovators who do not as yet have contacts within the firm... More

Corning uses road-mapping as a co-innovation tool that allows customers and suppliers to work together to build products... More

Dell start their innovation process with asking their customers, "What would you really want this thing to do? Is there a different way to accomplish that?“... More

Nypro situated their several plants next door to their customers, partners in innovation, and integrated their new process with theirs... More