Monthly Brown Bag

Join your colleagues in a lively conference call scheduled for the first Friday of each month to discuss the latest and best in innovation management literature.  Discussions include papers appearing in RTM, topical books, Network “hot topics,” and other burning issues.

Bring your comments, questions and concerns and participate in IRI’s popular “Brown Bag” program.

Register to receive your dial-in instructions by sending an email to Michele Taussig, at taussig@iriinc.org.

Mark your calendars for the first Friday of each month, Noon Eastern Time.

Watch this page for details on upcoming Monthly Brown Bag topics.

Previous Topics:

August 1, 2008 - ROR Working Groups Advanced Marketing in R&D and Level 5 Innovation discuss findings from Advanced Marketing in R&D Working Group to bring participants up to speed on the work going on in Level 5 Innovation and discussed what is in a level 4 toolbox, what a level 5 innovation company looks like. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

July 11, 2008 - Roger Miller, Ecole Polytechnique Montreal, discusses "To Manage Innovation, Learn the Architecture", published in the May-June issue of RTM. Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

June 6, 2008 - Authors Chintan M. Shah, Marc A. Zegveld and Leo Roodohart moderated discussion on "Designing Ventures that Work", published in the March-April 2008 issue of RTM. Click here for the audio version of the article.

May 2, 2008 - David H. Henard, North Carolina University, and M. Ann McFadyen, University of Texas, discuss "Making Knowledge Workers More Creative", published in the March-April 2008 issue of RTM. Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

April 4, 2008 - Jean Singer, Singer Consulting, and John Helferich, Northeastern University, moderate discussion on "Supporting R&D Support Groups", published in the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of RTM. Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

March 7, 2008 - Authors Marc Meyer, Neil Willcocks and Bob Boushell discuss, "Corporate Venturing: An Expanded Role for R&D", published in the Jan/Feb issue of RTM. Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

February 1, 2008 - Author Jonas Karlsson, Xerox Innovation Group, moderated discussion on "Taking Care of Xerox Business -- Virtually", published in the Jan/Feb 2008 issue of RTM. Click here for audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

January 4, 2007 - IRI's 2007 Medal Award Winner, Nabil Sakkab, moderated discussion on "Growing Through Innovation", published in the November-December 2007 issue of RTM. Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

December 7, 2007 - Authors Ray Cosner, Alan Fusfled, Carl  Loweth, Jeff Hynds, and Richard Albright discussed "Integrating Roadmapping into Technical Planning", published in the November-December 2007 issue of RTM. Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

November 2, 2007 - Moderator Michael J. Martin, president of Tech Transfer Associates, discusses “University Perspective on Commercialization of IP,” published in the September-October 2007 issue of RTM. Special guest, John Fraser, Executive Director, Office of IP Development and Commercialization, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, also joined discussion.  Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

October 5, 2007 - Moderators Albert Paulson and Gina Colarelli O'Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, led discussion on the article, "Evaluating Radical Innovation Portfoliios," published in the September-October issue of Research-Technology Management. Click here for audio version of this article.
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September 7, 2007 - Frederick Buggie, president of Strategic Innovations International, Inc., led discussion on "Follow these Product Development 'Rules'," published in the July-August issue of Research-Technology Management.   Click here for audio version of this article.

August 3, 2007 - John Medcof, professor of organizational beharior, DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, led discussion on "CTO Power," published in the July-August issue of RTM.   Click here for the audio version of the article.

July 6, 2007 - Moderator Max von Zedtwitz, professor of strategy and innovation management, Tsinghua University, president of AsiaCompete, discusses “Managing Foreign R&D in China” published in the May-June 2007 issue of Research-Technology Management. Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

June 1, 2007 - Dick Lee, CEO, Value Innovations Inc. discusses “What Does Your Most Important Customer Want?” The article appears in the March-April 2007 issue of RTM. Click here for the audio version of the article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

April 6, 2007 - Moderator Michael Maccoby discusses “Developing Research/Technology Leaders,” published in the March-April 2007 issue of Research-Technology Management. Click here for audio version of article. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

March 2, 2007 - Dr. Norm Kuchar, GE (retired), best known as the “father” of DfSS, treated participants to an overview of Six Sigma and DfSS methodology, outlined opportunities for process improvement, and gave practical examples of how GE implemented and benefited from DfSS. Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

February 2, 2007 - Harold (Pent) Penton and Wayne Pitcher, Vice Chair and Chair of IRI’s EAG, led discussion on the article “IRI Group Advised on BP Spin-Off,” published in RTM, January-February 2007 issue, page 7 of “Perspectives” column. Attendees shared what worked and what didn’t at their own organizations during mergers, acquisitions or spin-offs.

January 19, 2007 - In this special mid-month Brown Bag, Jim Scinta, ConocoPhillips and Chair of IRI’s ROR Committee, led a discussion on the “Industrial Research Institute’s R&D Trends Forecast for 2007” report published in RTM’s January-February issue.  Click here for the audio version of the Brown Bag discussion.

January 5, 2007 - Technology Value Program discussion moderated by Alan Fusfeld, President and CEO, Fusfeld Group, Dan Plummer, General Manager, R&D, Sasol North American, and Robert Wikman, Director ACCE, BASF Corp. IRI's Technology Value Program (TVP) for R&D Metrics, completed in 1995, is being renewed and extended by an ROR Project, "Measuring R&D Effectiveness.” The basic concepts and plans for the TVP R&D metrics renewal and extension will be discussed. Click here for the original 1995 TVP article, “Assessing the Value of your Technology”. Power Point of TVP plans also available.

December 1, 2006 - Article “Maximizing Return on Innovation Investment,” published in the November-December issue of RTM, moderated by authors Miles Drake, Senior VP, R&D and CTO, Weyerhaeuser Company and Ronald Jonash, senior partner Innovation Management, Inc and The Monitor Group. This paper was a result of a panel discussion at IRI’s 2006 Annual Meeting reflecting on a Booz Hamilton report stating that there is no correlation between innovation investment and growth. Authors challenged the fundamental logic of the report and Brown Bag participants discussed how-to’s and why’s of measuring innovation. Click here for audio version of article. Click here for the audio recording of the Brown Bag discussion.

November 3, 2006 – Article, “Total Rewards: Good Fit for Tech Workers,” published in the September-October issue of RTM, moderated by author John W. Medcof, professor of organizational behavior at the DeGroote School of business at McMaster University. Click here for audio version of article. Participants discussed reward preferences of different kinds of workers, and the importance of integrating the needs of the organization with the needs of the individual. Participants shared recognition and reward suggestions, and discussed how effectively their company’s reward system is working.

October 6, 2006 - RTM Article, “R&D Structure in a Changing World,” published in the September-October 2006 issue of RTM. Author Tom Tirpak of Motorola, Inc. led the discussion of his paper. Click here for audio version of article. Participants discussed the R&D structure in use in their own companies, how to adapt the structure to changes in the business environment, and how the structure should evolve to support future business strategies.

September 1, 2006 – Discussion of the book, “Blue Ocean Strategy,” by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. Dr. Dick Lee, Emeritus, Johns Manville, currently CEO of Value Innovations, Inc., moderated the call. Participants discussed what they thought of the title, “Blue Ocean,” and what “blue ocean” means within their organization. Discussion focused on how participants are implementing various strategies from the book along with their successes and struggles. The Brown Bag group agreed that the book is a powerful tool, but not a deliberate solution. All agreed that the book is filled with ideas and suggestions to go beyond traditional thinking about the competition. Most companies represented on the call are using or plan to use “blue ocean” strategies.

August 4, 2006 – RTM Article “Protecting Know-How and Trade Secrets in Collaborative R&D Relationships,” published in the July-August 2006 issue of Research-Technology Management.   Authors  Gene Slowinski, Edward Hummel and Robert J. Kumpf moderated the call. Discussion focused on managing the obligations associated with CDAs and NDAs and tracking CDA portfolios.  Participants shared “best practices” in protecting trade secrets.  Click here for audio version of this article.

July 7, 2006 – Discussion on the book “Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology,” by Henry William Chesbrough.  Drs. Randy Guschl and Bob Gruetzmacher of DuPont moderated the Brown Bag.  Discussion focused on specific examples of Open Innovation that produced commercial success in a variety of companies; structural and institutional changes made as a result of open innovation; and metrics to measure R&D success.

June 2, 2006 - RTM Article “Harnessing External Technology for Innovation,” published in the May-June 2006 issue of Research-Technology Management.  Click here for the audio version of this article.  Stewart Witzeman, Gene Slowinski and Larry Gollob facilitated discussion centered on the Want, Find, Get, Manage model for acquiring external technology. Participants and authors exchanged lively comments on topics such as corporate culture, reward systems, and metrics to finding external technology.  Moderators also treated callers to insights and background not available in the article.