Innovation myopia

Organizations will no longer be able to escape the negative repercussion of a North American, western geo-centric mindset.

There was a time when the internet was, for the most part, American. At the inception of the internet in the late 90’s the U.S. had nearly half of the world’s personal computers. The emerging internet technology, culture and economy was dominated by American/western culture and traditions.

With the development of the smartphone, wired infrastructure and large, expensive computers were no longer required for engaging with the internet. Countries that had been held back from participating in the internet ecosystem due to lack of infrastructure rapidly leapfrogged countries with more established infrastructure. As smartphones become the vehicles by which most people access the internet and western countries reaching saturation, the majority of internet access and growth is no longer in the west.

As the volume of internet usage shifts away from the western world, so too does the locus of innovation. New technologies are as likely to come from Shenzhen, Nigeria, or Bangalore as they are from San Francisco. These innovators view the world as their market while North American companies tend to view dominating the U.S. market as their goal. The pulse of the world's music and fashion influence can no longer be measured in LA, London, Milan, or Tokyo. It take a much broader view to understand the trends that are driving behaviors. Organizations that still believe their competition and inspiration will come from the technology powerhouses of the early 2000s will be left behind as new technologies and trends are increasingly coming from non-western countries.

Every organization should have a person or team assigned to scan for global trends in the organization’s space with a focus on non-western sources. Executive teams should attend regular briefings so they are making strategic decisions with a macro view of their products and services place in the world.

Awareness if just a start. Organizations should also manage a portfolio of the global trends most likely to impact their space with categorized based on which trends to monitor and which present opportunities or challenges that should be acted on. Organizations should actively seek out small technology and creative hubs around the world that are doing interesting things and partner with these organizations to collaborate on new projects.