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Technologies, innovation(s) & the revolution in ways we use innovation
For most authors, innovation is based essentially on a range of different technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things (or IOT), Machine Learning, the Blockchain, the Cloud or even 3D printing. In his book “Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation,” Alain Conrard pores over these technologies in detail. But, he also embraces an ambitious vision that reaches far beyond technological considerations.
In his book, Alain Conrard sets the stage for the elaboration of a real culture of innovation. This culture puts the end user, the human being, at the heart of the process. Because the innovation dynamic now kicks off with assessing user needs, customer experience has now become crucial. Alain Conrard uses the term “utributor” to refer to the main character of the system. The “utributor” plays a pivotal role in the value chain, from beginning to end, as opposed to the user who stands by as a spectator and final recipient.
Carlo Purassanta’s point of view
With the release of Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation, Alain Conrard’s approach reflects what many public figures also believe. On the heels of Jacques Attali (writer and President of Positive Planet), and Maurice Levy (Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Publicis Groupe), Carlo Purassanta, President of Microsoft France, joins in and shares his views with Alain Conrard on the following three topics: technologies, the different types of innovation and the revolution in ways we use innovation.
Carlo Purassanta believes that his main mission is to provide customers with “technological opportunity so that they do not get disrupted by new players who completely reshuffle their industry.” After bringing up the different technologies that shape the innovation dynamic, he explains the benefits of Cloud computing, one of Microsoft’s leading technologies around the world.
Carlo Purassanta underscores how important it is that innovation not be boxed in or pre-determined. Innovation comes in many shapes and sizes (incremental, disruptive and so on…and even trompe-l’œil), going from evolutionary to disruptive. He even suggests that these types of innovation should complement and not compete with each other.
In a very captivating exchange of views, Carlo Purassanta and Alain Conrard, show how the new ways we use innovation have completely reshuffled the design, production and even the distribution process of a product or service.
When asked by Eric Revel to comment on the conclusion of the book, he shares Alain Conrard’s view on the three essential rules around innovation that boil down to – innovation that serves humanity, society and the environment. On another central topic of the book, Carlo Purassanta adds that, “data proficiency has become a fundamental aspect since we use and produce more and more data all the time.” He continues by raising awareness on the question of personal data with regard to third parties. “Innovation requires a higher degree of maturity on the part of citizens. We need to be better informed on the values, the ethical responsibility and guiding principles of the companies we decide to share our personal data with.” He refers back to one of the central themes explored by the book: In this all-out technology frenzy, human beings must reclaim control and make sure they are at the heart of the innovation dynamic.
Next important dates
For the release of Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation, Alain Conrard and journalist and columnist Eric Revel (LCI, RTL, France Bleu, CNews) talk about the many pivotal issues around innovation with leading public figures.
These captivating and inspiring conversations are broadcast on newtakeoninnovation.com:
- Already available online: A conversation with Jacques Atali, Writer and President of the Positive Planet Foundation
- Already available online: A conversation with Maurice Levy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Publicis Group
- Already available online: Conversation with Carlo Purassanta, President of Microsoft France
- Monday, Nov. 16th: Conversation with Laurent Bigorgne, Director at the Montaigne Institute
And more to come…
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Change as the only constant
“Innovation” is synonym of “change”. For many, change is hard to deal with. We all tend, more or less, to want to keep things as they are, under control. But today, everything changes all the time. Change has even become the driving force of this whole new dynamic. And it is going to keep accelerating moving forward.
In Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation, Alain Conrard sheds new light on innovation.
His original take on innovation highlights, among other things, that the only constant today is change itself. And, as paradoxical as it may seem, change has become the only thing that is permanent.
Maurice Lévy’s thoughts on the book
With the release of Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation, Alain Conrard’s approach reflects what many public figures also believe. On the heels of Jacques Attali (Writer and President of Positive Planet), Maurice Levy (Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Publicis Groupe) ardent proponent of innovation – he is the creator of VivaTech, tradeshow dedicated to start-ups and technologies – talks innovation with Alain Conrard.
Circling back on one of the main ideas of the book, Maurice Levy explains that, “change is an ongoing phenomenon” that drives the world forward. The charismatic leader of Publicis then establishes how change relates to living out one’s dreams: “Change paves the way to becoming better. We can’t dream of something within a context and situation that are oblivious to change: we always dream of ‘bigger and better.’” Innovation therefore leads to living out one’s dreams. That idea is at the heart of an initiative explained by Maurice Levy in this video: the creation of the Escalator. It’s an incubator set up to reach out to young ambitious talents with great ideas but with no means or connections to make things happen. “Reaching out to underprivileged youth to help make their dreams of becoming entrepreneurs come true is the least we can do,” he adds enthusiastically. Fully agreeing with Alain Conrard, he also underscores the societal aspect of innovation.
Maurice Levy also praises how crystal clear the book is in explaining innovation: “It is an extremely useful book and even greatly needed as it shows innovation moving forward. (…) The book impels us to embrace innovation as an ongoing perpetual momentum, and in that sense, this book is incredible: it invites us to reflect on everything.”
Next important dates
For the release of Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation, Alain Conrard and journalist and columnist Eric Revel (LCI, RTL, France Bleu, CNews) talk about the many pivotal issues around innovation with leading public figures.
These captivating and inspiring conversations are broadcast on newtakeoninnovation.com:
- Already available online: A conversation with Jacques Atali, Writer and President of the Positive Planet Foundation
- Already available online: A conversation with Maurice Levy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Publicis Group
- Monday, Nov. 9th: Conversation with Carlo Purassanta, President of Microsoft France
- Monday, Nov. 16th: Conversation with Laurent Bigorgne, Director at the Montaigne Institute
And many more to come…
- Post Date:
Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation is out! By Alain Conrard, CEO of Prodware and President of the Commission on Digital Strategies of the (METI – professional guild for mid-market companies) – Cent Mille Milliards Publishing.
He sheds light on the challenges and scope of innovation, when it is all full throttle ahead and technological advancements keep pushing back the boundaries of our ways of living (robotics, artificial intelligence, deep learning, big data, the Internet of Things).
With his impressive track record in Innovation Consulting for Growth Strategies, Alain Conrard has a unique vantage point when it comes to innovation. In Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation, he develops a theory based on innovation that stems from hands-on experience garnered from an innovation practice of the highest standard.
A conversation with Jacques Attali
“This book clearly conveys the meaning of what creativity stands for. How challenging it is to hit that creative mark, how you need to be innovation-literate on the one hand, knowledgeable of what has already been done, and also be “the new kid on the block” ready to trailblaze like there is no tomorrow.”
In this video, Jacques Attali highlights the original angle of Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation: that of a “business practitioner” who gives innovation a lot of thought and reflects on how innovation could be a driving force for our society moving forward. In that respect, innovation needs to be positive i.e. a dynamic that will serve future generations. Jacques Attali, along with Alain Conrard, make it clear that innovation is above all about creativity. Providing it does not spell out destruction and amnesia, innovation can foster more harmony between Man and all living things.
A unique vantage point on innovation
Innovation affects all aspects of our lives. It definitely drives the strategy of companies and supports their growth. Key to their competitive edge, innovation is also key to the prosperity of countries. Nevertheless, innovation raises many concerns such as, “Where does it come from?” “Is there really cause for concern?” “How do we make sure we don’t get caught up in something dangerous instead of ensuring that it benefits all?”
Watch videos of the different conversations with Jacques Attali, Maurice Levy, Carlo Purassanta, Laurent Bigorgne and Eric Revel
For the release of Taking the Plunge! A Different Take on Innovation, Alain Conrard and journalist and columnist Eric Revel (LCI, RTL, France Bleu, CNews) talk about the many pivotal issues around innovation with leading public figures.
These captivating and inspiring conversations are broadcast on newtakeoninnovation.com:
- Monday, Oct. 26th: Conversation with Maurice Levy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Publicis Group
- Monday, Nov. 9th: Conversation with Carlo Purassanta, President of Microsoft France
- Monday, Nov. 16th: Conversation with Laurent Bigorgne, Director at the Montaigne Institute
And many more to come…