Personal Creativity Reflection

Masters of Innovation
The second day of class was very interesting, even more so than the second. Like the first day, we
discussed why and how innovation is a central part of the economy. Job growth, competitive nations,
improving the standard of living, graduate education, and patent processes all drive innovation. We
also discussed skills that were necessary for innovators. Firstly, good customer interaction was
important. Without a good relationship with your market base or end user, a company has no
opportunity to profit or grow. Critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, risk-taking, and
curiosity are all important skills for innovators to utilize as well. We also discussed various types of
innovation. One type that particularly caught my eye was reverse innovation. The traditional model is
a glocalization model. Everything about a product is centralized and distributed to customers all
around the world. However, this is not at all how reverse innovation works. Reverse innovation is
innovation that occurs where the customer base is. The customers needs are perceived in a less-
developed country, and met with a lower cost, more simplistic version of the tool used in developed
countries. The service or product then becomes so cost efficient that its use in developed countries
spikes and the more advanced tools are left behind for the cheaper ones. A wonderful example of this
is GEs portable ECG machine. Originally designed for use in China and India, it is widely used around
the United States, largely because it delivers the same information for about of the price. I hope to go
to medical school one day and work for humanitarian aid organizations. I am also interested in the
technology market, so I could potentially be a part of a story like this one day.
Another type of innovation that we discussed was disruptive innovation. Often reverse innovation can
also be disruptive innovation, but it does not have to be. Disruptive Innovation is how top industry
firms become predictable toppled by new competitors.

Why do good companies go bad? Clay Christenson

Disruptive innovation can be seen when companies with ambition start with a poor product and it
begins to improve. Disruptive innovation displaces an entire occupational area and is introduced by a
player from outside of the industry that is being disrupted. The new product is less expensive than the
original product and it is advanced by enabling technology. This has been proven time and time again
in many different industries.

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Before

After

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Another type of innovation
that was discussed was
innovation via the blue
ocean strategy. The blue
ocean strategy is to innovate
into uncontested market
space. Normally low cost or
a differentiated product is
accepted as innovation in the
business place, but a blue
ocean strategy is both. Blue
ocean strategy makes the competition less relevant, while creating and capturing new demand. The
four characteristics that truly define a blue ocean strategy is the elimination to reduce costs, raise the
industry standard, create a product that the industry had never offered, and reduce factors well below
the industry standard. The quintessential example of this is Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil is a
combination of theatre, dance, music and the circus. The circus aspect allows them to compete with the
traditional Barnum and Bailey circus, but the integration of theatre, dance, and music befit a higher
level of entertainment, and attracted a different crowd; those who normally attend the opera, or see a
Broadway show. The formatting of the shows also enabled it to avoid some of the complications of the
circus industry: younger children, seasonal shows, and increased operating costs. Furthermore, the
show became a culture unto itself. The performers all speak cirquish, so the show is not culturally
specific, and therefore appeals to a much broader audience. The show embraces creativity, and
individual shows are themed, there are no group acts. The picture above is from the show Totem,
which I saw with my family a few summers ago. Its theme was the evolution of mankind. The
performers are all athletes in transition between their professional athletic careers, and whatever job
they will have in the second half of their lives. There is such a high turnover rate that the workers are
non-unionized, and therefore less expensive for the company. Cirque du Soleil raises the industry
standard by providing a unique venue. They created a refined environment by putting actual seats in
the circus tent, and producing multiple productions with artistic music and dance. They reduce the fun

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and humor of the circus as well as the thrill and danger. Finally, they eliminate star performers, animal
shows (which were getting many complaints from animal rights activists), aisle concession sales, and
multiple show arenas. The Cirque story applies to me because I also have an idea on how to
revolutionize fitness training.

During the team learning adventure, my team and I were inspired by a bunch of people working out in
DC. There are boot camps all around urban
areas run by the average person. People will
pay the instructors a certain amount every
class to help them get in shape. Our team,
however, decided that in addition to
working out, it would be interesting to be
set up with someone in your fitness group.
It would be a combination of a dating
service and a gym group. Our app idea
follows the Blue Ocean Strategy to a T. It
eliminates cost due to the location. The fitness group will take advantage of its target area everyone
using the app will be near a big city. Groups can work out in public parks, run along sidewalks, and
even take advantage of bike sharing services like Capital Bikeshare in DC. We will only have the top
athletic trainers run the course to ensure that our members are receiving the best advice and training
that they can. No one in our group had heard of a dating and fitness service combined, so this is a
service that the industry has never offered. Finally, because people will be able to meet face to face,
online profiles do not need to be as advanced as they would on a full dating website, so the company
can save money by spending less on their website. Essentially, we will be combining two target
audiences into one, and it will have fantastic results because blue ocean strategy ideas are innovative
and control new market spaces.

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