Innovation is Global!

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the 33rd Annual International Conference presented by the Product Development and Management Association. In addition, as Chairman and President of the group, I also participated in a number of PDMA business meetings including a Board of Directors meeting, our annual Research Forum, our first Global Leadership Forum, the US Chapter President's meeting, and more. An outstanding week, showcasing the work of a lot of dedicated, passionate experts in the field of innovation and new product development!

If I had to choose a theme for the week it is that "Innovation is Global". Hopefully, this isn't a surprise for you, as it wasn't one for me, however this time I saw up close a new depth of commitment to innovation and new products from people all over the world. I saw this in the Research Forum where many of the presentations were made by people from Europe and Asia, again at the General Conference where one of the winners of PDMA's Outstanding Corporate Innovator Award was DSM, a Netherlands based company, focused on life sciences and materials sciences, which won for their development of a culture of innovation across their company, and in our Global Leadership Forum which brought together PDMA leaders from six continents in an intense discussion around how PDMA can satisfy the growing global demand for "Connecting Innovators Worldwide" and all that implies.

This week's issue of Newsweek features a story on global innovation, providing data and examples that support what many of us already knew - that innovation knows no geographic borders and that the world has truly discovered that innovation is the path to a better life for all.

And it is on that note that I close. I'm happy and excited to see the world embrace innovation. Yes, as an American, I am concerned that this has implications with respect to our competitiveness and requires us to strengthen our commitment to innovation, yet, as a citizen of the world, I see promise of better days for everyone and perhaps a common theme that can unite all of us on this small planet to work together for a better world with greater prosperity and less conflict for all.

What a great time to be in innovation!