Часто приходится слышать мнение, что Microsoft не дает миру ничего нового, а лишь копирует чужие идеи. Boston Consulting Group и Knowledge@Wharton считают по другому. Они поставили Microsoft третьей в списке самых инновационных компаний мира после Apple и 3М, но впереди Nokia, Samsung, Toyota и многих других. 

Each year, Bill Gates escapes to a hideaway on Washington State’s Hood Canal to ponder Microsoft’s next leap forward. Any Microsoft employee can submit a written proposal for a new product or service for him to consider during the days he is there. He promises to read them all.

 

Gates’ ritual is part of his push to ensure that Microsoft remains at the forefront of innovation in the software industry. If Gates likes an idea, he’ll return to the company’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters and launch a new initiative around it.

 

Few bosses — Gates’ official title these days is chief software architect — devote that kind of energy to innovation. But for Microsoft, Gates’ attention to it has paid off. Though Microsoft is a giant with a market capitalization of nearly $300 billion, its executives say it retains the agility of a startup when it comes to introducing new products and improving old ones. It was named the world’s third most innovative company, behind Apple and 3M, in a poll conducted last year by Boston Consulting Group and Knowledge@Wharton.

Детали: 

Inside the Art and Craft of Innovation – Knowledge@Wharton