We opened up the International Conference on New Business Models with an introductory note (here the video) and a dive-in to a key topic of present-day’s innovation and entrepreneurship discourse: How can we develop viable businesses based on what we really care about?
We respond to this hot issue by presenting the values-based approach to innovation management. Understood as notions of the desirable, values provide a powerful lever for the companies that aspire to do well while doing good. Values can spur innovation in numerous ways, in order to set ambitious visions or to establish a common ground for partnerships, or to understand customer concerns in ways that are more fundamental.
Moreover, as we are moving from a single bottom line to a triple bottom line (of planet, people and profit) to measure business performance, and on to 17 Sustainable Development Goals to strive for, we need to recur to our values in order to interpret and to prioritize these global goals into unique business goals.
In a fishbowl discussion, two industry leaders will share their experiences with, challenges from, and measures to address values in innovation management and sustainable innovation:
- Roman Meier-Andrae, Divisional Head of Corporate IT & Digitalisation, Member of the Executive Board at TÜV Nord Mobility, an organisation dedicated to making the world safer.
- Philipp Baumann, Head of Product at Ecosia, the search engine that plants trees, and which is managed based on six core values.
Following their input, participants from the audience will also join the discussion on „how to drive sustainability-oriented innovation based on shared values”.