Many people consider there to be only two management functions in a business: engineering and marketing. It is the constant tension between these two functions that propels a business forward, that allows it to find a perfect fit between the resources it has to produce products and services; and the need to relate these outputs to the market.
Depending on your expertise, or the business strategy you employ, it’s all too easy to go too far down one route or the other. Excessively engineering-driven companies can fall into the trap of creating things that no-one wants to buy. A dis-proportionate focus on marketing places too much emphasis on satisfying demand at the expense of stimulating the market with new ideas.
We’re always interested in the development of an effective equilibrium between the marketing and engineering functions, but more excited by the possibilities brought about by the dynamic between service design and innovation.
Service design seeks to build greater user-centricity into the creation of services (and by extension the products that exist in the service eco-system). It is a vital discipline with far-reaching implications. Servitisation can be applied across almost every sector, from public services to manufacturing. A focus on service design can transform the way companies respond to their customers and users. It creates value and improves the position of a business in the market place.
Innovation is a broad term. At its most basic it concerns itself with the effective application of new ideas. There are many models and approaches for innovation but, done well, innovation allows a business to unlock its potential, and use its resources (and the resources of others) to develop new products and services.
So the intersection between service design and innovation needs to be understood. In every business. There are great examples of developments at this intersection, including co-creation, in which the innovation cycle of a business co-exists with its customer relationships. But more work needs to be done.
An approach which connects service design with innovation offers real opportunities for growth, essential in difficult economic times but also a blueprint for a more sustainable way of doing business. A perfect fit between the needs of customers and the creative potential of your business is the best possible model, whatever sector you’re in.
Our Designing Growth programme launches in March. Visit the dedicated website to find out more.
From Products to Services
Marketing Services Development
01 Jul 08, 2010 9:38 am Great dtifnieion here. Thanks for clearing this up. Makes a great deal of sense. I’ll be forwarding this post to me team.
By Sanjei on 2012 02 12