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SUMMARY:Managing Innovation: an oxymoron? - David Lawrence\, Syngenta
DTSTART:20150305T160000Z
DTEND:20150305T170000Z
UID:TALK56935@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:38889
DESCRIPTION:Arguably humans have become the dominant life form on earth be
 cause of our ability to adapt and innovate.\nTechnology innovation has cha
 nged our lives\, and generated huge economic benefits for those who manage
 \nto take the innovations to market\, and many companies invest billions o
 f pounds between them searching for\nnew ones.\n\nHowever\, the reality ra
 ises some surprising questions\, such as:\n• Why do few companies surviv
 e longer than 50 years\, despite investing in R&D?\n• Why is technologic
 al progress often faster in times of war?\n• Why do smaller companies se
 em to be more innovative than large ones?\n\nThe thrust of this talk is th
 at the greater the need and demand for innovation\, the more likely it is 
 that the processes and behaviours will mitigate against it.\nThe speaker d
 raws on his own experiences in rebuilding creative product pipelines in Sy
 ngenta\, following the merger of the agribusinesses of Novartis and Zeneca
 \, to draw out some important learnings on how to keep alive a culture of 
 insight\, creativity and innovation. At around the same time as the empiri
 cal learning\, advances in the study of brain function in relation to crea
 tivity has started to provide insights into why some of the techniques wor
 k\, and why the behaviours needed sit more easily in small companies and s
 tart-ups. Which leads back to the critical question: is it really possible
  to manage teams in a way which increases the chances of being successful 
 innovators.
LOCATION:Department of Plant Sciences\, Large Lecture Theatre
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