Customer Innovation Process Leadership

Innovation leadership has traditionally been focused on leading the companies' product development fast, cost effectively and with an optimal performance driven by technological inventions or by customers´ needs. To improve the efficiency of the product development process focus has been on different types of organisational setup to the product development model and process. The globalization and enhanced competitive markets are however changing the innovation game and the challenge to innovation leadership Excellent product development innovation and leadership seems not any longer to enough to handle shorter and faster product life cycles. Continuously changing customer needs are pushing companies' competence of continuous innovation to a maximum - but still this seems not to be enough to stay competitive on the global market and reach the goals of growth. This article therefore suggests another outlook to future innovation leadership - Customer Innovation Process Leadership - CIP-leadership. CIP-leadership moves the company's innovation process closer to the customer innovation process and discusses how companies can be involved and innovate in customers' future needs and lead their innovation process. The customer innovation process and CIP-leadership are examined in 5 European case companies. The articles stress the necessity to have companies' innovation focus come closer to the customer and the customer innovation process. A key finding is the relative importance of placing the company central in the customer's innovation process. Another interesting finding is the impact of different styles of customer innovation process leadership related to the final outcome of the company's innovation initiative.