BusinessWeek features a Q & A with Herman Miller’s CEO Brian Walker which has some interesting takeaways about their use of external network through the creative process. Here at If We Ran It., as we move forward with the organization, we’ve been playing with the idea of leveraging its members as a think tank/distributed innovation network. It’s nice to see that more people are ready for this idea than just us.
“This external network ensures that we are always taking a fresh look at problems faced by our customers without subjecting it to our own filters. If you have only an internal design staff, even an enormously talented one, you are inherently limited by their existing world view and experiences.”
There is nothing quite like outside perspective and for that reason sometimes it’s better to take a shot on a kid that is untrained but has passion for the subject, instead of a pedigreed but unmotivated senior (but that’s another story).
