INTRODUCTION
With the aim to explore a range of Innovation Management concepts, we are going to look more precisely to a study case: Dyson, Hoover and the bagless vacuum cleaner.
James Dyson is a man who likes to make things work better. With his research team he has developed products that have achieved sales of over $10 billion worldwide.
James Dyson's first product, the Sea Truck, was launched in 1970 while he was studying at the Royal College of Art in London. A few years later came the award-winning Ballbarrow - instead of a wheel it had a ball which stopped it sinking into soft ground. Then there was the Wheelboat and the Trolleyball. Even the integral hose, seen on most upright vacuum cleaners, is a Dyson invention.
In 1978, while vacuuming his home, James Dyson realized his bag vacuum cleaner was constantly losing suction power. He noticed how dust quickly clogged the pores of the bag and blocked the airflow, so that suction dropped rapidly. He set to work to solve this problem. 5 years and 5,127 prototypes later, the world's first cyclonic bagless vacuum cleaner arrived.
We will start with some thinking about how not to dismiss exciting technology for senior managers, continue on the protection of intellectual property, and finish with some explanations about Hoover’s refusal to work with Dyson.
Part 1
How can businesses try to ensure that their senior managers do not dismiss exciting technology, and with it potentially profitable business?
New business development managers have to be able to detect exciting technologies. A good manager does not have to miss this business opportunity that could be developed into successful product. It is part of the New Develo ...