TEI 214: Want more innovation? Build a partner program – with Ed Krause

Global Product Management Talk is pleased to bring you the next
episode of... The Everyday Innovator with host Chad McAllister,
PhD. The podcast is all about helping people involved in innovation
and managing products become more successful, grow their careers,
and STANDOUT from their peers. About the Episode: Let’s face it,
the smartest people don’t all work in your organization. The
thought has been shared by many leaders, such as Steve Jobs and
Bill Gates, and is originally attributed to Bill Joy, the
co-founder of Sun Microsystems and UNIX contributor. He said, “The
smartest people in the world don’t all work for us; most of them
work for someone else.” To benefit from the creativity of smart
people who are external to your organization, you need a way to
find and attract them to contribute their brain power. There are
time-tested ways to accomplish this, including traditional open
innovation, incubators, and startups. Another approach is a partner
program. Ford Motor Company has used this approach for decades. By
continuously learning and improving, they are a leader in the
approach with answers for others considering a partner program. To
explain how their system works and tips for implementing a partner
program, Ed Krause joins us. He is the Global Manager External
Alliances Research and Advanced Engineering at Ford Motor Company.
He has global responsibility for developing cutting edge technology
and competitive advantage for Ford by developing relationships and
collaborative projects involving universities and partner
companies. Anyone interested in open innovation or a more formal
partner program will find this discussion valuable.