John Kao

Innovation Strategist and Practitioner, Transformation Catalyst

BIG IDEAS

• Innovation Nation—What America Needs to do in an Era of Global Innovation
  Download an overview on John's new book Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do to Get It Back, (PDF 69kb)
• The Search for Strategic Innovation—From “Getting It” to “Getting it Done”
  
• Bringing Innovation to Innovation: New Concepts and Practices
  
• What’s “New” About New Media?—Achieving Competitive Advantage in a Bottom-up World
  

SNAPSHOT BIO

John Kao is an authority on the intersecting subjects of corporate innovation and transformation, design, and the future of business. Dubbed a “serial innovator” and “Mr. Creativity” by The Economist, he has made a career out of helping organizations go from “getting” the importance of innovation to “getting innovation done.” John has worked with a wide range of Fortune 500 companies, startups, and government agencies around practical issues of strategic innovation and organizational transformation. Other nicknames he acquired from his clients include “the Innovation Sherpa” and “the Innovation Guru.”

In addition to his other accomplishments, John is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, Tony-nominated producer, and business pioneer. For 14 years, he taught at Harvard Business School, where he developed courses, lectures, and executive seminars that addressed the topics of entrepreneurship, venture management, innovation, leadership, and organizational change. He has also been a visiting professor at the MIT Media Lab as well as Distinguished Visiting Professor of Innovation at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey.

John's new book on the global dynamics of innovation is called Innovation Nation: How America Is Losing Its Innovation Edge, Why It Matters and How We Can Get It Back. It pays particular attention to what America’s innovation posture needs to be in a world in which many countries are racing for the innovation high ground, such as Singapore, Denmark, Dubai, China, and Brazil.

A Closer Look at John

FOCUS AREAS
What's on John's current research agenda?

• John's recent extensive work studies how countries innovate. He is particularly interested in understanding what America’s posture on innovation will need to be in the coming years.
• John has spent two decades developing concepts and methods that allow organizations to master the move from understanding innovation (getting it) to implementation (getting it done). He has pioneered the use of a wide range of novel facilitation techniques to engage senior decision-makers in charting a transformational course fueled by a contemporary approach to strategic innovation.

ENGAGEMENTS
How have other organizations utilized John's expertise, and what's ahead on his schedule?

• An Asian government is tapping John’s expertise to craft its national strategy for digital media.
• An Internet search business has hired John to benchmark its innovation practices and suggest avenues for enhancement.
• A major technology multinational hired John to be the catalyst for developing a new business opportunity that has since become a formal business unit within the firm.
• A major private equity firm is using John’s approaches to innovation to enrich and extend its investment strategy and identify new opportunity areas.

SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
Who shapes John's thinking and inspires his work?

John is inspired and influenced by Tony Athos, Chester Nimitz, Frank Zappa, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

RECOMMENDED READING
What's on John's must-read list?

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki

MIND FUEL
Which blogs, web sites, and industry events does John tap into to feed his mind and fuel his creativity?

• Long Now Foundation (http://www.longnow.org/)
• TED Conference (http://www.ted.com/)
• World Economic Forum (http://www.weforum.org/en/index.htm)
• Daily Candy (http://www.dailycandy.com/)

OUTREACH
What are John's pressing questions, and on which topics does he seek your feedback?

What does America need to do to remain pre-eminent in the innovation “game?”