Democratizing Innovation
User innovation lecture by Eric von Hippel, Professor and Head, Technological Innovation and EntrepreneurshipGroupMITSloanSchool of Management
Professorvon Hippel will speak on the topic of his latest book, "Democratizing Innovation." (MIT Press, 2005).
Professor von Hippel is known for pioneering research that has shown how product "lead users" are often the developers of successful new products, rather than the manufacturers as has been commonly assumed. This research, along with that of collaborators and others, is now triggering a major rethinking of how the innovation process works. The emerging view that users are at the center of the innovation process promises to generate major changes in company business models and also in government policymaking on innovation-related matters. Professor von Hippel has developed practical tools that enable product manufacturers to more efficiently participate in user-centered innovation processes.
Download a free version (Creative Commons License) of the book
Democratizing Innovation
The lecture is organized by Department of Industrial Economics and Strategy (IVS). For further information, please contact assistant professor Lars Bo Jeppesen at