Research Group

Concept of imagineering

The problem with value creation and value innovation in many industries lies with a lack of imagination and vision. As a consequence, the focus of innovation is often tactical and seldom strategical. The focus of strategy is often based on extrapolation of the past while in a dynamic, changing environment, the past is not the best guide. An appealing future-pull orientation can be of great value. But again, this asks for imagination.

Imagination can be of big help as well in strategic thinking as in innovation but using imagination seems to be difficult in business. Often imaginative thinking is understood as creative thinking while there is an important difference. So, to start, there is a limited understanding of the concept of imagination. And on the process of imagination, what seems to be as easy as dreaming, seems often very difficult. Regularly, managers 'can't dream it', they have no idea how to solve complex problems in society and in organizations. They realize that they can't solve the problems using the conventional thinking and the existing recepies but they have no idea how they can change this logic to solve the problem. They find themselves in a 'red ocean of bloody competition' looking for a 'blue ocean of uncontested market space' (Kim & Mauborgne) but don't know where to start.

Lack of understanding of the concept of imagination and lack of ideas where to start with the process of imagination can result in bad business results especially in turbulent times. But also, lack of imagination can result in societal catastrophes like it is said that 9/11 was a failure of imagination: US government failed to anticipate that terrorists would make use of airplanes in a different way.

Using imagination offers a more holistic approach to solve problems which can't be solved with the existing recepies anymore. This doesn't mean that designers have to do the strategy job in the future but that managers have to become more like designers. Using a design approach will be of major importance in the post-industrial economy which asks for a new enterprise logic.