John Bessant
Originally a chemical engineer, Prof. John Bessant, Ph.D. has been active in research and consultancy in technology and innovation management for over 25 years. He currently holds the Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Exeter University where he is also Associate Dean for Research and Knowledge Transfer.
In 2003 he was awarded a Fellowship with the Advanced Institute for Management Research and was also elected a Fellow of the British Academy of Management. He served on the Business and Management Panel of both the 2001 and 2008 Research Assessment Exercises and has acted as advisor to various national governments, companies and international bodies.
Innovation as Unusual
Innovation is essential for survival and growth – but exploiting its potential depends on our ability to organize and manage the process of change. Whilst we know a lot about how to do this under what can be called “steady state” conditions we still have much to learn about dealing with the challenge of discontinuity. When new technologies arrive, when new markets emerge, when surprising events shake the foundations of our normal world, we need new skills in enabling innovation.
Professor Bessant’s research will build on a shared learning process involving academics working alongside public and private sector organizations in a network of “innovation laboratories” trying to explore these challenges and develop tools to help meet them effectively.