Concept formulation techniques for new telecommunications services

The paper examines a systematic, team based technique for improving concept formulation in the telecommunications services industry. Services are the largest and fastest growing segment in the telecommunications industry but innovation management for services is some years behind manufactured goods. The question to be answered in this paper is: can the “champions” technique be applied in a services context and what does it reveal about formulation generally. A longitudinal case study is described. Data was collected in participation observation questionnaires, and interviews. The author observed that the technique permitted timely and high quality recommendations for significant new business opportunities but difficulties were encountered in turning these into development decisions. The author concludes that while it is possible to implement improved processes for concept formulation, more work must be done to link these processes to organization wide systems of innovation