Developing the Apple Store concept was the perfect example of it.
He and his team connected the dots but from different industries.
Up to that point, all tech executives were thinking within the boundaries of their industry.
Hence their retail results were limited to the same boundaries.
But Jobs strived for something unique.
And he created a new norm for all tech brands.
Ramon Vullings calls it cross-industry innovation in his book Not Invented Here.
It’s a problem-solving method to come up with unique ideas by using what’s been done in other industries.
Think about this.
Whatever business problem you are trying to solve, there is a high chance that it’s already solved in other industries.
But many executives, engineers, and designers have vertical careers — they are specialized in certain sectors.
So they always think “inside the box.”
And when you have more or less the same thinking as your competitors, you can’t differentiate anything by default.
That’s why cross-industry innovation is helpful.
It helps to go beyond the ideas that all your competitors already use.
Now, the idea is simple.
But here are two points that will make cross-industry innovation more effective for you:
1. Make a decision first
There is one thing that prevents creativity the most: an unclear problem.
I know, sounds obvious.
But you can’t believe how often businesses fail to innovate because of confusion.
Everybody tries to pull in different directions when there is no clear decision regarding the company’s (or a department’s) direction.
In other words, when there is no clear strategy.
Hence nobody can come up with good solutions.
So get clear on the problem first — like Steve Jobs did for the Apple Store.
After trials and failures with different tech retail partners, Jobs made the decision:
They had to create a unique physical experience worthy of the Apple brand.
There was no other option.
Once the problem was clear, it became easy to look for inspiration outside of the tech industry.
Remember: the clearer the problem is, the easier it gets to innovate.
2. Learn all the best practices… And ignore them
“We follow our industry’s best practices.”
If you ever hear this from an executive or see it on a website, you can be sure whatever product that brand offers is average.
You know why?
Learning “best practices” in any industry is useful at the beginning.
You get to understand how things work.
But when everybody follows them, companies become copies of each other.
Similar products.
Similar brands.
And similar marketing tactics.
So by definition, you have to ignore best practices to be different.
And an easy way to replace the best practices of your industry is to use ideas from unrelated sectors.
We talked about the Apple Store and design.
But let’s see some other examples where companies used cross-industry innovation in different areas to gain an edge:
One of James Dyson’s early vacuum cleaner designs based on cyclone systems
Product: James Dyson used cyclone systems he saw in sawmills to build a better vacuum cleaner without bags. Nike copied the cables from suspension bridges to create Flywire technology that provides support with little weight in athletic shoes.
Marketing: Philip Krim and his friends realized almost all mattresses were sold in physical stores. So they founded Casper Sleep to sell mattresses using an e-commerce model.
Business Model: Dollar Shave Club got inspiration from software companies and created a subscription service for razors. Customers loved the convenience and cost savings. The company was sold to Unilever for $1 billion in 2016.
Experience: Peloton combined live group classes with home fitness equipment to create a unique workout experience.
Now don’t get me wrong.
There are some operational areas where “best practices” are helpful.
Like security and safety.
But beyond that, you have to challenge the status quo to be different.
If not, doing what all others are already doing is the perfect way to become a commodity.
Imagine if Steve Jobs kept following the tech best practices of the time.
Apple would never have Apple Stores or iPhones as we know them today.
So as Picasso said:
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
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