An afternoon of inspiration.

On September 28, 2016 SDN Denmark hosted a successful afternoon event focused on the theme of disruptive innovation.

Create a culture where failure is accepted!

More and more organisations around the world are thinking in a different way about how they work. This event provided a dynamic platform for designers, business owners and anyone else eager for change to explore innovative service design approaches to new products and services. 

Speakers also reflected upon their experience within the increasingly important topic of organisational change. Dave Ellis (Kingfisher Digital) gave a talk on “Changing the Way of Creating New Products & Services at Kingfisher” and shared his initial insights on building an in-house design team within the Kingfisher organisation. Balder Onarheim (Associate Professor at DTU) presented “The Elements of Disruptive 
Innovation” and discussed various academic models of disruption.

Highlights from the event
  • When building in-house design teams - Find support in the organisation.
  • Work in agile teams - Designers and developers work together and find a shared understanding.
  • Culture is key - Develop a culture where failure is accepted.
  • It is important to set the constraints right. 
  • The most common definition of disruptive innovation is: “A disruptive innovation is an innovation that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network, displacing established market leaders and alliances.” Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen, 1995.
  • In an academic sense, disruption and radical innovation is the same. 
  • The difference between incremental innovation and disruption is more tricky. Normally it is described as either the one or the other. Onarheim likes to see it as when making innovation you operate on a scale where one endpoint is incremental innovation and the other disruption.
Moderating the day: Katrine Rau from FJORD Copenhagen --
Moderating the day: Katrine Rau from FJORD Copenhagen

“A disruptive innovation is an innovation that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network, displacing established market leaders and alliances.”

Speakers & Panelists

  • Dave Ellis, Venture Lead at Kingfisher Digital
  • Balder Onarheim, Associate Professor at DTU & Founder of PlatoScience
  • Celia Romaniuk, Group Design Director at FJORD
  • Moderator Katrine Rau, Group Director at FJORD Copenhagen
Dave Ellis, Balder Onarheim and Celia Romaniuk in a panel debate —

Lots of people joined in

All available seats for the event quickly got filled up and the energy in the room was strong.
All Headlines

Related Headlines

SDN Chapters SDGC24 Replay tickets available for purchase

SDGC24 Replay tickets available for purchase

In case you missed the Service Design Global Conference 2024, you can purchase Replay access to all recordings and view them at your leisure until October 4, 2025.

Continue reading
SDN Chapters Achieving Interdisciplinarity—Touchpoint Vol.15 No.2 is out!

Achieving Interdisciplinarity—Touchpoint Vol.15 No.2 is out!

In this issue of Touchpoint, we focus on interdisciplinarity itself. What does success look like, and what are the tried and tested methods to achieve it?

Continue reading
SDN Chapters Service Design Global Conference 2024 - Virtual tickets still available!

Service Design Global Conference 2024 - Virtual tickets still available!

Join us for the Service Design Global Conference (SDGC24) this October! Our in-person tickets are sold out, but you can still register for the full virtual experience and be part of this inspiring event. See you there!

Continue reading
SDN Chapters Touchpoint 15-3 Call for Papers deadline extended: “Designing from Within”

Touchpoint 15-3 Call for Papers deadline extended: “Designing from Within”

As the practice of service design continues to gain recognition and traction, a notable trend has emerged: organisations are choosing to build and utilise in-house service design teams rather than relying on external agencies. This shift brings with it a host of considerations, both positive and negative, that merit in-depth exploration and critical reflection.

Continue reading