DISRUPTION
Letter from the Editor:
This edition of the Journal of Innovation arrives with increased levels of interest reflecting more
articles submitted for review and increased participation from members of the Industrial Internet
Consortium. Authors, reviewers and editorial staff have worked hard to deliver a Journal with an
increase in breadth of content. In this edition, we offer a theme of disruption and authors have
expanded the content accordingly. In these pages, you will find views on interoperability and
composability, business model disruption and a verticals taxonomy landscape to give structure to
the IIoT. Articles cover specific industries and the impact of IIoT including retail, medicine and the
manufacturing shop floor.
One opportunity that is apparent in all of the articles and applications of the IIoT is the increase
in collaboration and the need for organizational change that parallels the innovations and
opportunities presented by IIoT technology. We will need to define new jobs and training and
discover better ways to collaborate across companies globally; find different ways to manage
organizations and partnerships with new business models; find different ways to gain competitive
advantage while still creating open, interoperable systems that take advantage of the great range
of ideas and products that are emerging.
There will be constructive tension in these new business models between trade-offs for
proprietary solutions and the increased opportunity presented by collaboration and partnerships
between companies resulting in rapid market expansion and use. Issues will arise around who
owns the intellectual property rights as organizational boundaries blur between collaborative
companies jointly developing new technology. Defining roles between organizations that will
promote the solution as well as the individual company partners is different in a highly
interoperable solution offered through IIoT technology. Constructive tension will drive rapid
innovation but managing this tension, providing opportunities and managing trade-offs for the
companies, employees and customers is imperative to the long term success of each innovation.
In the end it is usually not the technology that slows down innovation but lack of sufficient and
timely organizational adaptation that impacts the rate of adoption. Our organizations will need to
challenge ourselves to look outward and take organizational risks. We all have a tremendous
opportunity to implement innovation that can both support profitable business and at the same
time improve the quality of life for society.
I hope you find this volume of the Journal of Innovation interesting and thought-provoking.
Please send any ideas or comments to Brian Westcott or Kathy Walsh. We welcome any
comments on how to continue to develop and improve the Journal.
Brian J. Westcott, Ph.D.
Editor, IIC Journal of Innovation
President and CEO, Intelligent Structures, Inc.
IIC Journal of Innovation
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