On January 11, executive sponsors of the Rendez project were invited to attend a workshop at the Linna Hotel.

Introduction by Taina Tukiainen, Stadia

The meeting opened with a presentation by Taina Tukianen outlining the background and directions for the Rendez project.

Taina emphasized the importance of industry-academia co-operation and she warmly welcomed company people and international guests
to the workshop.

"Leading an Organization Where Innovation Matters" by Marianne Kosits

Marianne Kosits, an executive consultant with IBM from New Jersey, U.S.A., covered two major topics. Firstly, from an employee's point of view, she described how IBM communicates that innovation matters. Then, with her experience as a leader in IBM's Relationship Alignment practice, she reviewed how "sustainable innovation" was established in an interorganizational context.

"Leading Innovation" by Gary S. Metcalf

Gary Metcalf, president of Interconnections LLC from Kentucky, U.S.A. spoke about innovation from a systemic perspective, and potential ways to overcome barriers to innovation.

"3D Virtual Worlds for Business" by Minna Takala

Minna Takala, from Nokia Corporation, described how advances in technology such as virtual worlds provide paths for innovation. She presented examples from virtual ideas into innovations (Tucker car, IWATSW band, and Second Life virtual on-line game) to stimulate discussion in parallel sessions.

After these presentations, the group divided up into two parallel sessions to discuss the content at greater depth. The meeting closed with the group rejoined to discuss key ideas generated during the workshop.

Presentations from the meeting are attached below.