Reflection of the lecture by Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser in the lecture series "Impulse" at the Technology Centre in Constance, Germany
In 2015, the Sennheiser Group generated a turnover of 680 million euros. Sennheiser was the first company to introduce headphones to the market in 1986. In the first three years after the introduction of this innovation, which no one knew about before, they had a 100% market share as a result and sold around 12 million units in the first five years. For their innovations in the fields of film and music microphones, they received two Emmy Awards, the technical Grammy Award and even an Oscar award. So it's safe to say that Sennheiser has a flair for innovation that the world needs.
So What Are the Recipes For Success For Innovations?
In his presentation, Jörg Sennheiser described the two sides of the coin. One side shows the huge opportunities that can be seized, the other shows the risks involved. In his opinion, you have to consider what facts you have about the two sides. Is the opportunity or the associated risk greater? 1. Do I have to change my point of view? 2. Am I prepared, even financially, to take a 'flop'? When asked how he explains the fact that some innovations do not go down well with customers, he replied that they forgot to consider the potential customer and his interests. The most technically brilliant innovations by the best engineers can turn out to be a flop if the customer's needs were not taken into account during development. The customer decides. Project rooms are needed where employees can come together with their potential customers to create new ideas and innovations.
What Are the Limitations For An Innovation?
According to Sennheiser, most German companies get in their own way because of their thoroughness. A high level of bureaucratisation leads to a reduction of ideas and thus to a reduction of innovations. He describes the use of opportunities of an entrepreneur in three points:
- Recognising opportunities
- Seize opportunities
- Implement opportunities
Only those who have an overview of the risk and take it can help shape the future.
If you want to recognise something, you have to take a step back and see what your perspective is.
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Information on the speaker Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser
The focus of the lecture "Innovation - a coin with two sides" on 10 March 2016, 6 p.m. at the Technology Centre Constance, Blarerstraße 56, is this time an entrepreneurial personality: Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser, long-time chairman of the supervisory board and shareholder of the audio specialist of the same name, Sennheiser electronic. Using the example of Sennheiser's 70-year history, he will present innovation as the motor of successful company development with all its opportunities and risks. Since joining the company in 1976, Jörg Sennheiser has made a decisive contribution to the growth of the audio specialist Sennheiser. In 1982 he took over the management of the company from his father, and from 1996 to 2015 Jörg Sennheiser was Chairman of the Sennheiser Supervisory Board. During his time at the helm, Sennheiser developed into an internationally successful brand. Numerous patents and awards, including the Emmy Award and a Grammy, are proof of this. Today, Sennheiser employs around 2,700 people worldwide, is one of the best employers in Germany according to surveys and is active in over 50 countries. In 2014, the total turnover was around 635 million euros. Since 2013, the sons Daniel Sennheiser and Dr Andreas Sennheiser have been managing the company in the third generation. For his life's work and his commitment to founders, Jörg Sennheiser received the prestigious German Founders' Prize last year, which is awarded by ZDF and STERN, among others.
