Podcast: Jonah Berger on What Innovative People Do Differently

In this podcast, guest Jonah Berger walks us through how subtle social influences impact behavior, innovation, disruption, and change. Jonah is a Wharton professor, New York Times best-selling author, and human behavior genius

He talks about why change is hard for both individuals and organizations, making routines a comfortable, familiar option. However, when an organization is stagnant, it makes it nearly impossible for their clientele to remain excited about what they offer, and makes companies vulnerable to competitors. Good companies, such as Gillette, have a track record of cannibalizing themselves early on to avoid competition. In doing this, they can completely kill their latest product and replace it with a more innovative, modern version before a competitor can release more of the same and steal their market share.

These cool, new, innovative designs are not always the most favorable right off the bat. To gain the trust and support of former customers, companies need to make sure their new products are remaining optimally distinct. This ensures the familiarity of the old while still bringing about the modernization of the new without overwhelming and scaring off potential customers. By tapping into the expected social influences of consumers, companies can theoretically drive people to do exactly what they want, a power many companies need to learn to balance ethically.

Listen as Jonah Berger walks us through examples of companies plugging holes left in legacy-dominated industries to create new business models that ensure companies are making what they can sell, and not just selling what they can make.

The podcast launches by looking at an incredible video Jonah produced with National Geographic. Watch that here:

And listen to our talk with Jonah to hear why people get stuck in routines, what companies need to understand about people in order boost creativity, and what true innovators do differently than everyone else—plus the “top-secret” project Jonah’s working on next.