Professionals and sources of inspiration

David Aaker is Professor Emeritus at Berkeley and one of the most influential experts in branding. Through his work, he has developed models and concepts that provide organisations with a framework for building, measuring and managing strong brands over time. Aaker helps demonstrate how brands represent long-term value, trust and relationships, all of which are essential to sustainable value creation.

For several decades, Tor W. Andreassen has been one of the most important academic voices in Norway in the fields of customer experience, service innovation and digital development. What makes him particularly interesting in the work on The Invisible Capital and Value-Creating People is not only his academic expertise, but also the way he has made complex topics understandable, relevant and human. Tor W. Andreassen was also a lecturer on the eMarketing studies at BI.

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At a time when much of the debate about business and technology often focuses on numbers, systems, efficiency and capital, Tor W. Andreassen has repeatedly highlighted the people behind value creation. He has written and spoken about how innovation is not primarily about technology alone, but about culture, relationships, trust, customer insight and the ability to create services that genuinely matter in people’s everyday lives.

This is precisely why his perspectives fit so well with the work on The Invisible Capital. It is not simply about digitalisation as technology, but about what digitalisation does to people, working life, customer journeys and society. His work reminds us that good services are not created in isolation. They are created through the interaction between employees, customers, leadership, technology and culture.

Through articles, lectures and research, Tor W. Andreassen has also been a clear voice in arguing that Norway has the expertise, capital and trust required to succeed internationally – but that we often lack the ability to execute and to build strong knowledge environments over time. This perspective connects directly with many of the reflections at the heart of both the blog and the book project.

Perhaps what makes the strongest impression, however, is the way he includes people in his academic work. He has a rare ability to communicate complex ideas without making people feel excluded. On the contrary, he opens the door to understanding. He builds bridges between research and practice, between academia and working life, and between theory and everyday experience.

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In many environments, innovation is presented as something exclusive and inaccessible. With Tor W. Andreassen, innovation feels like something people can participate in. It is about learning, improving, understanding customers better and creating services that work in the real world. It is an inclusive way of approaching the subject – and perhaps that is precisely why he has had such an impact on students, leaders, practitioners and people working with digital development in Norway.

His work also strongly aligns with the thinking of leaders such as Jan Carlzon, where employees, customer interactions and culture are at the heart of value creation. It is not about technology for technology’s sake, but about how technology can be used to make services better, more accessible and more human.

In the work on The Invisible Capital, Tor W. Andreassen therefore becomes more than an academic or a source of reference. He is also an important part of the broader story of how value is created through the interaction between people.

Chris Anderson is an author and former editor of Wired, known for his theory of «The Long Tail», which describes how digital markets make it possible to generate profits through a large volume of niche products. His work provides important insights into how digital distribution has transformed the competitive landscape and opened up new opportunities for value creation in the marketplace.

Jeff Bezos is one of the central figures in the modern digital economy – not only because he built Amazon, but because he helped define how long-term digital innovation, customer focus and continuous improvement could become the very foundation of a business.

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For me, Bezos is interesting far beyond questions of size, wealth or market power. What makes Amazon relevant to the work on The Invisible Capital and Value-Creating People is the way the company built its culture around the customer, experimentation and a willingness to think long term – often in contrast to short-term demands for rapid results.

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When Amazon started in 1994, it was essentially a small online bookshop project run from a garage in Seattle. The internet was still in its early stages, and many people regarded e-commerce as uncertain, complicated and of little relevance to the general public. Bezos saw something different: that the internet would change how people search for information, shop, compare products and what they expect from customer service.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect was not that Amazon began selling books, but how the company thought about the customer experience from the very beginning. Bezos wanted customers to have:

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• a wide selection

• low prices

• fast delivery

• easy navigation

• useful recommendations

• trust through reviews and information

Many of these things seem obvious today. In the 1990s, they were revolutionary.

For me, this is particularly interesting because Amazon demonstrated that digitalisation is not primarily about technology alone, but about understanding the entire customer journey. This way of thinking later became important in the public sector as well, in service design and in developing websites that actually work for users.

One important reason Amazon became so influential was the company’s strong internal principles – often referred to as the Leadership Principles. These are not simply slogans, but cultural guidelines for how the company thinks, prioritises and makes decisions.

Among the best-known principles are:

• Customer Obsession – the customer should be at the heart of everything the company does

• Invent and Simplify – innovation should also make things simpler

• Learn and Be Curious – continuous learning is essential

• Think Big – you must be willing to think ambitiously and for the long term

• Bias for Action – action is more important than perfection

• Ownership – employees should take responsibility, not simply carry out tasks

For me, the principle of Customer Obsession is particularly interesting. Amazon was willing from an early stage to invest enormous sums in technology, logistics and user experience – often without short-term profits. Bezos accepted very low margins for many years because the aim was to build trust, loyalty and strong customer experiences over time.

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This perspective is important when reflecting on Norwegian business and digitalisation. Amazon demonstrated that major digital platforms are not built through occasional initiatives or quarterly thinking alone, but through continuous investment in technology, expertise and improvement over many years.

That does not mean Amazon is beyond criticism or without problems. The company has faced considerable criticism relating to working conditions, market power and competition. At the same time, it is difficult to understand modern e-commerce, logistics, cloud technology and digital customer experiences without understanding Amazon’s significance.

For me, Jeff Bezos and Amazon therefore represent above all an important example of how powerful the combination of technology, long-term thinking, innovation and an uncompromising focus on the customer can be. Not as a blueprint for every organisation – but as a reminder of what can be achieved when digital development is given time, direction and strategic priority over many years.

Tim Brown is the former CEO of IDEO and one of the leading advocates of design thinking as a method for innovation. He has played a central role in establishing design as a strategic discipline that connects user needs, technology and business understanding. Brown’s perspectives are particularly relevant because they show that innovation is not simply about ideas, but about understanding people and developing solutions that actually work in practice.

Jan Carlzon is without a doubt one of the people who has had the greatest influence on how Magne Bjella has thought about management, service, customer experience and people throughout his working life. To many, Carlzon is known as the charismatic SAS leader who turned around an airline in crisis in the 1980s. For Magne, he also represents something far greater: a view of humanity and a management philosophy that put employees and customer encounters at the center in a way that still feels modern several decades later.

When Jan Carlzon took over the management of SAS, he challenged the traditional top-down business model. Instead of seeing the organization as a hierarchy where decisions should only be made at the top, he emphasized the importance of the people closest to the customer. He described these meetings as “moments of truth” – the small situations where the customer actually experiences the business. It could be on the phone, at the check-in counter, in the cabin or in a meeting between colleagues. For Carlzon, this is where value was created.

This mindset made a deep impression on Magne Bjella. Through many years at SAS, he experienced how culture, service and technology could be connected in practice. It was not just about flights and tickets, but about people, trust and experiences. In a time before the internet and digital self-service, it was the employees who represented the company externally – with their voice, attitude and ability to help customers in a hectic everyday life.

Carlzon's philosophy also had an impact far beyond aviation. Many of his thoughts on organizational culture, responsibility and customer orientation have later become central to digitalization, service design and modern user experience. When Magne later worked on the internet, digital services, eMarketing, customer experience and public websites, much of the basic understanding was already there: Technology alone does not create value. It is people who use technology correctly to help other people that do.

That is also why Jan Carlzon is given such an important place in the work on The Invisible Capital and Value-Creating People. He represents a type of leadership where employees are not just seen as costs or resources, but as the very foundation for quality, innovation and trust. This perspective runs like a red thread through Magne's own reflections on both private business and the public sector.

For Magne, Jan Carlzon is not just about nostalgia from the SAS era. He represents a compass. A reminder that good services always start with people who are seen, heard and given responsibility. And perhaps that is precisely why many of Carlzon's ideas still feel surprisingly relevant in an era characterized by artificial intelligence, automation and digital customer experiences. Technology is developing – but the importance of human encounters remains.

Henry Chesbrough is a professor and one of the most important experts in innovation theory, especially known for the concept of "Open Innovation". Through his work, he challenged the traditional idea that innovation must primarily be developed internally within companies. Instead, Chesbrough argues that companies and organizations must collaborate with external environments, customers, research institutions, partners and start-ups to succeed with innovation over time.

His perspectives have had a major impact on how both business and the public sector work with development, collaboration and knowledge sharing. Chesbrough shows how innovation happens faster and more effectively when organizations open up to the outside world and are able to combine internal expertise with external ideas and technologies. This has become especially relevant in a digital age where the pace of development is high and no business can sit alone with all the necessary expertise anymore.

In his work on Invisible Capital, Chesbrough is interesting because he emphasizes the importance of interaction, relationships, and sharing knowledge as the basis for value creation. His theories show that innovation is not just about technology or individual ideas, but about the ability to build ecosystems, a culture of collaboration, and long-term relationships between people and organizations.

Clayton Christensen  is regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in innovation, technology and strategic management in modern times. He was a professor at Harvard Business School and became internationally known for his theory of disruptive innovation – how new technologies and business models challenge established organisations and transform markets over time.

He is particularly well known for explaining why large and well-managed companies often lose ground to smaller, more flexible players when new technologies and markets emerge. Christensen argued that the problem is rarely poor management alone. Established organisations naturally prioritise existing customers, revenues and business models – which can make it difficult to recognise disruptive change early enough.

His work remains highly relevant to:

• digitalisation

• innovation

• technological development

• the public sector

• customer experience

• AI and automation

• service development

• strategic management

• organisational change

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Christensen’s perspectives fit particularly well with the innovation studies  and reflections on how organisations must balance:
 

• operations and innovation

• stability and change

• existing services and emerging needs

• technology and human understanding

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Key Books and Perspectives

The Innovator's Dilemma

Christensen’s best-known book and a classic of innovation theory. Here, he explains how established organisations are often challenged by disruptive technologies and new market entrants. The book shows why companies that appear to do “everything right” can still lose when markets change.

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The Innovator's Solution

A continuation of The Innovator’s Dilemma, in which Christensen focuses more closely on how organisations can work strategically with innovation and disruptive change. The book combines theory with practical guidance on organisation, growth and innovation strategy.

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Seeing What's Next

This book explores how organisations can analyse technological and market changes to understand which industries and companies may be vulnerable to disruption. Its perspectives combine innovation theory with analysis of future market developments.

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Disrupting Class

Here, Christensen applies the theory of disruptive innovation to education and learning. The book describes how technology and digitalisation can challenge traditional educational models and create new forms of learning and knowledge sharing.

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Competing Against Luck

In this book, Christensen develops the “Jobs to Be Done” theory, arguing that people do not simply buy products or services – they “hire” them to address specific needs in their lives. The perspective has become highly influential in customer experience, service design and innovation.

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Significance Today

Clayton Christensen’s work has had a lasting impact in a world characterised by:

• digital transformation

• AI

• the platform economy

• changing customer needs

• technological shifts

• increasing demands for innovation

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His perspectives continue to be used across Silicon Valley, business schools, technology and consulting environments, the public sector, start-ups and strategic business development around the world.

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For The Invisible Capital and Value-Creating People, Christensen also represents an important reminder that innovation is not simply about technology, but about how organisations understand people, needs and changes in society over time.

Clay Shirky is an author and professor known for his analysis of how the internet and digital platforms affect organisations and society. He has focused particularly on how technology changes power structures and enables people to collaborate and organise themselves in new ways. Shirky offers an important perspective on digitalisation as more than technology – as a fundamental change in how people interact.

Marty Cagan is one of the most influential voices in product management and digital product development. Through his books, lectures, and his work in Silicon Valley, he has helped shape how modern digital products are developed based on user needs, interdisciplinary teams, and continuous learning. Cagan is particularly known for clarifying the difference between delivering functionality and creating products that actually solve real problems for users. His perspectives are highly relevant in working with digital services, because they focus on product understanding, responsibility, and user experience rather than pure technology delivery.

The book "Inspired" by Marty Cagan is considered one of the most influential books in modern product development and product management. Through examples from leading technology companies, Cagan shows how strong digital products are created through interdisciplinary teams, clear product understanding, and a deep insight into user needs. The book is particularly relevant in work with digital services because it emphasizes that successful solutions are not about delivering the most features possible, but about developing products that actually solve problems and create value for users.

Among the experts who made a lasting impression during the Oxford seminars and innovation programmes linked to BI, Oxford and Silicon Valley, Richard Cuthbertson stands out as one of the most interesting and relevant voices in retail, technology, customer experience and societal development.

Through Peder Inge Furseth’s network, participants gained access to an international professional community at the forefront of its field – not only academically, but also in practice. Saïd Business School, University of Oxford og Oxford Institute of Retail Management, , where for many years he worked to understand how commerce, technology and people influence one another in an increasingly digital world.

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What made Richard Cuthbertson particularly interesting was that he never reduced retail or digitalisation to technology and efficiency alone. He focused on the bigger picture: how customers experience services, how companies organise themselves, how societies change through technology – and how all of this affects people’s everyday lives.

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At a time when many still regarded e-commerce as an addition to traditional retail, Cuthbertson was among those who understood early on that the boundaries between physical and digital commerce would gradually disappear. He explored issues that are now central to modern commerce: omnichannel, customer experience, service innovation, personalisation and the interaction between technology and human behaviour.

Through the seminars and the Oxford environment, he helped explain why the winners of the future would not necessarily be those with the best technology, but those with the best understanding of their customers.

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This resonated strongly with many of the participants from Norway – particularly those working with digitalisation, public services, e-commerce and user experience. Richard Cuthbertson had a rare ability to make complex developments understandable and relevant. He demonstrated that technology does not exist in isolation, but is always part of a broader context involving people, organisations, culture and society.

Much of his research at Oxford focused on how customer experiences and service innovation could be scaled through the use of data and new technology without losing the human dimension. He was also early in discussing how major global companies would grow through investment in logistics, IT, data and customer insight – while niche businesses and specialised concepts would become increasingly important because people would continue to seek identity, belonging and meaningful experiences.

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For the work on The Invisible Capital and Value-Creating People, this perspective is particularly important. Richard Cuthbertson represents an understanding of business in which technology alone is not enough. Value is created when technology, people and organisations work together.

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He also helped broaden the discussion about how retail and technology affect society. This was not simply about shops and sales, but about working life, urban development, culture, logistics and how people live their lives in a digital age.

Through books, research and seminars, Richard Cuthbertson also worked closely with Jonathan Reynolds and other leading figures at the Oxford Institute of Retail Management. Together, they helped build one of Europe’s most respected environments for research into retail, e-commerce and customer experience.

What perhaps made the greatest impression on many participants, however, was not simply his knowledge, but the way he communicated it. Calm, analytical and down-to-earth. Without grand claims or technological hype. He came across as an expert genuinely seeking to understand how the world was changing – and how organisations could evolve without losing sight of people.

Thanks to the network built around Peder Inge Furseth , Norwegian participants were able to engage closely with international academic and professional environments of this calibre. Richard Cuthbertson therefore became more than a speaker from Oxford; he became an important source of inspiration for how many participants later came to understand digitalisation, commerce, customer experience and innovation in practice.