Experts 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 organizations with a framework for building, measuring, and managing strong brands over time. Aaker’s work highlights how brands represent long-term value, trust, and relationships, all of which are essential to sustainable value creation.

Tor W. Andreassen has been one of Norway’s most important academic voices in customer experience, service innovation, and digital development for several decades. What makes him particularly relevant to the work on The Invisible Capital and Value-Creating People is not only his academic expertise, but also his ability to make complex topics understandable, relevant, and human. Tor W. Andreassen was also a lecturer in the eMarketing program at BI Norwegian Business School.

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At a time when much of the debate about business and technology often revolves around numbers, systems, efficiency, and capital, Tor W. Andreassen has consistently 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.

That is precisely why his perspectives fit so well with The Invisible Capital project. Here, digitalization is not simply about technology, but about what digitalization does to people, working life, customer journeys, and society. His work reminds us that great services are not created in isolation. They are created through the interaction of employees, customers, leadership, technology, and culture.

Through articles, lectures, and research, Tor W. Andreassen has also been a strong advocate for the view that Norway has the expertise, capital, and trust needed to succeed internationally—but that we often lack the ability to execute and to build strong knowledge environments over time. This perspective goes directly to the heart of many of the reflections found in both the blog and the book project.

Perhaps what makes the strongest impression, however, is the way he includes people in the subject matter. He has a rare ability to communicate complex ideas without making people feel excluded. Quite the opposite—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 thinking about the field—and perhaps that is precisely why he has had such a significant impact on students, leaders, practitioners, and people working with digital development in Norway.

His work also aligns closely 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 context of The Invisible Capital, Tor W. Andreassen is therefore not simply an expert or a source to cite, but 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, best 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 created new opportunities for value creation in the marketplace.

Jeff Bezos is one of the most influential 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 entire culture around the customer, experimentation, and a willingness to think long term—often in contrast to short-term demands for immediate results.

When Amazon started in 1994, it was essentially a small online bookstore operating out of a garage in Seattle. The internet was still in its early stages, and many people viewed online shopping as uncertain, complicated, and largely irrelevant to most consumers. Bezos, however, saw something different: that the internet would change how people search for information, shop, compare products, and what they expect from service.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing 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:

• a wide selection

• low prices

• fast delivery

• easy navigation

• useful recommendations

• trust through reviews and information

Today, many of these things seem obvious. In the 1990s, they were revolutionary.

For me, this is particularly interesting because Amazon demonstrated that digitalization 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 merely slogans, but cultural guidelines for how the company thinks, prioritizes, and makes decisions.

Among the best-known principles are:

• Customer Obsession – the customer should be at the center of everything

• Invent and Simplify – innovation should also make things simpler

• Learn and Be Curious – continuous learning is essential

• Think Big – you have to be willing to think long term and ambitiously

• Bias for Action – action is more important than perfection

• Ownership – employees should take responsibility, not simply perform tasks

For me, the principle of Customer Obsession is particularly interesting. Amazon was willing early on to invest enormous amounts in technology, logistics, and user experience—often without generating short-term profits. For many years, Bezos accepted very low margins because the goal was to build trust, loyalty, and strong customer experiences over time.

This perspective is important when reflecting on Norwegian business and digitalization. Amazon demonstrated that major digital platforms are not created through occasional bursts of effort 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 significant criticism regarding 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 impact.

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 organization—but as a reminder of what is actually possible 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 demonstrate that innovation is not just about ideas, but about understanding people and developing solutions that actually work in practice.

Jan Carlzon is undoubtedly one of the people who has had the greatest influence on how Magne Bjella has thought about leadership, 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. To Magne, he represents something much greater as well: a view of people and a leadership philosophy that placed employees and customer interactions at the center in a way that still feels modern several decades later.

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When Jan Carlzon took over the leadership of SAS, he challenged the traditional top-down corporate model. Instead of viewing the organization as a hierarchy where decisions should be made only at the top, he emphasized the importance of the people closest to the customer. He described these encounters as “moments of truth”—the small situations in which customers actually experience the company. It could be over the phone, at the check-in counter, in the cabin, or in an interaction between colleagues. For Carlzon, this was precisely where value was created.

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This way of thinking made a profound impression on Magne Bjella. During his many years at SAS, he experienced firsthand how culture, service, and technology could be brought together in practice. It was not simply about aircraft and tickets, but about people, trust, and experiences. In an era before the internet and digital self-service, employees represented the company to the outside world—through their voices, their attitudes, and their ability to help customers in a busy everyday environment.

Carlzon’s philosophy also had an impact far beyond the airline industry. Many of his ideas about organizational culture, responsibility, and customer focus later became central to digitalization, service design, and modern user experience. When Magne later worked with the internet, digital services, eMarketing, customer experience, and public-sector websites, much of that fundamental understanding was already in place: Technology alone does not create value. People create value when they use technology effectively to help other people.

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That is also why Jan Carlzon has such an important place in the work on The Invisible Capital and Value-Creating People. He represents a form of leadership in which employees are not viewed merely as costs or resources, but as the very foundation of quality, innovation, and trust. This perspective runs as a common thread throughout Magne’s own reflections on both the private and public sectors.

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For Magne, Jan Carlzon is therefore not simply about nostalgia from his years at SAS. He represents a compass—a reminder that great services always begin with people who are seen, heard, and given responsibility. And perhaps that is precisely why so many of Carlzon’s ideas still feel surprisingly relevant in an era shaped by artificial intelligence, automation, and digital customer experiences. Technology evolves—but the importance of human interaction remains.

Henry Chesbrough is a professor and one of the leading scholars in innovation theory, best known for the concept of “Open Innovation.” Through his work, he challenged the traditional idea that innovation must primarily be developed within organizations. Instead, Chesbrough argues that companies and organizations need to collaborate with external communities, customers, research institutions, partners, and startups in order to succeed with innovation over time.

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His perspectives have had a major influence on how both businesses and the public sector approach development, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Chesbrough demonstrates how innovation can happen faster and more effectively when organizations open themselves to the outside world and are able to combine internal expertise with external ideas and technologies. This has become particularly relevant in the digital age, where the pace of change is rapid and no organization can possess all the expertise it needs on its own.

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In the context of The Invisible Capital, Chesbrough is particularly relevant because he emphasizes the importance of interaction, relationships, and knowledge sharing as foundations for value creation. His theories demonstrate that innovation is not simply 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 organizations and transform markets over time.

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Christensen combined economics, technology, management, and organizational understanding in his work, profoundly influencing how organizations think about innovation, digitalization, and long-term transformation. His perspectives have shaped business, the public sector, the technology industry, and Silicon Valley for several decades.

He is particularly known for explaining why large, well-managed companies often lose ground to smaller and more flexible competitors when new technologies and markets emerge.

Christensen argued that the problem is rarely poor management alone. Rather, established organizations naturally prioritize existing customers, revenue streams, and business models—which can make it difficult to recognize disruptive change early enough.

His work remains highly relevant to:

• digitalization

• innovation

• technology development

• the public sector

• customer experience

• AI and automation

• service development

• strategic management

• organizational change

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Christensen’s perspectives are particularly relevant to the innovation program and to reflections on how organizations must balance:

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• operations and innovation

• stability and change

• existing services and emerging needs

• technology and human understanding

Key Books and Perspectives
The Innovator’s Dilemma

Christensen’s best-known book and a classic in innovation theory. Here, he explains how established organizations are often challenged by disruptive technologies and new market entrants. The book demonstrates why companies that 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 organizations can strategically address innovation and disruptive change. The book combines theory with practical guidance on organization, growth, and innovation strategy.

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Seeing What’s Next

This book explores how organizations can analyze 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 shifts.

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Disrupting Class

Here, Christensen applies the theory of disruptive innovation to education and learning. The book describes how technology and digitalization 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 everyday lives. This perspective has had a major influence on customer experience, service design, and innovation.

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Relevance Today

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

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• digital transformation

• AI

• the platform economy

• changing customer needs

• technological shifts

• increasing demands for innovation

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His perspectives continue to be actively applied across:

• Silicon Valley

• business schools

• technology and consulting environments

• the public sector

• startups

• strategic business development worldwide

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For The Invisible Capital and Value-Creating People projects, Christensen also represents an important reminder that innovation is not simply about technology, but about how organizations understand people, their 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 organizations and society. He has focused particularly on how technology changes power structures and enables people to collaborate and organize in new ways. Shirky provides an important perspective on digitalization as more than technology—as a fundamental transformation in how people interact.

Marty Cagan is one of the most influential voices in product management and digital product development. Through his books, talks, and work in Silicon Valley, he has helped shape how modern digital products are developed around user needs, cross-functional teams, and continuous learning. Cagan is particularly known for clarifying the difference between delivering features and creating products that actually solve real problems for users. His perspectives are highly relevant to the development of digital services because they emphasize product thinking, ownership, and user experience rather than simply delivering technology.

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Marty Cagan’s book Inspired is regarded as one of the most influential books on modern product development and product management. Through examples from leading technology companies, Cagan demonstrates how strong digital products are created through cross-functional teams, a clear understanding of the product, and deep insight into user needs. The book is particularly relevant to the development of digital services because it emphasizes that successful solutions are not about delivering as many features as possible, but about developing products that actually solve problems and create value for users.

Among the experts who left a lasting impression during the Oxford seminars and the innovation programs associated with BI Norwegian Business School, 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.

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Through Peder Inge Furseth’s network, participants gained access to an academic and professional community at the international forefront—not only academically, but also in practice. Richard Cuthbertson was a central part of this environment at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and the Oxford Institute of Retail Management, where for many years he worked to understand how retail, 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 digitalization to technology and efficiency alone. He focused on the bigger picture: how customers experience services, how companies organize 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 viewed e-commerce as an addition to traditional retail, Cuthbertson was among those who recognized early on that the boundaries between physical and digital commerce would gradually disappear. He explored issues that today are considered fundamental: omnichannel, customer experience, service innovation, personalization, and the interaction between technology and human behavior.

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

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This resonated strongly with many of the participants from Norway—particularly those working with digitalization, 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, organizations, culture, and society.

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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 an early voice in discussions about how major global players would grow through investments in logistics, IT, data, and customer insight—while niche businesses and specialized 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 organizations work together.

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

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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 research environments in retail, e-commerce, and customer experience.

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What perhaps made the greatest impression on many participants, however, was not only 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 organizations could evolve without losing sight of the people within them.

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