Page 25 - 100 Great Business Ideas: From Leading Companies Around the World (100 Great Ideas)

IMPROVING INNOVATION AT $
STEELCASE

The pyramids of Egypt symbolize a culture that was
inert and set in its ways long before its eventual
demise. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, there is a pyra-
mid that symbolizes innovation and change. It is
the seven-story corporate development center of
Steelcase Company, an office furniture manufacturer with annual
sales of $1.6 billion.

Like many large, long-established American corporations, Steelcase NO LLDV N I3D033AI IVAON N
was making a stodgy and boring, though in this case, high-qual-
ity, product. Its closest competitor, Herman Miller, Inc., posed a
significant competitive threat because of its innovative spirit. Miller
is credited with creating the "open office" by using "systems fur-
niture" based on movable panels and furniture modules, and with
leading in the design of the "ergonomic" chair, which constantly
adjusts to changes in the user's position. In the 1970s, Steelcase
was just a follower.

Seeking to increase its dominance of the market, Steelcase has ac-
quired a number of small, high-profile design companies. It now
has a line of wooden office furniture and the rights to furniture
designed by architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Le Corbusier. It
has also rebuilt its physical facilities and reorganized its opera-
tions. The $111 million, 128-foot-tall pyramidal office building,
the most visible change, clearly demonstrates the company's new
commitment to innovation and style as well as quality.

Previously, the company's designers, engineers, and marketing per-
sonnel were housed in separate buildings. Now they are grouped
together to facilitate employee interaction, a necessary requirement

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