Under the theme of "New generation open innovation JR-East's challenge: Creating 'stations, towns, and societies' from the consumer's point of view," practical methods and examples of ecosystem-type open innovation that lead to solutions to increasingly complex social problems are presented and summarized in a book

Arthur D. Little Japan, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Managing Partner: Yusuke Harada; hereinafter "ADL") and East Japan Railway Company (hereinafter "JR-East") jointly authored the book "New generation open innovation JR-East's challenge: Creating 'stations, towns, and societies' from the consumer's point of view " (Published by Nikkei BP) will be published on Monday, February 13, 2023 (available at some bookstores and on Amazon from February 9).

This publication summarizes the results of new-generation open innovation activities undertaken with approximately 130 companies (as of the end of November 2022) in the Mobility Innovation Consortium (MIC), the first large-scale multi-industry cross-sectional consortium in Japan launched and mainly organized by JR-East in 2017. The report covers how to solve issues and specific examples of innovation creation methods that focus on building "N-to-N" relationships, rather than the traditional "one-to-one" method of innovation creation, in an age when major changes are required at the societal and industrial levels.

The "mechanism" and "key points" of N:N type (ecosystem-driven) open innovation creation, in which multiple companies co-create products and businesses to solve problems, not only in transportation but also in IT, XR (cross reality※1 ), and human flow analysis, are explained in detail. In addition, the management organization for realizing open innovation and the roles of various working groups are introduced.

The report also features case studies of solutions to the three social issues of (1) Redefining mobility x spatial value, (2) Region-based local development, and (3) Collaboration between consumers and technology, which were addressed by bringing together the technologies, assets, and know-how of the approximately 130 companies from different industries participating in MIC using the ecosystem-based open innovation approach.

This book details the methods and examples of ecosystem-based open innovation introduced by MIC, and it points the way to a new approach to social problems that are becoming too large in scale to be solved by individual corporate initiatives any longer. This is a new reference book on innovation creation for all corporate and community leaders who feel the limits of innovation with conventional methods.

ADL will continue to contribute to the creation of innovation ecosystems with a view to social and industrial transformation.

*1: XR (cross reality) is a generic term for technologies that allow people to perceive things that are not real (technologies such as VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), and MR (mixed reality)) by merging the real world and virtual world.

Publication Book Summary

• Book Title: New generation open innovation JR-East's challenge: Creating 'stations, towns, and societies' from the consumer's point of view
• Author: Yusuke Harada, Managing Partner, Head of Arthur D. Little Japan, Inc. Hiroshi Irie, Head of the Executive Office, Mobility Transformation Consortium, Innovation Strategy Division, East Japan Railway Company
• Publisher: Nikkei BP
• Published Date: February 13, 2023 (Monday)
• Price: 2,200 yen (excluding tax)
• Sales channels: Bookstores nationwide and e-bookstores such as Amazon

Introduction of ADL Author Team

Yusuke Harada, Managing Partner, Head of Arthur D. Little Japan
Since joining ADL, he has experienced numerous corporate transformations that capture the essence of social, industrial, and technological change, centered on "building a management business foundation that continuously generates innovation" and "formulating growth strategies based on the company's raison d'etre. In recent years, he has been engaged in projects related to the formulation of new social systems and business models that transcend industries. His main areas of responsibility are: corporate growth strategy development and management system design.

Shota Mitsuya, Partner, Arthur D. Little Japan
As a core member of the Technology & Innovation Management Practice, he is involved in innovation strategy development and implementation support for manufacturing and infrastructure companies, as well as policy development for government agencies. He works with clients on social and industrial transformation. His major publications include "2021 Transformation: The Transformation to a Community-Based Society Begins" (Nikkei BP).

Mao Suga, Manager, Arthur D. Little Japan
She has worked with clients in a wide range of industries, including infrastructure companies, manufacturing companies, and government agencies. Her support activities focus on the innovation area, including new business strategy development, strategy development for the formation of innovation ecosystems, and technology strategy development based on the changing times. In recent years, she has also focused on supporting business concepts related to cross-industry themes such as wellbeing.