Switzerland is #1 in term of innovation. Thanks to your company?

INSEAD, the famous French business school, has just published its renowned yearly Global Innovation Index (GII). Switzerland takes the top slot of the 2011 edition. This country moved up three places since 2010.

This annual study investigates the “input pillars” (factors enabling innovation) and the “output pillars” (actual achievements in innovation) and drills down many layers to get a composite innovation rating for 125 countries.

Booz & Company, one of the report contributors says, “The ability to innovate is the great equalizer in the global economy. In the industrial era, nations relied on their natural resources to compete. Today, any country can advance with carefully focused investments in talent and R&D. The performance of some emerging economies in this year’s GII shows what nations can accomplish with a focus on building 21st century economies.”

This top ranking shows that the Swiss enterprises benefit from a very healthy milieu to engage on the innovation path: stable political environment, good business and market sophistication, performing research institutes, and large scientific outputs.

Does your company leverage these encouraging conditions to their full extend ? Does your management capitalize on this positive environment? Is your organizational culture “yes we can” oriented?

If you are just focusing on the problems related to the cost of labor and the weight of the Swiss currency, you might want to consider widening up the scope of efforts and dedicate some time on the opportunities by using the ideal innovation oriented environment at your disposal.

Global Innovation Index 2011: http://www.globalinnovationindex.org/gii/main/fullreport/index.html