Some industry leaders seem to accept, almost as an article of faith, that Asian companies can only copy — they don’t create. This perception is simply wrong. Look no further than the fact that four of the great inventions that changed the world: gunpowder, the compass, papermaking and printing, all originated from China. However, it might be that the best way for Asian companies to innovate would be to jettison some of the ideas about innovation that have become conventional wisdom elsewhere in the world. Asian companies and the subsidiaries of multinationals operating in Asia have the opportunity to re-think innovation in ways that create new types of competitive advantage.
