Whether a new product is born from consumer needs or from scientific advance has been debated endlessly. But it isn’t one or the other, and the chicken/egg question is not cogent.
Most new products are developed to fit specific consumer needs, but the availability of cutting-edge science helps solve the problems of filling needs with greater specificity. In successful groups, teams form around some key champions, either of technologies or of product concepts. In a few cases, teams form around cha…