The new Fast company ranking TOP 100 is out (link hereunder). And it’s all about innovation. Despite the fact it’s about worldwide famous blockbusters and very US-based organisations, what can we learn from it? How does it inspire us?

What’s up doc?

Not that big surprise: IT & 2.0 occupy most of the seats. Seven out of the Top ten are clearly related to social media, web and IT. Apple is of course on the highest rank… role model for every industry, every manager and all geeks all over the world. Would it be love or hate, everyboday has something to say about Apple. Then you have Facebook, Google, Amazon, Square and Twitter. Even my mum knows all of them so I can measure how strong they must be in innovation : they succeed in the tough challenge to sounds familiar to an 65 y.o lady who is IT-proof.

Then we have 2 social conscious movements , one obvisously commercial as Tencent introduced instant messaging and e-commerce in China (social revolution, ins’t it) and one purely social, with “Occupy” (8th), the US “Indignate” movement that took place in Europe in late 2010 and the whole 2011.

As from the 9th rank, we can at last notice a change in the sector industry. It’s no more/not only about innovation and social relationships related to the web or to IT, it’s about 5 major trends : sustainability, life sciences, branding, massclusivity and m-learning.

Sustainability

As I, you probably don’t know companie like SolarCity (11), Tesla Motors (14), Bug Agentes Biologicos (34), James Corner Fiels Operation (36), Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospitals (37), Recyclebank (38). These organisation have been praised because their core business brings fundamental answer to critical needs: access to healthcare, to food, to energy to the most or the poorest. The technology advance is well present but what is remarkable is it’s yet offered or could be offer to the people who cannot pay that much (or at all) for that service.

Life sciences

Progress in life sciences are under the spotlights with the National Marrow Donor Program (17) and Genentec (26). Both companies use the state of the art technology to fight cancer.

Branding

UPS (39), Starbuck (25), Red Bull media house (30) (those I know), Greenbox (17), Jawbone (18), Airnb (19) amongst other are all using customers’ experience to improve their branding and market positionning. As a client, you’re not using a service anymore. You’re experiencing a new… lifestyle.

Massclusivity

How to feel exclusive in the mass of the customers? Of course you can customize your product.s/services Apple, Starbuck are champions in that category. But you can also experience a VIP treatment through very standard products/services like of flight of investment in entertainment. That’s the challenge met by Gogo (33), Kickstarters (42) that make you feel like a star, like a powerful entrepreneur…

m-Learning

A small step for … who?… but a huge leap for the world of education. Some universities, like Southern New Hampshire University (13) are constantly re-inventing education, off and online. And companies like Newton (48) are building sustainable platforms that are bringing teachers, students and ed-content providers all together.

And the final diagnosis is…

Innovation is not only technology. Innovation is helped by technology. Technology makes it faster, more efficient, broader… The main idea that drives innovation is… you. YOU and your experience. It looks crystal clear that companies are not only looking for financial performances, but also to your happiness.

Those companies do not complain. They innovate. And if you, as their customer, you complain, you are feeding their innovation process.

As usual, it’s all about happiness. So spread happiness around you!
And if you want to make me happy, please click & vote http://www.bit.ly/yn1XmX

Source : http://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2012/knewton (found by @cltst thanks for inspiration 😉 )