Several public newcomers to the Norwegian Innovation Index

Photo of Tor W. Andreassen and Inge Thorud at NHH.
INNOVATION: The three Norwegian public companies, broadcaster NRK, postal service Posten and Skatteetaten - the Norwegian Tax Administration - are among the newcomers at the Norwegian Innovation Index 2021. ‘We are proud that NRK is highlighted in this context, and perhaps particularly pleased that it is based on ratings from our users,’ says Inge Thorud, Head of Product Development at NRK (to the right). To the left: NHH Professor and leader of the Norwegian Innovation Index, Tor W Andreassen.
NHH By Ingrid Aarseth Johannessen

9 February 2022 10:34

Several public newcomers to the Norwegian Innovation Index

IKEA leads the Commercial Innovation Index for the sixth year in a row, while NRK, Posten and the Norwegian Tax Administration are among the newcomers on the top lists.

The Norwegian Innovation Index 2021 is presented on NHH's campus in Oslo 9 February. The index measures how innovative Norwegian companies are - seen from the customers' perspective.

See all results

NHH Professor Tor W Andreassen explains the top positions as follows:

‘There are few changes in the top of the three indices during the years we have operated. This is in line with the research literature which states that the skilled companies are also skilled under difficult conditions, such as a pandemic. Those who struggled before the pandemic are struggling even more now and are largely struggling to keep up with developments or avoid falling out of the market.’

The Norwegian innovation index distinguishes between three indices: IKEA comes out on top of the Commercial Innovation Index for the sixth year in a row, followed by Airbnb and Sbanken.

The Digital Innovation Index is led by Sbanken, Netflix and Komplett, and Stormberg, Toyota and IKEA are at the top of the Social Innovation Index.

NRK: More dialogue with the audience 

Andreassen points out that three public companies, broadcaster NRK, postal service Posten and Skatteetaten - the Norwegian Tax Administration - are among the newcomers in the top 10 lists.

Inge Thorud, Head of Product Development at NRK, says that they in 2021 have worked a lot on getting closer to their audience through dialogue and interaction. Thorud highlights everything from letting the audience ask their corona questions to the health authorities, contributing with questions to the party leaders in “Debatten”, to participating in the national guessing game in Maskorama.

‘We are proud that NRK is highlighted in this context, and perhaps particularly pleased that it is based on ratings from our users. We believe it has to do with the fact that we are constantly exploring new and better ways to reach out with our content, be relevant to everyone, and to fulfil our important mission in a media landscape that is constantly changing.’

Norwegian innovation index

  • Distinguishes between three indices: Commercial Innovation Index, Social Innovation Index and Digital Innovation Index. Was first launched in 2016.
  • The indices measure approximately 90 companies in 20 industries. Commercial innovation index measures companies 'ability to innovate from the customers' experiences. The social innovation index measures whether customers view companies' innovation activities as useful to society and promote sustainability. The Digital Innovation Index measures whether customers view companies as digital, the extent to which they use the companies' digital solutions and whether they experience that the companies are innovative in their digital solutions.
  • The index is developed by NHH. It is being used in the USA, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway.