I.N.N.O.V.A.T.I.O.N : Creating a Culture of Innovation
October 30, 2012
Innovation in business is the development of new customer value through solutions that meet new needs, inarticulate needs, or current needs in new ways. Innovation in and of itself is the key to a company’s survival. It is the lifeblood of a company. That said, innovation is not always easy, and it does not come by itself. It requires a culture and desire to deliver that needs to be nurtured and reinforced by its leadership and a backed by a structured process approach. The ten imperatives in Robert’s... Read more »
Measure Innovation Efforts in Leading and Lagging Indicators (KPI)
October 23, 2012
How will you measure success? Innovation is ultimately about Return on Investment. It’s critical to use leading and lagging Key Performance Indicators, and observe and measure time spent on each segment of the new product development (NPD) process to see how it’s progressing. Leading Metrics used in the industry can include ideas generated, ideation sessions held, number of patents filed, and for lagging new products released, and percentage of sales due to new products. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srpyLoPp1JE&feature=share&list=UUxXhckNtVpjkJDNlR-GEYaA Read More →
Supporting the “R” in R&D
October 9, 2012
When it comes to Research and Development (R&D), a majority of the new product development process involves the “D” from concept to launch. However, the “R” is where most breakthroughs come from – and it is in jeopardy due to recessionary cuts and the short-term pressure for monthly and quarterly results. When companies are laser focused on delivering monthly bottomline goals, research can be left on the back burner. What are you doing to support research? Are you investing... Read more »
Challenging Open Innovation
September 24, 2012
Open Innovation is an effective method for gaining ideas from outside an organization, but in order to achieve long term sustained Innovation, companies need to establish a structured repeatable process. Breakthrough innovations still have to come from within the company through hard work and consistent efforts. A great example of this is Procter & Gamble Co., which successfully introduced its Open Innovation program to seek help from outside partners in everything from product design to packaging. Collaborating... Read more »
Innovation Myths Debunked
September 12, 2012
Innovation is key to a company’s survival, regardless of the size or type of organization. But there are many myths and common misconceptions when it comes to how innovation is achieved. Many people think innovation is all about generating ideas, or ideation. While it’s true that every innovation must start with an idea, it is actually the delivery and execution of processes that lead to sustained Innovation. In fact, when it comes to achieving a culture of innovation, execution may be the biggest... Read more »
Gauging Your Organization’s Training and Coaching Program
August 28, 2012
For creating a company culture and mindset focused on innovation, it starts with proper training and coaching from the high ups of an organization. Team members need to be trained and coached to constantly improve their skill set, and this attitude should be continuously reinforced. It’s important for the entire company to be innovative, and not just a designated “Department of Innovation.” Successful, sustainable innovation depends on a natural curiosity and open-mindedness from all members... Read more »
Innovation is Creativity x Risk Taking
August 13, 2012
Innovation is impossible to achieve without taking a necessary amount of risk. In a world where the success rate of new product entries in the grocery business is 1 in 100, it is inevitable that every success sees failures along the way. An effective innovation leader should encourage creativity and risk taking, while also practicing a tolerance for failure. In order to foster initiative and innovation, ask yourself these questions. * Do you allow free research and development (R&D) time? * Do you invest... Read more »
Let’s Bring Back Accountability
August 5, 2012
From customers’ and suppliers’ viewpoint, Company X is fast growing, exciting, and high-energy. Inside, though, it’s a tornado. Fighting fires, arguing over who committed to what, why it didn’t happen, and noticing things that fell through the cracks in just enough time is normal. How can this happen when they have weekly departmental meetings, keep track of action items, and post projects and timelines everywhere? Easily! There is no accountability. They don’t hold each other... Read more »
Can Innovation Be a Structured Repeatable Process?
July 23, 2012
When Innovation comes to mind, the first thing people may think of is creativity, spontaneity, or a momentary stroke of genius. But can innovation occur out of a structured, repeatable process? The answer, in short, is yes. In fact, in order to build a long-term culture of sustained innovation, a structured process must be put into place especially in idea generation or ideation. Although it sounds counter intuitive to say “structure” and “ideation” in the same sentence, organizations... Read more »
New Intellectual Property Exchange Streamlines Patent Trading
July 10, 2012
In the research and development industry where innovations build on top of other innovations, obtaining patents to protect intellectual property is of the utmost importance. It is critical to ensure that patents being are utilized, especially within big corporations like IBM or organizations like the Unites States Navy. Not only do patents protect newly developed products or processes, they contribute to unrealized value creation, or assets that can be explored and sold. The latest development besides one... Read more »
Innovation Evolution
