DEVELOP A SHARED VISION
Develop a Shared Vision
THE WORD "INNOVATION" has a variety of connotations. It is seen as synonymous with creativity or frequently describes breakthrough products. Today’s marketing teams often apply it liberally to offerings previously deemed “new and improved.”
It is therefore not surprising that many conversations with clients start with two key questions:
- What does innovation really mean?
- How can I reach consensus in my organization on a single definition and direction for our innovation initiatives?
How We Respond:
We define innovation as something different that has a market impact. To underscore this, we look to two of history’s greatest minds: Leonardo da Vinci and Thomas Edison. Leonardo was very creative but he failed to develop many of his thoughts into viable solutions. His creativity therefore lacked impact. Compare this to Edison who not only had the creativity, he had the drive to ensure his ideas moved off the paper and into the hands of users. He solved real world problems in his day and is therefore one of the leading innovators of all time. The difference is subtle but powerful.
To bring this distinction into an organization, we approach the challenge at two levels. One is the executive leadership line. Here is where the goals and boundaries are determined, where the fate and funding for ideas are decided, and where the major influencers of corporate culture originate and are promulgated. The other is at the practitioner line where the day-to-day processes are applied to research to generate and develop new ideas into new offerings. If these two organizations are out of alignment, innovation and growth will inevitably stall.
To achieve this alignment, we typically conduct one or more workshops among individuals at each level. These sessions seek to establish a common language, identify goals and bounds, and set a baseline for how ideas can and should develop within the organization. Topics covered through the workshops include:
- Thinking Differently About Innovation
- Spotting Opportunities
- Winning the Foothold Market
- Mastering Emergent Strategy
- Enabling the Organization to Innovate
At the conclusion of these sessions, we find that the practitioners have a better understanding of the company’s expectations from the innovation program and are able to apply their resources more effectively through the tools and techniques we shared. Executives are able to make decision more efficiently as they are presented with consistent information for each new concept and have the confidence to know that the practitioners’ process discipline has surfaced only those ideas worthy of consideration.