What are the best ways to use innovation management for stronger stakeholder relationships?

I’m a firm believer in building highly collaborative environments. It is one thing to say you have a collaborative team, but when you are working with other stakeholders, they need to know their insights, opinions and challenges will be listened to, and respectfully challenged. Creating safe and trusted environments help greatly with this.

Innovation cannot be done in a vacuum. As many said it’s not a top down approach. One must be open ton conversation and white-boarding new ideas. Inspiring employees and customers to share ideas and experiences in order to foster trust amongst the contributors. Innovative ideas sometimes come from an observation and a voice from the back of the room. Keep your ears open so your Innovation stays within. Think of Zoom and Zappos. They were once ideas that a Corp executive ignored and that person left and they created a billion business from that innovative idea.

As I'm sure others will contribute - innovation management is NOT a top-down process. You need to build an eco-system of enterprise and creativity with your customers, employees, suppliers, partners, regulators, investors, and competitors. It is a regular trickle-up of ideas, concepts, trials, tests, finding-out, creation and enterprising people feeling empowered to get to a win-win with your organisation. If you send out surveys, arrange focus groups, call for "innovation" meetings and implement "schemes" you'll be disappointed. Empower stakeholders and help them converse with each other then innovation happens. Henty Stewart (Happy Manifesto) and I (Happipreneurship) believe in management of this process by getting out of the way.

When people are given a survey they tend to be conscious of what they disclose. The best way to really know what a user wants is to study them in their natural settings. All stakeholders in the ecosystem should be observed by a leader. A leader doesn’t have to do everyday chores. They need to study people and how they interact in the ecosystem in question. This way it’s easier to identify needs and differentiate from the wants. This will also help engage with the stakeholders seamlessly.

In my experience, here are three ideas that could help: - Collaborative Idea Generation: Create platforms or events where stakeholders can contribute ideas and suggestions for improvements or new initiatives. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership and ensures that innovations align with their needs and expectations. - Transparent Communication: Regularly communicate updates on ongoing innovation projects, milestones achieved, and the impact on the organization. Transparency builds trust and keeps stakeholders engaged. - Feedback Integration and Iterative Development: Collect feedback at different stages of innovation projects and use it to make necessary adjustments.

Beginning with a project charter that clearly documents the objectives, roles, estimated hours, timeline and KPIs is a critical first step in this process

Building trust is an important part of any management role. Setting out a clear pathway with visual goals and an intrustment to obtain this is fundamental to transparency and growth.

It's important to be helpful and communicate frequently throughout the innovation journey. Establishing clear and consistent communication channels and using various tools and methods, such as email, video conferencing, and project management software, can help share your vision, progress, challenges, and results. Also, fostering a collaboration culture and encouraging your stakeholders to share their ideas, opinions, and expertise can be beneficial. By communicating and collaborating effectively, you can build trust, transparency, and mutual understanding with your stakeholders and create a sense of ownership and commitment to your innovation.

Eu ainda vejo, e muito, por aí as pessoas querendo montar comitê de inova??o, agendar reuni?es de brainstorm e inova??o. Inovar muitas vezes acontece quando você está no banho, em sua casa, numa quarta-feira qualquer por exemplo.

It’s an absolute no brainier that in every relationship ultimately it all boils down to WIIFM ( What’s In It For Me ). The ability to deliver and project superior value to the stakeholders is what matters the most when it comes to managing stakeholders expectations. Innovation can be used either to solve stakeholder problems more effectively as well as efficiently. Better results in less time certainly hold the interest of key stakeholders.

I totally agree with all of the above the factors involved with who will benefit and with KPI's its a clear indication that all stakeholders should be involved with.

In short, what works? (Four syllables). Boil all this verbiage down to the minimum. Eliminate repetitive jargon. Speak clearly as if to a person who finds English difficult.

Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) is vital to demonstrate the impact and value of your innovation to your stakeholders. By defining and prioritizing the metrics that align with your innovation goals and measuring them consistently, you know if you are accomplishing anything worthwhile. This data-driven approach can help you make informed decisions and gain buy-in from your stakeholders.

Toda e qualquer inova??o nasce com um propósito. Medir o seu resultado é t?o fácil quando inovar, porém, as pessoas querem dificultar tanto, querem florear tanto, que acabamos nos perdendo em coisas sem sentido, entre elas os KPI do inovado.

All the above is spot on clear information and understanding of the roles the objectives and progression shown to stakeholders.

Understand what is needed and how it can be achieved. Do not waste time and air on nebulous language and phrases that mean nothing.

Gest?o da inova??o é estrar sempre aberto a enxergar as coisas como mutáveis. é entender que nada é fixo e que tudo pode fluir melhor. Inovar é a arte da vida em constante movimento.

Thank people who do well. Do not penalise those who find it more difficult. Explain cause and effect. Be fair, be kind, be consistent.

Creating a culture of open communication and trust is one of the best ways to use innovation management. When the work environment feels safe, the ideas flow, and this is when work relationships are the most collaborative and innovative. This synergy and dedication forge the most substantial stakeholder relationships. Innovation management is more than just about technical competence or business acumen. It also vehemently relies on 'soft skills.' Soft skills, such as effective communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence, are all invaluable and crucial in understanding and addressing the needs and expectations of stakeholders, which in turn can drive successful innovation.

A natureza humana é muito previsível. Qualquer pessoa deseja o mínimo reconhecimento possível por seus atos, por menores que sejam. N?o reconhecer é selar com cal a criatividade, a evolu??o e a mudan?a, atualmente t?o necessárias.

Remember Dr Johnson’s words in “The Vanity of Human Wishes:” ‘Condemned to Hope’s Delusive mines, we toil.” Do not set impossible goals. Do not ask anyone to do something you cannot do, or have not done, yourself. Be fair, be kind, be consistent.

1. There should be a transparent communication channel where stakeholders can view live updates - example Google Docs, Trello etc 2. Setup weekly notifications to all the stakeholders - could be daily as well depends on the project/product launch timelines 3. Have your house in order and pay attention to the smallest details in communication to stakeholders 4. Seek ideas and feedback from stakeholders on minimum viable products and gather input to make necessary changes 5. Ensure that each stakeholder has same information and are synced - send a weekly notification to them as to where do we stand at the moment with enhancements 6. Make sure that you use live channels to inform them about the risk, feedback, timelines and changes, goals