What do you do if your mobile technology company lacks strategic thinking for innovation?

Before jumping into shiny new ideas, we need to understand where we're at. We gotta look at what our customers are up to, what the tech landscape is throwing our way, and any big trends that might throw us a curveball. Once we know where we are, we can figure out the best way to get where we want to go.

In 20 yrs experience shepherding innovation development, I know Innovation thrives in environments that encourage experimentation and creativity. Take command of the effort and establish a formal process that supports innovation, such as a stage-gate process where new ideas are systematically reviewed, developed, and vetted before going to market. Share and lobby your efforts across the company's function. Promote a culture that values risk-taking and learning from failure, providing teams with the resources and space to innovate. Workshops, hackathons, and collaboration with external partners can invigorate creative processes and introduce fresh perspectives. Engage your colleagues. Think: Orchestrate. Collaborate. Integrate. Elevate.

Innovation or not, if your company is not thinking strategically, it is vulnerable to changes in the marketplace. Mistaking planning as strategy will further inhibit the companies ability to adapt. Leading to an over reliance on tactics rather than focusing on the trade-offs being made. #nice-ladder-wrong-wall Planning implies certainty whereas strategy and innovation live in the world of probability. If innovation is a planning exercise it will be difficult to sustain the project when things don't go to plan. It will be important to help leaders shift from a determinsitic to a probablistic mindset.

Assess your current state by evaluating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis). Identify areas lacking strategic innovation. Seek external expertise, conduct market research, and foster a culture of innovation internally. Align goals with long-term vision to drive innovation.

If your company lacks strategic thinking it means you can't fully assess it. Seek professional help, they have seen many companies like yours in the same situation and will be able to easily point you in the right direction.

Let's face it, the mobile tech world moves fast. A rock-solid strategic plan. would be a living, breathing roadmap to the future, with clear goals and ways to measure progress. We'd need to be specific about what kind of innovation we're after, but also realistic about what we can achieve. And the beauty? This plan could bend and adapt as the tech landscape shifts, keeping us ahead of the curve.

Embracing your leadership role, and a clear understanding of your starting point, its time to craft your strategic plan. Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives that align with your objectives to shift the company's attitude. This plan should outline key initiatives such as adopting new technologies, entering untapped markets, or enhancing product offerings. It must also include a roadmap with clear milestones and assign responsibilities to ensure every team member understands their role in this vision. Use a top down, and bottom up approach to garner support for your turnaround. Share the objectives with peers, how the team will benefit and contribute to the shift.Then take it to leadership.

Develop a strategic plan by defining clear objectives, conducting market analysis, and fostering a culture of innovation. Set SMART goals, allocate resources effectively, and encourage cross-functional collaboration. Regularly review and adapt the plan to ensure alignment with evolving market trends and business needs.

We need to understand why strategic innovation is lacking. Is it a siloed work environment? Fear of failure? A lack of resources? Chat with colleagues, have open forum discussions, or even an anonymous survey to pinpoint the root cause. By fostering open communication, encouraging experimentation, and valuing diverse perspectives, your mobile tech company can become an innovation powerhouse!

Design Thinking es una buena herramienta, fácil de implantar para fomentar la discusión y la innovación. Debe reforzar otros elementos de la cultura de la empresa para que los empleados sientan la coherencia de la empresa en busca de un objetivo común compartido.

The challenge is foster a new vision in the company. Recognize that Innovation thrives in environments that encourage experimentation and creative thinking. Establish a formal process that supports innovation, such as a stage-gate process where new ideas are systematically reviewed, developed, and vetted before going to market. Process enables creativity, doesn't kill it. Promote culture that values risk-taking and learning from failure, providing teams with the resources and space to innovate. Workshops, all-hands, collaboration with external partners can invigorate creative processes and introduce fresh perspectives. Ignite a fire for others to follow you in this quest. Show the energy and return innovation brings to all the stakeholders.

Encourage creative thinking by fostering an open and collaborative culture. Implement brainstorming sessions, reward innovative ideas, and provide training on design thinking methodologies. Emphasize the importance of experimentation and risk-taking to spark innovation throughout the organization.

Bring lower employees, especially those in the trenches to provide their feedback. These people often know the darker corners of your product and are in touch with the pain points.

Put your strategic plan into action with rigorous management and monitoring. Implement tools for tracking progress against goals at regular intervals, and adjust strategies as necessary. This might involve adapting to new market trends or overcoming unforeseen challenges. Encourage transparent communication across all levels of the organization to keep everyone informed and engaged. Regular evaluation meetings can help maintain focus and momentum towards achieving the strategic objectives. Identify allies among your colleagues and provide them with shepherding responsibilities, delegation, drives followership and leadership as you seek to change the course of the culture and company.

Implement strategic initiatives for innovation, aligning with company goals. Regularly evaluate progress, gathering feedback and metrics. Adjust strategies as needed based on results. Foster a culture that embraces learning from failures and iterates for continuous improvement.

While addressing the tangible elements of strategy and innovation, don’t overlook the human factor. Change management is crucial; you must lead with empathy, clarity, and conviction. Support your workforce through training and development to ease the transition into new ways of working. Additionally, keep a close eye on industry movements and technological advancements to continually refine your strategy. By staying adaptable and people-focused, you can steer your company towards sustainable innovation, increased competitiveness, nimbleness in the market, greater satisfaction in the firm, profitability and return on investors. Win. Win. Win.

A professional who has worked in multiple industries will be able to provide invaluable lateral thinking that can unlock new opportunities.