How do you scale innovation across agile teams and departments?

The most innovative companies in the world had a simple but memorable statement that encapsulated their internal vision and values but transcended the walls of the organization to become their brands’ slogan (e.g., Nike’s “Just do it” or Apple’s “Think different”). Everyone in the company should know what’s behind such a statement and how it relates to their roles. Relentlessly overcommunicating a simple but powerful statement until it becomes evident to everyone (not just employees but all the company’s stakeholders) is the most effective way of creating a culture around shared vision and values.

é muito importante criar um ambiente que incentive a experimenta??o e o aprendizado, pois é sempre bom encorajar essa autonomia das equipes para explorar novas ideias, incentivando um mindset de crescimento e tolerancia ao fracasso controlado.

?? In my view, aligning vision and values is the cornerstone of scaling innovation across agile teams. It ensures everyone moves in the same direction. ?? Unified Vision A shared vision fosters cohesion, helping agile teams understand and contribute to the organization's innovation goals. ?? Common Values Aligned values create a consistent culture, empowering teams to innovate within clear ethical and strategic boundaries. ?? Clear Direction When vision and values are aligned, teams make decisions that reinforce the broader innovation strategy. ?? Aligning vision and values isn't just a first step; it's the foundation for sustainable innovation across agile teams.

Na miss?o de escalar a inova??o entre equipes ágeis, o foco deve ir além do alinhamento de vis?o e valores. O compromisso deve ser de criar um ambiente de cultura de inova??o, onde a criatividade e agilidade flores?am, assim inova??o vira um meio para alcan?ar resultados tangíveis de negócio, n?o um fim. Construir uma cultura que n?o apenas promova a inova??o, mas a utilize como uma ferramenta para atingir metas concretas e impulsionar o sucesso da empresa.

This is a great article and I would just like to comment that the new ISO 56000 series has a lot to offer in this area. By aligning the vision and values, the ISO standard will help create a common language and help build that understanding for innovation across your organization. As the chair of Norway's comitee for Innovation standards I certainly look forward to this building strength in the months and years to come :-)

I agree with most of what other have posted. My add: 1) Define your goals/objective as a mission (versus a project). A Mission cannot fail (projects are killed all the time). 2) Recruit Passion--passion is infinite energy that fuel the enablement of the mission. 3) Empower the team. Autonomy is the fuel for passion. 4) Encourage the spirit of Possibility versus current reality...As long as the creative possibilities do not defy the laws of physics, they can be enabled. 5) Support this culture of possibility, ie. all the degree of freedom of time (and financing) to invent this new future of possibility--the key uncertainty of big visions is how long they will take to be realized. Hope this helps.

El establecer hipótesis claras, dise?ar experimentos controlados y analizar los resultados, permite desarrollar planes asertivos, celebrando éxitos y fracasos como oportunidades de aprendizaje para fomentar una cultura de mejora continua y resiliencia ante los desafíos. La fortaleza que da a los equipos el facilitar sesiones de "retroalimentación creativa" fomenta el compartir ideas y soluciones de manera abierta y constructiva que inspire a la innovación mutua. Este enfoque no solo fortalece habilidades individuales y colectivas, sino que promueve la cohesión del equipo y la pasión por la excelencia en la resolución de problemas.

Empowerment fuels innovation. Grant autonomy, resources, and support for teams to experiment, collaborate, and learn, nurturing a culture of innovation.

Teams that feel empowered for innovation are more likely to innovate. But teams without enough resources will stagnate. You can't expect innovation from a team that is overburdened and under-staffed.

By giving teams the autonomy to make decisions, we foster a sense of ownership and responsibility, which drives creativity and initiative. Encouraging experimentation allows teams to explore new ideas and approaches, leading to breakthroughs that might not emerge otherwise. Learning from failures is equally important; it creates a culture where setbacks are seen as opportunities for growth rather than obstacles. This empowerment builds resilience, adaptability, and a continuous improvement mindset, which are essential for driving sustained innovation and long-term success.

?? Defining innovation metrics is essential for scaling because it helps organizations track progress and optimize performance effectively. ?? Customer Value Innovation metrics should measure how well teams address customer needs, ensuring that solutions align with market demands and generate long-term loyalty. ?? Growth Indicators Tracking metrics like revenue growth or market share helps companies understand how innovation contributes to overall business success and competitive advantage. ?? Continuous Learning Innovation metrics should guide iterative improvements, ensuring teams learn from experiments and refine processes, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

These 5 metrics also worked well: 1. Time to Market: Measuring how quickly we turn ideas into solutions. 2. Innovation Pipeline Strength: It's not just about the quantity but the quality and diversity of our ideas and projects awaiting realization. 3. R&D Spending as a Percentage of Sales: This metric underscores our commitment to leading through innovation, balancing today's success with tomorrow's potential. 4. Learning and Iteration Speed: The faster we learn from our endeavors and iterate, the quicker we adapt and excel. 5. Adoption Rate: Ultimately, innovation must resonate with users. The rate at which our market embraces new products is a direct reflection of our ability to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Innovation isn't just about the eureka moment; it's about embedding a sustainable growth within our teams. Processes and Metrics guide this journey, not as mere numbers, but stories of our journey towards meaningful impact. They’re the compass, pointing us where we need to explore, where to pivot, and when to pause and celebrate our milestones. It’s the consistent tracking and the insights that propels us forward.

Scaling innovation across agile teams and departments hinges on defining clear innovation metrics. In my experience, it's vital to establish specific, measurable benchmarks to track progress and impact. For instance, we could look at the number of new ideas generated, the speed of prototype development, or the rate of successful implementation of innovations. These metrics provide a solid foundation for assessing how well our initiatives are fostering creativity and delivering results. By having these clear indicators, we can make informed decisions, adjust strategies as needed, and ensure that innovation thrives throughout the entire organization.

Measure what matters. Define metrics that gauge customer value, goal attainment, and innovation success, providing a compass for progress.

A key part of scaling innovation is to create a system for experimentation. That system of innovation loops needs to surface new ideas, create hypotheses, prototype the idea, and measure the results of the test. Scaling happens if the idea works. But every step of scaling requires its own loop to make sure the team continues to learn at each stage of experimentation. Making sure the original ideas are surfaced from across departments helps scale this across the company, and keeping the loops well-defined makes it more agile.

Agility demands experimentation. Embrace iterative approaches to refine solutions swiftly, leveraging tools like MVPs and A/B testing for rapid innovation cycles.

Experimentation is indeed vital for innovation. It allows organizations to test new ideas, validate assumptions, and learn from the results. By conducting experiments, organizations can gather valuable data and insights that help them understand what works and what doesn't. This iterative process of testing and learning enables them to refine and improve their products, services, or processes. Experimentation helps organizations make informed decisions, minimize risks, and uncover new opportunities for innovation. It fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement, driving the development of innovative solutions that meet customer needs and deliver value.

Think of Amazon’s two-pizza rule: keep teams small enough to be fed by two pizzas, but make sure their findings feed the entire organization. Ensure scalability by standardizing your experimentation frameworks—use shared dashboards, common metrics, and regular 'innovation demos' where teams showcase learnings. This way, you turn isolated experiments into a company-wide innovation engine, fostering a culture where experimentation and iteration are the core principles.

At Microsoft Garage Vancouver, scaling innovation across agile teams and departments hinges on a culture of experimentation and iteration. We foster a growth mindset, encouraging teams to take risks and learn from failures, and we emphasize cross-functional collaboration to leverage diverse perspectives. Utilizing robust tools and frameworks like our own Garage Growth Framework, along with prototyping, MVPs, Design Thinking, and Lean Startup, we validate hypotheses and refine innovations. This approach enables us to deliver impactful solutions efficiently, driving growth and visibility within Microsoft and beyond.

Adapting is critical because it allows organizations to stay relevant and responsive in a rapidly changing environment. In the context of innovation, adapting involves incorporating feedback, insights, and data into decision-making and actions. By adapting, organizations can address emerging challenges, capitalize on new opportunities, and make necessary adjustments to their strategies, processes, methods, and tools. Adapting enables organizations to optimize their innovation capabilities, improve efficiency, and enhance their ability to deliver value to customers. It also fosters a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and innovation, ensuring that organizations can effectively navigate and thrive in dynamic and competitive markets.

Learning and adapting are essential for the continuous improvement and expansion of innovation within agile teams. To cultivate a culture of learning and adaptation, it is important to encourage open communication, knowledge sharing, and the willingness to embrace change. - Retrospectives: Regularly conduct retrospectives to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, ensuring continuous improvement. ?? - Data-Driven Decisions: Use feedback, insights, and data to guide adjustments and enhance innovation strategies. ?? - Flexible Processes: Adapt processes and tools based on learnings to optimize efficiency and effectiveness. ??? - Capability Enhancement: Continuous learning strengthens innovation capabilities, driving long-term success. ??

Adaptation drives innovation. Embrace feedback loops and reflection to refine processes, methods, and tools, fostering continuous improvement.

They’re the compass, pointing us where we need to explore, where to pivot, and when to pause and celebrate our milestones. It’s the consistent tracking and the insights that propels us forward.

Drawing from my vast experience in AI & business automation, empowering teams not only fosters a culture of creativity but significantly enhances problem-solving capacities.

No existe herramienta mas poderosa que la inspiración. Desde los lideres hasta los interesados dentro y fuera de la compa?ía deben contagiarse con el proceso. Existen hoy en día múltiples fuentes y herramientas para generar inspiración lo importante es generar el impacto para que los equipos lleguen a otro nivel.

Spread the innovation gospel. Share success stories, impact, and insights through various channels, inspiring trust, engagement, and recognition across the organization.

An organization successfully scaled its innovation by setting up innovation labs across various departments. Each lab operates with a high degree of autonomy, equipped with tools for rapid prototyping to encourage experimenting with new ideas. Regular cross-functional meetings and shared digital platforms enable teams to showcase their developments, ensuring knowledge flows and best practices are spread effectively throughout the company. This structure not only accelerates the innovation process but also embeds a strong culture of creativity across all levels of the organization.

Sharing knowledge and inspiring others are crucial for scaling innovation. At Hexagon Product Development, I believe that innovation thrives when ideas are openly shared and collaboration is encouraged. By sharing our experiences, insights, and challenges, we not only foster a culture of learning within our team but also spark creativity in others. Inspiration comes from seeing the impact of our work and knowing that it can lead to something greater. When we inspire others to think differently and contribute their unique perspectives, we create a powerful collective force that drives innovation forward, enabling us to scale our solutions more effectively.

Innovation thrives in environments where knowledge flows freely across teams and departments. Create formal and informal channels for sharing successes, lessons, and best practices—whether through innovation forums, cross-functional workshops, or digital platforms like intranets. Sharing inspiring stories and celebrating wins, big or small, boosts morale and encourages others to take bold steps. This culture of transparency and open communication fosters collaboration, allowing successful ideas to be adapted and scaled across the organization. By inspiring each other, agile teams become catalysts for collective innovation, ultimately driving the company forward as a unified, innovative force.

Effective governance ensures innovation alignment with organizational objectives and risk management, fostering a conducive environment for scalable innovation.

La innovación y la agilidad requieren equipos autogestionados capaces de escalar soluciones y solucioar retos de negocio de manera diferenciada. La agilidad al ser un mindset requiere un trabajo constante de change management no solo para los equipos inmersos en la agilidad si no para los equipos de su entorno. La innovación hoy en dia inmersa en la transformación empresarial debe crear comunidades y ecosistemas que permitan aportar valor de una manera acertada y adecuada de acuerdo al contexto.

Scaling innovation across agile teams and departments involves aligning the organization’s vision and values, empowering agile teams, and defining clear innovation metrics. Encouraging experimentation and iteration, fostering learning and adaptation, and sharing innovation stories are crucial steps. For example, a company might have different departments work together to streamline cross-functional collaboration. By sharing their results in newsletters, they can inspire other teams while fostering a culture of shared learning and innovation.

Scaling innovation across agile teams requires alignment of vision and values, empowerment of teams, and well-defined innovation metrics. Encouraging experimentation, iteration, and continuous learning fosters adaptability and growth. Sharing success stories and insights through various channels inspires and engages stakeholders, creating a culture of collaboration and innovation. By implementing these strategies, organizations can drive meaningful and sustainable innovation across departments. #InnovationNation #Marketing #Branding #HolisticBranding #Morocco #Africa #GenJ #Officium

Para escalar a inova??o em empresas com times e departamentos ágeis, pense em construir uma rede interconectada que estimule a criatividade e a troca de ideias entre diferentes áreas. Implemente programas de conex?o, como hackathons internos ou desafios de inova??o aberta, onde colaboradores de diversas equipes possam colaborar em projetos multidisciplinares, aplicando seus conhecimentos específicos em solu??es inovadoras. Essa abordagem facilita a poliniza??o cruzada de ideias, impulsionando a gera??o de solu??es criativas e disruptivas em toda a empresa. é dessa forma que inicio a cultura da inova??o na empresa.