The Innovation Plan

The Cambridge Dictionary defines innovation as ‘a new?idea?or?method, or the use of new?ideas?and?methods’. And this takes us to the question – if change is constant, would not innovation be a constant too? The simple answer is ‘Yes’. In order to survive, develop, evolve individuals and organisations are on a constant path of innovation. We see it in many forms at work each day – a new policy, the introduction of biometrics, the way the chairs in the cafetaria have been placed, the next go to market campaign. Innovation, like change, is a constant too.?

Why then are there ‘Innovation Teams’ with creative names and brilliant minds within organisations, and why is it so critical in an environment of a startup and in places where ‘intrapreneurship’ is the ‘cool’ word. Moreover what in the world does the ‘Head of Innovation’ do? Sounds like a disrupter right? Well, I guess its partially true, but apart from disruption a critical element of an innovative organization is foresight and alignment.?

Let’s explore this a bit. Peter Drucker said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. This couldn’t be truer when we talk about innovation. Change isn’t easy, and to deal with it we need innovation, and the person usually recommending it is the one who bears the brunt of the first step – ‘denial’. Hence the fostering of a ‘culture of innovation’ becomes key. Many an organization has slid down from a position of strength to that of a follower – we know of course of Kodak rejecting the idea of Digital Cameras, Xerox missing the digital revolution, Yahoo underestimating the value of ‘search’, Motorola missing out on innovative software and so on.?At the same time there are many stories of companies driving innovation and achieving rapid success – Amazon and a supply chain based upon predictive customer behaviour, Grab reaching out to drivers at airports, WhatsApp Business charging Companies for poor customer response times, Lego’s crowdsourced ideation platform, Spotifiy’s free service that generates revenue for them, Tinder’s Gold Members, Lenskart with their innovative model of reaching out to customers in India...and many many more.

So, what makes it possible to do for one organization, what appears to be a very uphill task for another. It is not the talent since both types of organization have remarkable minds working with them. In fact some of the better established ones who were at the top of their game probably had better minds and resources as opposed to shoestring budget startups, and yet the results speak for themselves.?

There are certain aspects common to all :?

• Sensing the external??This is about ensuring that the organization does not get wrapped up in a self-obsessive inward-looking perspective (pride) and focusing on what the murmurs, whispers and general buzz about emerging trends in the space that would directly or indirectly shape the future of the business environment. It’s often the foot soldiers who are the ‘first line of the grapevine’ and cultivating rather than arrogantly distancing from this is the way to be.?
• User Experience/Customer Obsession?

While clubbed together, these may be viewed as complimentary or unique. User experience is the focus on ensure the quality of engagement with the consumer of the product is unsurpassed and there is a constant journey tracking each aspect of it and making it better. Customer obsession includes the user experience – some may argue that is may not since there are leading organisations with names inspired by fruit who once believed that the customer didn’t have a clue what they wanted….therefore the clubbing of the two as an ‘either/or’ or ‘both’ Having said this, Customer Obsession is about a single minded focus of the organization on things like NPS and the ability to move the organization and each function around these – as the planets move around the sun.?

• Adaptable culture – the innovation mindset

Those versed in the Socratic Method may find it difficult coming to terms in an environment that has more questions than answers. While the merits of the Socratic method of drilling down to the core is useful during the implementation of an innovation, an innovative mindset where there is constant chatter and excitement about change is a great place for innovation to foster. Adequate opportunities, recognition and forums for this to happen create a fertile soil for the seeds of innovation in the form of empathy, ideation and the like.

• Intrapreneurship?

Quick decisions, lots of pilot runs, active experimentation and a constant discomfort with status quo are the hallmarks of Intrapreneurship. It isn’t easy for large organizations that need to operate in an environment of ‘standardization’ – which incidentally works really well for customer obsession because the customer knows exactly what to expect each time and in that, there exists a certain sense of security and comfort. So how do we implement this then – this is exactly where we need ‘Innovation Departments’. A group of constantly shuffling (within the department and other departments) teams coming together for short periods of time, driving innovation within the organization. Ideally, the teams keep getting reassigned and new members are brought into the department every 2-4 years depending upon business cycles and product gestation periods. ?

• Results ?

All organisations who have been successful innovators have a clear focus on the results as well as the RoI of innovation. Irrespective of the number of patents an organization is churning out the raison d’etre for a business is the numbers. Innovation needs to be funded and for the funding there needs to be adequate business being generated as a result of the innovation. Often this gets confused as a team ideating and experimenting and the core of a business entity gets forgotten. A number cruncher on an innovation team is a great idea as long as they don’t get carried away with their ‘self-importance’ and start acting as a gate as opposed to an enabler.?

• Alignment

Alignment becomes the most critical aspect of rolling out an innovation. The team leading this needs to ensure that they are carrying the enterprise through like an engine driving many compartments of a train on rails as opposed to a rally like Dakar?where everyone goes in hell for leather with one winner being declared at the end. In order to do this, it is critical for the team to follow a systematic and common approach – be it a team of Intrapreneurs, an Innovation department, or the Founder of a startup. A common vision and approach are key.?

While we have some of the building blocks to innovation, is there a way to align the organization and inspire others within the enterprise towards this. The answer to that is yes. There are many tools, techniques, structures and models of innovation. Each one has its own unique attributes and pros and cons. Apart from this there are those who offer consulting services in this field and help you work with and through the tools. What is important is to get an overarching insight and direction for leaders who wish to take on this charter.?

There are many who can provide help with this under many garbs – Bionic, three five two,?Kelton, Ideo, Possible Future, Innosight to name a few.?

Another interesting option to get everyone on the journey of how to initiate, align and take to market an innovation is a simulation-based board game by StartupMundi. This helps build a common understanding of a framework that is required for an innovation mindset. Moreover it helps build a holistic mindset addressing competencies linked to agility, adaptability, leading change and breakthrough thinking.?