It takes a village for an innovation to succeed

Successful innovation involves taking our breakthrough ideas and transforming them into value propositions that resonate with customers and business models that are scalable and profitable. World-class innovators recognize that they cannot go on the journey from idea to business on their own. So they look beyond their ideas and try to create alignment with others within the business.?

It is important that innovation teams are working on ideas that are aligned with the company’s overall strategic goals. It is also important to create alignment with key functions such as finance, sales, marketing, HR, legal and compliance. In my experience, legal and compliance teams hate being treated like a box to tick at the end of the innovation process.?

To create alignment, a two-pronged approach needs to be taken:?

1. At a personal level, innovators have to develop good relationships with colleagues in other functions. This requires humility and an understanding of the constraints that the other key functions have to deal with. Such relationship building is a key skill for the serial innovator.?
2. At an organizational level, innovators have to work with leadership to develop clear policies of how key functions can support innovation. Building this official bridge with the core business is the best way to make innovation repeatable and scalable.?

When innovators create these alignments and put them in place, it allows them to have access to their company’s vast resources when their ideas are ready for scale.?

In my?latest masterclass, we provide practical tips on how innovators can build the right relationships within the company to drive repeatable success. The Pirates in the Navy Masterclass will run this September. Get your early bird tickets?here.?

Wishing you the best of innovation luck.???

Tendayi Viki