You Need an Innovation Strategy

An innovation strategy is a plan outlining how a business will create, develop, and bring new products or services to market to gain a competitive advantage. A strategy guides the efforts of individual employees or entire teams and tailored to the organization's unique needs. It also helps ensure the organizations' innovation initiatives remain competitive and relevant. Businesses without innovation strategies lose to competitors.

What's in an Innovation Strategy?

1. A definition of innovation

This definition includes things like creativity, risk-taking, and newness. Understanding these terms ensures everybody is on the same page when brainstorming and developing new ideas.

2. A description of the organization's innovation process

This description helps team members understand how new ideas are developed within the organization and provides a framework for brainstorming and ideation. The description tells how ideas are generated, evaluated, and implemented and explains the overall innovation management approach.

3. Identification of the organization's innovation goals

Goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound, and aligned with the organization's overall business strategy. A goal example is to develop a new product that will generate a specific dollar amount within a particular timeframe.

4. Identification of the organization's key stakeholders

Key stakeholders could be the CEO, senior management, marketing department, and R&D department. It's essential to identify and consult with them when developing the innovation strategy plan so they can provide input and help to ensure success.

5. Identification of resources needed to support the innovation strategy

It's crucial to identify financial and non-financial resources to support the plan, such as funding for R&D, marketing, employee training, office space, equipment, and software.

6. A timeline for implementation

An implementation timeline helps team members stay on track and ensures meeting the plan's goals within the set timeframe. The timeline should be specific, including milestones to meet the goal.

7. A plan for assessing the success of the innovation strategy

This assessment plan should include the number of new ideas generated, the number of ideas implemented, and their level of impact. It should also have feedback from employees, customers, and stakeholders, which can be used to adjust the innovation strategy.

8. A system for documenting and sharing best practices

To ensure best practices are shared and implemented, organizations should have a system for documenting and sharing them accessible to all employees. This could be a database of best practices, a wiki page, or a blog.

9. Guidelines for evaluating new technologies

The evaluation should include a review of the technology itself and its feasibility for implementation. The team should also assess the risks and benefits of using the technology and whether it aligns with its innovation goals.

10. Procedures for handling intellectual property rights

This section is essential because it outlines procedures for protecting and managing the organization's intellectual property and should include a plan for dealing with intellectual property disputes.

11. A policy for innovation training and development

This policy should outline the types of innovation training and development programs available to employees. It should also include a plan for assessing the effectiveness of the programs and provide guidelines for how employees can access them.

12. A budget for implementation

The budget should include funds for R&D, marketing, employee training, and a fund for unexpected expenses. It's essential to regularly review and update the budget and consult with team members to ensure everyone is on the same page.

To know more about creating an innovation strategy, listen to this week's show: You Need an Innovation Strategy.