One short innovation project will get you nowhere

There’s nothing like the promise of an innovation project to get everyone in a tizzy.

Many groups we’ve worked with have been tempted by the glow of a shiny one-off innovation project.

We’re going to crack it!

The mistaken assumption is that, with lots of energy and goodwill, a new step-change innovation will be conceived.

You’re wrong.

Because:

To achieve step change innovations, typically you need a few cracks at the challenge.
You need to be innovating constantly to achieve a competitive innovation advantage.
Even if you hatch a viable step-change innovation, you need a receptive culture to deliver it to market and to support it.

In order to get the most from your teams, and to build innovation into your business, here are a few tips:

Set out an open challenge to your teams; “How might we…?” is a good way of framing it.
Make some time available for them to explore the challenge.
Important: make it a routine – just a day or two per quarter, maybe monthly!
Celebrate it and promote it.

This will pay off.

More soon.