Innovation: Your Simple Guide to Leading New Ideas
Learn the simple steps, tools, and people skills you need to lead new ideas and get reliable results—a free guide from your Innovation Coach.
This guide gives you the foundational knowledge you need to start leading innovation today. When you’re ready for more, you can check out the rest of my Free Knowledge Hub on the “Learn About Innovation” page for deep dives into other topics, or visit my Blog for short, practical articles. If you need hands-on help to apply this to your own project, feel free to contact me for personalized coaching.
Quick Navigation
- Your Job as an Innovation Leader
- Where Do Great Ideas Come From? (Sources of Innovation)
- Building the Engine: Knowledge & Creativity Systems
- Understanding the Ecosystem (Context)
- The Innovation Process
- The Different Types of Innovation
- The Tools and Methods
- The Outcomes of Innovation
Assess Your Knowledge Of Innovation
The Innovation Manager Readiness Quiz
Stop managing ideas and start managing results. This 5-question assessment is designed for business leaders to test their fundamental knowledge of systematic Innovation Management, including portfolio balancing, knowledge creation, and market alignment. Find out now if you have the strategic foundation to turn new ideas into clear, profitable success.
Your Job as an Innovation Leader
Innovation is how your organization stays alive and grows. It’s more than just new products; it’s about fixing old problems, improving processes, and giving customers what they need before they even ask. As an Innovation Leader, your job is to turn a big idea into a clear plan and get it done. This means you must be great at both technical knowledge and communicating clearly with everyone: your team, your leaders, and partners.
Idea Generation: 4 Sources of High-Value Innovation
Innovation is the result of combining existing or new knowledge and creativity to create something novel and valuable. But where does this knowledge and creativity come from? What are the sources of innovation?
There are many sources of innovation, both internal and external to your organization. Some of the most common ones are:
- Science and technology innovation: this is the source of innovation that comes from scientific research and technological development, such as discoveries, inventions, patents, and publications. Science and technology innovation can provide you with new knowledge, methods, and solutions for your innovation projects. You can access this source of innovation by conducting your own research and development (R&D) activities, collaborating with universities and research institutes, or acquiring or licensing technologies from other organizations.
- Marketing and user innovation: this is the source of innovation that comes from understanding and satisfying the needs, preferences, and behaviors of your customers and users. Marketing and user innovation can provide you with insights, feedback, and ideas for your innovation projects. You can access this source of innovation by conducting market research and analysis, engaging with your customers and users, or co-creating and co-innovating with them.
- Design and network innovation: this is the source of innovation that comes from applying design thinking and network theory to your innovation projects. Design and network innovation can provide you with tools, methods, and strategies for your innovation projects. You can access this source of innovation by using design thinking techniques, such as empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing, or by leveraging your network of contacts, partners, and collaborators, such as suppliers, distributors, competitors, and regulators.
- Social and environmental innovation: this is the source of innovation that comes from addressing the social and environmental challenges and opportunities that affect your organization and society. Social and environmental innovation can provide you with inspiration, motivation, and impact for your innovation projects. You can access this source of innovation by aligning your innovation goals with the governmental or NGO goals, or by participating in social and environmental initiatives and movements, social entrepreneurship, and circular economy.
| Source of Innovation | Focus | Value Proposition | Actionable Example |
| New Science & Tech (Ideas from research and new inventions.) | New knowledge, inventions, and research-driven breakthroughs (e.g., patents, publications). | Provides proprietary knowledge and radical new solutions. | Collaborating with a university research institute or investing in internal R&D focused on emerging materials. |
| Customers & Market (Ideas from understanding what people need and want.) | Understanding and satisfying the expressed and unmet needs, preferences, and behaviors of your customers. | Ensures solutions are customer-centric and highly demanded, reducing market failure risk. | Conducting ethnographic studies, journey mapping, or running user co-creation workshops. |
| Design & Partners (Ideas from creative problem-solving and working with outside partners.) | Applying design thinking, leveraging external contacts, and co-creating with suppliers, distributors, or even competitors. | Provides tools for rapid problem-solving and access to complementary external capabilities. | Applying SCAMPER or TRIZmethods; forming strategic alliances for joint IP development. |
| World Impact (Ideas from addressing social and environmental issues.) | Addressing societal challenges and aligning with sustainability goals (e.g., SDGs) and ethical standards. | Provides inspiration, positive brand impact, and unlocks new regulatory-driven markets. | Developing a circular economy model for a flagship product line or aligning innovation goals with UN Sustainable Development Goals. |
Reflection Point: How well does your current ideation process balance these four sources? Relying too heavily on a single source (e.g., just Technology) is a common cause of market misalignment.
Building the Engine: Fostering a Culture of Knowledge & Creativity
Knowledge and creativity are the two essential ingredients for innovation. Knowledge is the information, data, and facts that you have or can access, while creativity is the ability to generate novel and useful ideas from that knowledge. Knowledge and creativity are not fixed or static, but rather dynamic and evolving. You can acquire, create, share, and apply knowledge and creativity in different ways and contexts.
As an innovation manager, you need to foster a culture of knowledge creation and sharing, and encourage creativity and play among your teams and stakeholders. You also need to manage the knowledge and creativity processes, such as generation, selection, diffusion, and protection. Some of the ways you can do that are:
- Acquiring and creating knowledge: you can acquire and create knowledge by conducting R&D activities, market research and analysis, customer and user engagement, design thinking techniques, network collaboration, social and environmental initiatives, etc. You can also create new knowledge by combining, recombining, and transforming existing knowledge from different sources and domains.
- Sharing and applying knowledge: you can share and apply knowledge by communicating, disseminating, and transferring it to your teams and stakeholders, such as through publications, presentations, reports, workshops, training, mentoring, etc. You can also apply knowledge by using it to solve problems, make decisions, and create value for your organization and society.
- Encouraging and managing creativity: you can encourage and manage creativity by providing a supportive and stimulating environment, such as through physical space, organizational culture, leadership style, rewards and recognition, etc. You can also encourage and manage creativity by using tools and methods, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, lateral thinking, TRIZ, SCAMPER, etc.
- Protecting and exploiting creativity: you can protect and exploit creativity by securing intellectual property rights, such as patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, etc. You can also exploit creativity by commercializing, licensing, or selling it to generate revenue and profit for your organization.
By fostering and managing knowledge and creativity, you can enhance the quality and quantity of your innovation output and outcome. You can also create a competitive advantage and a distinctive identity for your organization in the innovation ecosystem.
Fostering Knowledge Creation & Sharing
Acquisition: Dedicate resources to R&D, market analysis, and customer engagement.
Combination: Actively structure cross-functional teams to force the combination of knowledge from different sources and domains.
Diffusion: Establish clear channels for sharing insights—not just formal reports, but mentoring, workshops, and accessible digital knowledge bases.
Encouraging and Managing Creativity
Creativity thrives in a supportive, stimulating environment.
Environment: Ensure physical space and organizational culture allow for “play” and risk-taking without fear of immediate failure.
Tools: Standardize tools like brainstorming, mind mapping, and prototyping to structure creative thinking.
Protection: Manage intellectual property (IP)—patents, trademarks, and trade secrets—to ensure the organization exploits its creative output.
Beyond the Walls: Analyzing Your Sector and Ecosystem
Knowledge and creativity are the two essential ingredients that power the innovation process. Your role is to build the systems that encourage their generation, sharing, and application.
Innovation does not happen in a vacuum, but rather in a specific context that influences and is influenced by your innovation activities. The context for innovation includes the characteristics and dynamics of your sector and ecosystem, as well as the impact of markets and regulations. You need to understand and adapt to your context for innovation, as it can provide you with opportunities and challenges, as well as constraints and enablers, for your innovation projects.
Sectoral and Ecosystem Perspectives
Your sector is the industry or domain that you operate in, such as healthcare, education, manufacturing, etc. Your sector has its own structure, culture, and history, as well as its own patterns and trends of innovation, such as sources, processes, outcomes, and impacts. Your sector also has its own actors and organizations, such as competitors, customers, suppliers, etc., that interact and collaborate with each other in the innovation process.
Your ecosystem is the network of actors and organizations that are connected to your sector and organization, such as universities, research institutes, government agencies, NGOs, media, etc. Your ecosystem provides you with resources, capabilities, and support for your innovation projects, such as knowledge, technology, funding, infrastructure, etc. Your ecosystem also influences and is influenced by your innovation activities, such as through feedback, learning, and spillovers.
As an innovation manager, you need to understand and adapt to your sector and ecosystem, as they can affect the performance and competitiveness of your innovation projects. You also need to collaborate with other actors and organizations in your sector and ecosystem, as they can provide you with complementary and synergistic benefits for your innovation projects. Some of the ways you can do that are:
- Understanding and adapting to your sector: you can understand and adapt to your sector by conducting a sectoral analysis, such as using Porter’s five forces model, SWOT analysis, PESTEL analysis, etc. You can also understand and adapt to your sector by monitoring and anticipating the changes and trends in your sector, such as using scenario planning, foresight, horizon scanning, etc.
- Understanding and adapting to your ecosystem: you can understand and adapt to your ecosystem by conducting an ecosystem analysis, such as using stakeholder analysis, network analysis, value network analysis, etc. You can also understand and adapt to your ecosystem by nurturing and maintaining your relationships with your ecosystem partners, such as using trust, reciprocity, alignment, etc.
- Collaborating with your sector and ecosystem: you can collaborate with your sector and ecosystem by engaging in different forms and modes of collaboration, such as cooperation, coordination, co-creation, co-innovation, etc. You can also collaborate with your sector and ecosystem by using different platforms and mechanisms for collaboration, such as alliances, partnerships, consortia, clusters, etc.
By understanding and adapting to your sector and ecosystem, you can increase your chances of success and impact for your innovation projects. You can also create value and benefit for your organization and society.
| Strategy | Focus | Benefit |
| Ecosystem Mapping | Identifying key partners, resource providers, and potential blockers in your network. | Leverages complementary capabilities, reducing internal resource strain. |
| Scenario Planning | Monitoring external changes (technological, political) to anticipate future shifts and adapt your innovation portfolio proactively. | Minimizes the impact of market disruption and regulatory shock. |
The Impact of Markets and Regulations
Your innovation projects are not only influenced by your sector and ecosystem, but also by the markets and regulations that affect your innovation activities. Markets and regulations are the external forces that shape the demand and supply, as well as the rules and norms, of your innovation projects. You need to deal with the market and regulatory challenges and opportunities for your innovation projects, as they can determine the feasibility and viability of your innovation projects.
The Market Challenges and Opportunities
The market is the place where you sell or exchange your innovation output, such as products, services, or processes, to your customers or users. The market is also the place where you face competition from other innovators and organizations that offer similar or alternative solutions to your customers or users. The market is constantly changing and evolving, as new customer needs, preferences, and behaviors emerge, and new technologies, trends, and innovations enter the market.
As an innovation manager, you need to deal with the market challenges and opportunities for your innovation projects, such as:
- Assessing the market potential and demand: you need to estimate the size, growth, and attractiveness of the market for your innovation output, as well as the willingness and ability of your customers or users to pay for or adopt your innovation output. You can use different methods and tools to assess the market potential and demand, such as market segmentation, targeting, and positioning, customer value proposition, value chain analysis, business model canvas, etc.
- Developing the market strategy and plan: you need to design and implement the strategy and plan to enter and capture the market for your innovation output, as well as to differentiate and compete with other innovators and organizations in the market. You can use different methods and tools to develop the market strategy and plan, such as marketing mix, product life cycle, pricing strategy, distribution channels, promotion methods, etc.
- Evaluating the market performance and feedback: you need to measure and monitor the performance and feedback of your innovation output in the market, as well as to adjust and improve your market strategy and plan accordingly. You can use different methods and tools to evaluate the market performance and feedback, such as sales volume, market share, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, customer retention, etc.
By dealing with the market challenges and opportunities, you can ensure that your innovation output meets the needs and expectations of your customers or users, and that you generate revenue and profit for your organization.
The Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities
The market is the place where you sell or exchange your innovation output, such as products, services, or processes, to your customers or users. The market is also the place where you face competition from other innovators and organizations that offer similar or alternative solutions to your customers or users. The market is constantly changing and evolving, as new customer needs, preferences, and behaviors emerge, and new technologies, trends, and innovations enter the market.
As an innovation manager, you need to deal with the market challenges and opportunities for your innovation projects, such as:
- Assessing the market potential and demand: you need to estimate the size, growth, and attractiveness of the market for your innovation output, as well as the willingness and ability of your customers or users to pay for or adopt your innovation output. You can use different methods and tools to assess the market potential and demand, such as market segmentation, targeting, and positioning, customer value proposition, value chain analysis, business model canvas, etc.
- Developing the market strategy and plan: you need to design and implement the strategy and plan to enter and capture the market for your innovation output, as well as to differentiate and compete with other innovators and organizations in the market. You can use different methods and tools to develop the market strategy and plan, such as marketing mix, product life cycle, pricing strategy, distribution channels, promotion methods, etc.
- Evaluating the market performance and feedback: you need to measure and monitor the performance and feedback of your innovation output in the market, as well as to adjust and improve your market strategy and plan accordingly. You can use different methods and tools to evaluate the market performance and feedback, such as sales volume, market share, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, customer retention, etc.
By dealing with the market challenges and opportunities, you can ensure that your innovation output meets the needs and expectations of your customers or users, and that you generate revenue and profit for your organization.
The Impact of Markets and Regulations
You must address both market demand and regulatory challenges.
- Market: Actively assess market potential (size, growth, attractiveness). Develop a clear market strategy (targeting, positioning, pricing) to ensure innovation output translates into viable commercial success.
- Regulation: Identify regulatory challenges and opportunities early. Compliance risk can kill a project, but anticipating future regulation (e.g., carbon limits) can open up new, uncontested market space.
The Innovation Process
Innovation is not only about the output and outcome, but also about the process and journey. Innovation is a process that involves multiple stages, types, tools, and methods. You need to design and implement the process of innovation for your projects, as it can affect the speed, quality, and value of your innovation projects.
The Stages and Types of Innovation Process
The Stages of Innovation Process
The innovation process is the sequence of activities that you perform to create, develop, and deliver your innovation output, such as products, services, or processes. The innovation process can be divided into different stages, such as:
- Idea generation: this is the stage where you generate and collect innovative ideas for your projects, using different sources, such as science, technology, marketing, user, design, network, and social innovation. You can use different tools and methods, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, lateral thinking, TRIZ, SCAMPER, etc., to generate and collect innovative ideas.
- Idea selection: this is the stage where you select and prioritize the most promising and feasible ideas for your projects, using different criteria, such as novelty, usefulness, feasibility, viability, etc. You can use different tools and methods, such as screening, scoring, ranking, voting, etc., to select and prioritize innovative ideas.
- Idea development: this is the stage where you develop and refine the selected ideas for your projects, using different resources, such as knowledge, technology, funding, infrastructure, etc. You can use different tools and methods, such as prototyping, testing, validation, scaling, etc., to develop and refine innovative ideas.
- Idea implementation: this is the stage where you implement and deliver the developed ideas for your projects, using different strategies and plans, such as market strategy, business model, distribution channel, promotion method, etc. You can use different tools and methods, such as project management, strategic integration, future readiness, etc., to implement and deliver innovative ideas.
Stage 1: Ideation & Selection (Exploration)
Activity: Idea generation, screening, and concept development.
Key Challenge: Reducing ambiguity while avoiding the premature termination of disruptive, unproven concepts.
Tools: Idea funnels, risk/reward matrices, and lightweight business model canvases.
Stage 2: Development & Validation (Testing)
Activity: Rapid prototyping, testing with real users, and defining the minimum viable product (MVP).
Key Challenge: Bridging the gap between the lab and the market while gathering actionable feedback.
Tools: Lean Startup methodology, Design Sprints, and Beta testing programs.
Stage 3: Commercialization & Scaling (Exploitation)
Activity: Launching the final product/service, scaling production, and integrating the innovation into the core business.
Key Challenge: Maintaining efficiency and quality at scale while preventing organizational antibodies from rejecting the new process or product.
Tools: Project management software, launch planning templates, and performance dashboards.
The Different Types of Innovation
Innovations can be classified into different types, such as:
- Research and development (R&D): this is the type of innovation process that focuses on creating new knowledge and technology for your projects, using scientific research and technological development activities. R&D can provide you with cutting-edge and breakthrough solutions for your projects, but it can also be costly, risky, and time-consuming.
- New product development (NPD): this is the type of innovation process that focuses on creating new products or services for your projects, using market research and analysis, customer and user engagement, design thinking techniques, etc. NPD can provide you with customer-centric and value-driven solutions for your projects, but it can also be complex, uncertain, and competitive.
- Open innovation: this is the type of innovation process that focuses on creating and sharing innovation output with external partners, such as customers, users, suppliers, competitors, universities, etc., using collaboration, co-creation, and co-innovation activities. Open innovation can provide you with complementary and synergistic benefits for your projects, but it can also be challenging, risky, and demanding.
As an innovation manager, you need to design and implement the most suitable innovation process for your projects and goals, as well as to balance and integrate the different stages and types of innovation process, as they are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary and interdependent. For example, you can combine R&D with NPD to create technology-driven and customer-centric solutions, or you can combine open innovation with project management to create collaborative and efficient solutions.
The Tools and Methods
The innovation process is not only about the stages and types, but also about the tools and methods that you use to support and enhance your innovation process. The tools and methods of innovation process are the techniques, instruments, and procedures that you use to perform the different activities of the innovation process, such as ideation, prototyping, testing, validation, scaling, evaluation, etc. The tools and methods of innovation process can be divided into different categories, such as:
- Creativity tools and methods: these are the tools and methods that you use to generate and collect innovative ideas for your projects, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, lateral thinking, TRIZ, SCAMPER, etc. Creativity tools and methods can help you to overcome mental blocks, stimulate divergent thinking, and explore different possibilities for your projects.
- Design tools and methods: these are the tools and methods that you use to develop and refine the selected ideas for your projects, such as prototyping, testing, validation, scaling, etc. Design tools and methods can help you to create and test different versions of your solutions, gather feedback and data, and improve the functionality and usability of your solutions.
- Strategy tools and methods: these are the tools and methods that you use to implement and deliver the developed ideas for your projects, such as market strategy, business model, distribution channel, promotion method, etc. Strategy tools and methods can help you to enter and capture the market for your solutions, differentiate and compete with other solutions, and generate revenue and profit for your organization.
- Evaluation tools and methods: these are the tools and methods that you use to measure and monitor the performance and feedback of your solutions in the market, as well as to adjust and improve your innovation process accordingly, such as sales volume, market share, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, customer retention, etc. Evaluation tools and methods can help you to assess the value and impact of your solutions, and to learn and improve from your successes and failures.
As an innovation manager, you need to use the most appropriate tools and methods for your innovation process, as well as to balance and integrate the different categories of tools and methods, as they are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary and interdependent. For example, you can combine creativity tools and methods with design tools and methods to create and test different versions of your solutions, or you can combine strategy tools and methods with evaluation tools and methods to implement and deliver your solutions and measure and monitor their performance and feedback.
By using the tools and methods of innovation process, you can support and enhance your innovation process and increase the speed, quality, and value of your innovation projects.
The Outcomes of Innovation
Innovation is not only about the output and process, but also about the outcome and impact. Innovation is an outcome that involves multiple benefits and risks, as well as multiple dimensions and levels. You need to measure and communicate the outcomes of innovation for your projects, as well as to manage the potential negative consequences and trade-offs of your innovation projects.
Benefits and Risks of Innovation
Innovation is a benefit that creates value and benefit for your organization and society, such as economic, social, environmental, and ethical. Innovation is also a risk that creates potential negative consequences and trade-offs for your organization and society, such as economic, social, environmental, and ethical. You need to balance and integrate the benefits and risks of innovation, as they are not mutually exclusive, but rather interrelated and interdependent.
As an innovation manager, you need to measure and communicate the benefits and risks of innovation for your projects, such as:
- Measuring the benefits and risks of innovation: you need to quantify and qualify the benefits and risks of innovation for your projects, using different indicators and metrics, such as return on investment, social return on investment, environmental impact assessment, ethical impact assessment, etc. You also need to compare and contrast the benefits and risks of innovation for your projects, using different methods and tools, such as cost-benefit analysis, risk-benefit analysis, multi-criteria decision analysis, etc.
- Communicating the benefits and risks of innovation: you need to report and share the benefits and risks of innovation for your projects, using different channels and formats, such as publications, presentations, reports, dashboards, etc. You also need to tailor and adapt the benefits and risks of innovation for your projects, using different languages and styles, such as technical, business, academic, etc., for different audiences and stakeholders, such as your team members, senior management, customers, partners, regulators, etc.
By measuring and communicating the benefits and risks of innovation, you can demonstrate the value and impact of your innovation projects, and you can manage the potential negative consequences and trade-offs of your innovation projects.
Future-Proofing: Key Trends and Leadership Challenges
Effective innovation leadership requires anticipating future trends and preparing your organization to adapt.
Innovation is not only about the present and past, but also about the future and vision. Innovation is a future that involves multiple trends and challenges, as well as multiple scenarios and strategies. You need to anticipate and prepare for the future of innovation for your projects, as well as to develop and implement the vision and strategy for the future of innovation for your sector and organization.
The Trends and Challenges of Innovation
The future of innovation is uncertain and unpredictable, as new technologies, trends, and innovations emerge and evolve, and new issues, risks, and opportunities arise and change. The future of innovation is also complex and dynamic, as different actors and organizations interact and collaborate in the innovation ecosystem, and different factors and forces influence and shape the innovation context. You need to be aware of and prepared for the trends and challenges of innovation, as they can affect the performance and competitiveness of your innovation projects. Some of the trends and challenges of innovation are:
- Digital transformation: this is the trend and challenge of innovation that involves the adoption and integration of digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, internet of things, etc., in your innovation activities, such as creation, protection, and exploitation of your innovation output. Digital transformation can provide you with new capabilities and opportunities for your innovation projects, such as automation, personalization, optimization, etc., but it can also create new issues and risks for your innovation projects, such as security, privacy, ethics, etc.
- Sustainability: this is the trend and challenge of innovation that involves the alignment and contribution of your innovation activities to the social and environmental goals and values, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainability can provide you with new inspiration and motivation for your innovation projects, as well as new impact and benefit for your organization and society, but it can also create new constraints and trade-offs for your innovation projects, such as cost, quality, time, etc.
- Diversity: this is the trend and challenge of innovation that involves the inclusion and participation of different groups and communities in your innovation activities, such as customers, users, suppliers, competitors, universities, etc., as well as the consideration and respect of different perspectives and values in your innovation activities, such as culture, gender, age, etc. Diversity can provide you with new insights and ideas for your innovation projects, as well as new feedback and support for your innovation projects, but it can also create new conflicts and tensions for your innovation projects, such as communication, collaboration, coordination, etc.
- Ethics: this is the trend and challenge of innovation that involves the application and evaluation of ethical principles and standards in your innovation activities, such as the creation, protection, and exploitation of your innovation output. Ethics can provide you with new trust and legitimacy for your innovation projects, as well as new value and benefit for your organization and society, but it can also create new dilemmas and controversies for your innovation projects, such as responsibility, accountability, transparency, etc.
As an innovation manager, you need to be aware of and prepared for the trends and challenges of innovation, as they can affect the performance and competitiveness of your innovation projects. You also need to adapt and respond to the trends and challenges of innovation, as they can provide you with new opportunities and advantages for your innovation projects.
| Trend | Leadership Challenge | Opportunity |
| Digital Transformation | Managing data privacy, security, and the ethical use of AI (e.g., bias). | Automation, hyper-personalization, and optimization of resource allocation. |
| Sustainability & Ethics | Balancing innovation costs and timeframes with long-term social and environmental accountability. | New revenue streams tied to the circular economy and attracting mission-driven talent. |
| Diversity & Inclusion | Ensuring innovation teams reflect diverse perspectives to avoid blind spots and capture global market needs. | Broader insights, better problem definition, and increased creativity leading to robust solutions. |
The Scenarios and Strategies of Innovation
The future of innovation is not fixed or predetermined, but rather multiple and possible. The future of innovation is also not passive or reactive, but rather active and proactive. You can create and shape the future of innovation for your projects, as well as for your sector and organization. You can do that by developing and implementing the scenarios and strategies of innovation.
A scenario is a plausible and coherent description of a possible future state or situation, based on different assumptions and factors, such as drivers, uncertainties, events, etc. A scenario can help you to explore and anticipate the different outcomes and impacts of your innovation activities, as well as to identify and assess the different opportunities and challenges for your innovation activities.
A strategy is a deliberate and coherent plan of action or course of action, based on different objectives and resources, such as goals, capabilities, resources, etc. A strategy can help you to design and implement the most suitable and effective innovation process for your innovation activities, as well as to achieve and communicate the desired and expected value and impact of your innovation activities.
As an innovation manager, you need to develop and implement the scenarios and strategies of innovation for your projects, as well as for your sector and organization. You can use different methods and tools to develop and implement the scenarios and strategies of innovation, such as scenario planning, foresight, horizon scanning, visioning, roadmapping, etc.
By developing and implementing the scenarios and strategies of innovation, you can create and shape the future of innovation for your projects, as well as for your sector and organization.
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FAQs
- What is innovation management?
Innovation management is the systematic process of introducing something new to an organization, such as a product, service, or process. It involves managing the sources, context, process, outcomes, and future of innovation.
- What is the difference between idea management and innovation management?
Idea management is a part of innovation management that focuses on generating, selecting, developing, and implementing innovative ideas. Innovation management is a broader concept that also includes managing the culture, resources, structures, and strategy of innovation.
- Why is innovation important for my organization?
Innovation is important for your organization because it can help you to: 1) Create value and benefit for your customers, stakeholders, and society; 2) Improve your performance and competitiveness in the market; 3) Solve problems and meet needs in a novel and useful way; 4) Adapt and respond to the changing and evolving environment.
- How can I build a process for innovation in my organization?
You can build a process for innovation in your organization by: 1) Defining the stages and types of innovation process that suit your innovation goals and challenges, such as idea generation, selection, development, implementation, etc., and research and development, new product development, open innovation, project management, etc.; 2) Aligning the innovation process with your innovation strategy and plan that specify your innovation objectives, resources, structures, and actions; 3) Implementing and monitoring the innovation process with your innovation team and stakeholders that execute and evaluate your innovation activities.
- How can I measure innovation in my organization?
You can measure innovation in your organization by: 1) Defining the innovation metrics and indicators that reflect your innovation objectives and outcomes, such as innovation input, output, outcome, and impact; 2) Collecting and analyzing the innovation data and information that correspond to your innovation metrics and indicators, such as innovation surveys, reports, dashboards, etc.; 3) Reporting and communicating the innovation results and insights that derive from your innovation data and information, such as innovation stories, cases, best practices, etc.
