My Services include:

• On site assessment of the status quo and gap analysis
• Conceptual design of an individual innovation system fitting to your status quo, organisation and markets
• Defining and implementing the innovation process
• Setting up and implementing improvements to idea management
• Fostering the development and growth of a real innovation culture and innovation leadership
• Supporting your innovation initiatives as project leader to oversee the implementation and operative execution of innovation management
• Holding initializing and motivating presentations and workshops about “ innovation management”

The way to innovate: A checklist.

• Does your company have an innovation strategy, clearly derived from from your business strategy?
• Is this strategy carefully worded and well-understood within your organization?
• Is it clear to everybody?
• What kind of innovation is covered by the strategy (products, services, processes, services …)?
• Does your strategy take into account current and future market developments and the behaviour of your competitors and customers?
• Does the strategy give clear guidance for decision making related to idea management, innovation programs, projects, services or process improvements?
• Does the strategy provide a conceptual approach for organization, core competences and products, market position and segments, as well as for the way you want your company to be perceived by customers?

Developing an innovation strategy is a process. Let me help you get it started.

What is your innovation culture, do your values support innovation? Are these really lived? How can you implement a culture of innovation in your organization?

Here are some questions to consider in relation to your innovation culture:

• How do you handle mistakes in your organization? Do you honestly see mistakes as learning opportunities which can inform productive changes? Are mistakes even communicated at all?
• Are you clear on the level of detail you need at various stages of your innovation process to keep a handle on costs? Do you create a business case only once an idea has been realized or do you develop one as an idea is developed?
• How would your organization react if your Head of R&D demanded that 30% of his resources be set aside “for just trying, playing, develop new ideas… and not for clearly defined projects.”
• Do you consider innovations which come from departments other than R&D? What happens if somebody from outside the company (e.g. a customer or supplier or an academic) has an interesting idea? Would everybody in your organization be open to it?
• Who is in charge of innovation in your organization? Just R&D? Or do you manage innovation using an integrated approach which responds to input from all departments in your entire organization?
• How is your commitment to innovation reflected in your values and leadership practices?
• Does your entire organization practice innovation as one of its main values?

The innovation process is like a funnel: continuously distilling until early ideas become well-defined projects heading towards launch.

What’s at the centre of this process? A clear, well-defined strategy. The entire innovation process must be described precisely, managed actively, and monitored closely as things move from idea to project. Decision making points need to be defined and set out as do the criteria and proper decision making body. But all this must be done without inhibiting creativity and the innovative mindset! The mindset of working will change along the innovation process, from idea generation to product launch.

Does your R&D department generate all the innovations which your organization implements?

Does your R&D department generate all the innovations which your organization implements? Even those related to services, processes, cost reductions, markets and business models? Or does your innovation strategy integrate the ideas of all your employees? How about those of your clients and suppliers? If you do all that, you’ve taken a good first step.

Now let‘s go further. Maybe you are considering collaborating with companies or universities to generate some  more ideas. Fine and good, but what about connecting your sales force, your manufacturing, your business development and quality assurance department to your innovation system? This will ensure that sales will get a lot of feedback – and even more valuable ideas. The same holds true for complaints and any quality issues. The information collected here are the stem cells for improvements and new products – if not right now, than at some point down the road.

Remember, the more ideas you collect and document, the more you will need a systemic approach to managing them. Only a handful of select ideas will be developed to the concept phase. Then, if they still show promise after a potential feasibility study   these ideas will enter the project/ process development or implementation phase.

Each step of the way has to be actively managed and controlled. The challenge here is continuing to foster the innovative spirit while keeping an eye on key performance indicators such as the investment of money and time. .

Quotation: „Wer zu spät an die Kosten denkt, ruiniert sein Unternehmen. Wer immer zu früh an die Kosten denkt, tötet die Kreativität”

“He who thinks about costs too late, will destroy his company. He who thinks about them too early will kill creativity.” – (Mr. Philip Rosenthal).

To this we would add: “. . . and ruin his company too.” Where do ideas come from? Where do they hide? Let me show you.