I have been reflecting on the answers I received on a posted question "Do you have experience with implementing an innovation culture and/or process?" Not surprising was a good discussion on the subject. After sifting through all the responses I was able to sketch out the following consistent themes;
1) Support of innovation efforts has to come from highest possible level of organization.
2) Innovation needs to be tied to the strategic focus of the division or organization.
Assuming these two criteria exist, which can be easier said than done, there was then a debate about the best way to structure teams to deliver innovative projects.
1) Innovation teams need to be isolated from the main organization and not subject to the same development processes and bureaucracy that mature or core projects are.
OR
2) You can use your existing teams and development process as long as the innovation is solidly defined prior to development.
How do you approach innovation?
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Thanks for posting this Tom! I'm wondering how incentives for driving innovation plays into all this. I'm not so much talking about incentives for completing X project or Y process, but rather how organizations reward those people who are driving and developing innovative ideas and products. I'm reminded of googles' "Innovation Time Off" where programmers can spend one day a week on projects that align with their strengths and interests. Wouldn't it be nice if those programmers were given X% of salary (or dare I say profits) for those products that go to market?
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Bob