An important company in the infrastructure industry presented our team of consultants a growth plan for the next five years. The company’s main objective is to consolidate its leading innovator position in the infrastructure industry.
The goal of our first meeting was to translate that five-year plan into a strategy for sustained growth and innovation. We proposed an objective approach for the cross-sectional analysis of the innovation maturity of the company. This course of action allows the identification of opportunities for action in the short term.
The process of improving the innovation strategy consists of two consecutive phases:
Phase 1: Analysis
Our team of consultants carried out a study of the maturity of innovation. Afterward, they determined the opportunities for improvement and finally discovered the quick wins that could be executed.
Measuring the maturity of innovation
According to Brad Kelley, innovation speaker, trainer and change specialist, it is crucial to understand the level of innovation maturity of an organization. The company has to first master a set of basic capabilities, before implementing more advanced innovation projects. Every company should get their idea generation, evaluation, and commercialization working well before launching an extended plan for growth.
Benchmarking
In this phase, we benchmarked the company against the leading companies in the industry. Then, we identified the out-of-sector or indirect competitors to gain ideas from beyond sector. The aim was to align the objectives of the c-level with the new innovation model.
Focusing on high impact, actionable, quick wins
In a recent Inc article, the author writes about the importance of establishing quick wins to boost morale and keep momentum going. It validates the new way of doing things and re-assures teams they are on the right path to organizational transformation.
Phase 2: Implementation
We developed an innovation map. A portfolio deployment was carried out with all the managers. Our consultants will implement the projects selected by the client using Agile methodologies.
In this stage, we organized co-creation workshops with employees to define the vision, strategy, and objectives of innovation. Other activities included:
- Definition of the communication plan;
- Co-creation of the innovation process;
- Implement innovation-related performance targets.
The project turned out to be a success. Check out the blog for more news about the collaboration on this project.
