Firms use annual budget cycles. Now, during this COVID19 pandemic, it may be the wrong way to go about budgeting for 2021, because it does not leave you enough flexibility. How can you budget for next year, while keeping maximum flexibility, go after new opportunities when they arise, make the most out of your available […]
We’re a CRCF grant recipient! We at Organizing4Innovation are proud to announce that we’ve been awarded a grant through Virginia’s Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) by Governor Ralph Northam. Our data analytics project will advance our ability to provide effective and efficient innovation project management. Our Goals This project, titled “Using Team-Learning and Teamwork-Quality Indicators […]
Thriving in uncertainty is what I am good at. It is my job as an innovation expert. Yet, even I find myself being pulled in all directions at the moment. So, I went back to the basics. You have two options when things are uncertain, wait or act. Acting makes me feel better, because waiting […]
Innovation tactics help organizations and project teams to deal with uncertainty. And because nothing is normal in this coronavirus crisis, many skills that you need to manage an innovation project or portfolio will come in handy. The 5 innovation tactics that will be most useful: Focus on the problem, have your strategy guide your actions, […]
Everyone in your organization is probably focused on dealing with the Corona-virus crisis. However, there is evidence that this is the moment to innovate as well. You may wonder how you can pull that off. What if I tell you that the only resource you need is time, at this moment?
Bringing an idea to practice requires you to make a time commitment, often in personal time. Successful innovators find ways to prioritize their innovation project, regardless of how busy they are. Whereas lack of time commitment is one of the most common reasons innovation projects fail. Blocking off time in your calendar to devote to […]
You need speed when innovating. Nothing is as deadly for an innovation project as just inching forward each week, as that kills momentum, enthusiasm, and thereby the likelihood of success. How do you keep speed in your innovation project, especially if you are executing it part-time? Below 5 tips to keep your innovation project running […]
What are the most important phases, activities, deliverables, and decision points in the innovation process for new services? This workflow gives you the overview. Below, I also address common failure points in this workflow and the associated problems, consequences, and solutions so you can avoid them. The workflow of the innovation process In the workflow, […]
What is the innovation outlook for 2020? I expect it to be bringing discipline to the innovation process. I foresee that organizations will take a serious look at their strategic plans, technology wishlists, and budgets, and realize that they need more discipline in their innovation process to obtain the desired results and to reduce the […]
Should you centralize or decentralize our innovation efforts? When the innovation process is not performing as expected, this question tends to come up. So, what is better? The answer depends on what you are trying to achieve with this change. In general, for professional service organizations, decentralized innovation efforts combined with centralized oversight is the […]
Innovation is a process. Like it or not, you won’t get results overnight. It can take months or years to bring an idea to practice, depending on its complexity. In this blog post, I will explain why the innovation management process cannot be seen separately from its context, the roles to play, the methods available, […]
Innovators are curious and passionate. They are also easily bored and dissatisfied with the status quo. How do you get the most out of their drive and creativity, keep them productive in their job, and tied to your company? In other words, how do you keep innovators motivated, while not estranging other hard-working employees? In […]