(continued from Part Three…)
8. I think there is a lot written about innovation, but very little about actually how to do it successfully, and in a repeatable fashion. What are your thoughts on this?
I agree, a lot has been written – most of it about over arching innovation theory, not much on the practical science of innovation. That is what makes us different. Uncovering these “truths” about innovation – and writing about them in books such as What Customers Want – has been a difficult and time-consuming process. Not many people have had the laboratory environment we have enjoyed to make these discoveries, nor have they had the desire to reveal what is in the black box.
We have made public our 8-step innovation process and we explain (in a great level of detail) how innovation works and how to execute the process. Our goal is to make outcome-driven innovation the new design for six-sigma standard for innovation. Our programs for innovation provide serious practitioners with the detailed knowledge and tools they need to achieve success within their company.
9. Do you think that as the area of innovation matures, there is a trend for companies to move away from blue-sky type work and into a process led innovation style?
Absolutely – it must become process orientated to ensure predictable results. In fact all types of innovation initiatives – growing core markets, capitalizing on adjacent opportunities, disrupting existing markets and discovering new markets – are becoming process led. Once companies integrate this thinking wholly into their structure, they will experience a dramatic return on their innovation investments.
The transformation has already begun. With the acceptance of the StageGate process to guide product development efforts, companies are placing greater importance on ensuring only winning products enter the development pipeline. Applying outcome-driven thinking to the “discovery phase” (phase 0 in the StageGate process) enables companies to achieve this goal. I believe our thinking will proliferate once this connection point is well understood.
10. What’s the online resource you use the most in your work?
Other than our own Tool Library portal and IMSnet – our web-based data analysis and reporting tool, I use Google to conduct research and CEO Express to help with productivity.