AN INNOVATIVE ORGANISATION

When we discuss innovation, we tend to think that innovation is something extraordinary, outside the scope of how organisation's must be organised.
But today we witness how many organisations suffer and even go bankrupt when they persist in running their business 'as usual', even if the lifetime of their products and services clearly runs out. 
On several places on this website we refer to Stacey's model of Ordinary and Extraordinary Management in which he describes the Ordinary Management cycle as running the operational process of the business and Extraordinary Management as the strategic cycle of innovation and change.

On the subpage 'Our vision about leadership' we argue, referring to this model: 'One of the effects of the revolutionary impact of the internet society is that the frequency of the strategy cycle has increased from once every 5 year twenty years ago, until a continuous occurrence in today’s evolving developments.'

Still today, most governance systems, KPI's (Key Performance Indicators) and appraisal systems (including bonuses for management) refer solely to the Ordinary Management cycle.

But how would the ideal company look like, where continuous innovation takes place?

In their publication 'How to assess and measure Business Innovation', the authors Magnus Penker, Peter Junermark and Sten Jacobson, tell us how to build the right innovation capability.
They mention the three parallel innovation horizons that should take place, in order to prolonge the Core Business, and  develop Growth Business and Future Business. In the above picture here we plotted the three horizons on Stacey's model.


Table to the left:
Horizon Characteristics

Based on the 2008-2016 study of Magnus Penker, Ohr & McFarthing (2013), Jaruzelski & Dehoff,2010), and Loewe, Williamson & Wood (2001).
All data collected and analysed in InnoSurvey (2016).


The InnoSurvey research examined how one thousand companies in sixty-two countries are organised for leadership and strategy-driving innovation. 

All the above innovation activities take place in projects and programs rather than in a fixed structured organisation.

The concept of NWT (Natural Working Teams) with the right capabilities can be applied in all steps from the initial ideation until the products and/or services are ready to be added to the Core Business and can be managed as Ordinary Management.
Important, though, how teams should be composed in order to become successful.

A program like 'Gearing Up Innovation' (see next sub-page) with teams, composed with the help of LDpe's Advanced Team Design Tool, may therefore not only be considered as a catch up manoeuvre, but hopefully as the start of a systematic blueprint for organizing innovation.


How to become an innovative organisation ?

The Gearing Up Innovation Program might well be the first step in making your organisation a continuously innovative organisation, where 'Extraordinary Management' stands for ongoing processes in three parallel innovation horizons (Incremental Innovation, Expanding Growth Business and Radical Innovation).

A large number of innovation experts, all around the world, work together, in ISO, the International Standard Organisation, backed up by a large number of local institutions, creating a common language for innovation management. Just to help you in setting up your innovation activities.
In February 2020 the newest standard
ISO 56000, Innovation management – Fundamentals and vocabulary was issued 
(click on the picture for reading the press release).

And a growing number of expert organisations may support you in your effort to build your organisational capability for innovation.
The Swedish-American Innovation 360Group has, based on extensive research,  built up a database on how more than thousand companies around the world drive their innovation activities. 
(click on the picture to learn more about Innovation360o)
They have created the InnoSurveyTM tool for assessing and measuring the readiness of an organisation for continuous innovation and to help the organisation to effectively set up such activities.

The InnoSurveyTM process, as shown here to the right, will create an enduring awareness in the organisation, its stakeholders and its its environment, about its determination to be an important innovative player in the market place. 
Besides a smooth 'Ordinary Management' process, such an organisation will have its innovative 'Extraordinary Management' process in place.

LDpe's Gearing Up Innovation concept will support the implementation process and engage the 'hidden potential for creativity and innovation'.
It will also help the organisation to accelerate the development of its innovation capabilities and competences.