Why short term innovation can be a good thing

by Stefan Lindegaard

As the crisis continues, innovation leaders are forced to focus on “short term innovation”. This is counter-intuitive to many. How do we get the best out of this situation? I did some research and asked around to find out why short term innovation can be a good thing. This is what I learned:

•  companies clean up the portfolio and get rid of “living-dead” projects that only survived in times with plenty of resources.

•  companies are forced to develop better processes and set sharper deadlines, which can make innovation more efficient in the long run.

•  companies pay more attention to external partners as a way to get extra funds for innovation. This speeds up the move towards open innovation, which I believe will become...

Six ways to make top executives understand innovation

by Stefan Lindegaard

In my previous post, I argued that most top executives do not understand innovation. Check this link: Why top executives do not get innovation

It is a major challenge for an innovation leader to operate in an environment where the top executives don’t get innovation or – perhaps even worse – do understand it but are unwilling to fully embrace it because it means going against the board of director’s focus on short-term financial goals.

What can you do to thrive in such an environment? Based on my experiences, here are some methods to apply:

•  Challenge and stretch the mindset of the top executives. Innovation is a holistic activity that needs to be understood and embraced by everyone from the top to the...

Why top executives do not get innovation

by Stefan Lindegaard

Many innovation leaders struggle to get the support they need from executives higher up in the organization. Top executives can be skilled at talking the talk about innovation, especially in public venues, but frequently fail to walk the talk when it comes to making key choices that determine whether an innovation project will happen or die on the vine.

This may seem paradoxical because everyone knows that innovation is what drives business success in the 21st century, right? Well, sort of. While corporate leaders may intellectually accept the need for innovation and tout their commitment to innovation at every opportunity, they often fail to really “get” innovation and as a result, they become a major roadblock in your path to succeed as innovation leader.

In...

How innovation can be a game of perception

by Stefan Lindegaard

I once did a workshop at a company trying to establish processes for innovation. This company is in much better shape than others as it is run by entrepreneurs who like spin-outs. This offers many opportunities for employees with the drive and capabilities needed for creating new ventures.

Nevertheless, their management team had spent much energy on one big question: How do we become an innovative company and how do we convince our employees that we can reach that goal? I invited them to turn this question around: What if it is not a question of becoming, but one of being? The company already had initiatives that would qualify it as being innovative so the foundation for this shift is in place. What should the...

Radical innovation – should we do it or not?

by Stefan Lindegaard

In one of my previous blog, Five reasons why companies should not do radical innovation, I argued that most companies should not do radical innovation.

The objective of that provocative blog post was to start a discussion that could lead innovation leaders to think hard about radical innovation and force them to consider to which extent – if at all – they should initiate radical innovation projects.

The blog post created a great discussion and my objective was met. Now, as a follow-up post, I give you five questions to consider before you commit to radical innovation initiatives at your company.

Do you have the full support of top executives?

You need top management support to make innovation happen. With radical innovation it goes...

TBX – an approach to developing the innovation culture

by Stefan Lindegaard

Having been involved in several efforts on developing the innovation culture within companies, I have learned that you need to work with three organizational approaches.

I call this the TBX approach:

•  T (Top Down) – Get the executives onboard and make them personally committed to the innovation activities. Without executive support, no change occurs.

•  B (Bottom Up) – Value creation begins with people, one by one, team by team. Nothing happens unless you get the employees engaged and involved. Take ideas, feedback and other input from employees seriously. If ideas just seem to run down a sinkhole and never to re-emerge or if leaders are not able to commit resources to any ideas, you will lose the trust of the employees.

•  X...