Don't just Wing it: Why You Need an Innovation Management Strategy

1. Stagnation Will See Your Company Fall Behind

Modern business landscapes evolve at a rapid pace and 75% of companies believe that innovation should be a strategic priority and that ignoring it could jeopardize an organization’s future.

As such, an innovation management strategy that actively encourages teams to innovate and improve will ensure that the company can remain at the forefront and prevent leaders from becoming too set in their ways and unwilling to take risks. 

2. Innovation Only Works if Everyone is On Board

Innovation requires a company-wide buy-in. Where leadership is not on board and where there is no active stance taken to encourage innovation, many employees will not have the psychological safety needed to confidently present their ideas. Worse still, potential naysayers could kill ideas and innovations that would potentially have been a great success.

Engaging the entire workforce thus requires a dedicated strategy. Without it, teams can become disjointed and disengaged. 

3. Innovation Should Focus on Continuous Progress

Innovation should ultimately focus on helping the company grow within the context of its project and product objectives. A clear strategy can help track progress while simultaneously identifying obstacles and opportunities at every stage. 

4. Innovation Management Strategies Promote Learning

Einstein said “insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”. Implementing a clear innovation management strategy is one of the key concepts that helps overcome an issue that many firms struggle with - learning from past mistakes. Innovation can transform failure from something to be avoided into an important step on the path to success.

5. Innovation Requires Clear Direction

Although 'controlled creativity' might appear contradictory, giving employees unrestricted freedom to chase solely the ideas they personally prefer might not yield the most beneficial outcomes for the organization.

Where employees are guided, through an innovation management strategy, and innovations are assessed according to how they fit into the organization's overarching objectives, it becomes easier to pinpoint and pursue the right ideas. It will ensure that every decision is taken with project end goals in mind.

Innovation can no longer be ignored. With a clear and adaptable strategy in place, organizations can empower their entire workforce to engage in innovation. This will ensure that they stay at the forefront in an ever-changing market. Once a clear innovation strategy has been outlined, focus should be redirected to executing the strategy. Discover more about this here.