Being innovative means more than just having good ideas – but without these good ideas, no innovation can succeed. We show how innovations succeed and how to anchor them sustainably in the company.
Innovation management is the systematic planning, management, and control of innovations in companies. It steers and promotes innovation activities in order to make innovation processes efficient and effective. The aim of innovation management is to develop new ideas, products, processes, services, or business models in order to secure long-term competitive advantages and the success of the company.
Innovations do not take place in a vacuum. With its existing products and services, target groups, and previously addressed markets, a company has a clear focus on which the majority of its activities are concentrated. Innovations in this area, often also referred to as incremental or evolutionary innovation, improve the existing offering or increase the efficiency of processes. To achieve this, a clear framework and stable processes, such as continuous improvement processes and a positive error culture, must be established within the company.
What is particularly challenging, however, are innovations that go beyond this core, often referred to as disruptive innovations, transformative innovations, or breakthrough innovations. For a company, this disruption can mean tapping into new target groups or markets through new or modified products or services. A deep understanding of the problem and the target group is just as important in this regard as multidisciplinary approaches to problem-solving. Solving complex, challenging problems therefore often means cooperating with the right partners to find the “right” solution.
In any case, a company must define innovation strategies, goals, and guidelines for innovation activities, create framework conditions, and establish a culture of innovation. It must create the freedom and space for new ideas to emerge in the company and be turned into successful innovations.
Ultimately, it is always about actually innovating, understanding target groups and their problems, analyzing trends and technologies, and actively searching for and developing ideas. This requires the experienced use of user research methods, the management of requirements, as well as the promotion of creativity and the use of creative methods. And finally, the ideas found in the creative process must be exploited and implemented.
An innovation process must fit the company, the team, and the problem. Its details must be designed in such a way that it does not run counter to a company’s culture. The individual phases can vary depending on the approach and the method, but usually include the following steps:
What is the problem space to be considered? Are there new, promising technologies? What is to be achieved with the innovation process?
Intensive user research with the relevant stakeholders in order to understand problems and the usage context and to identify needs. This also includes doing market research and analyzing customer feedback.
Collecting and evaluating many ideas for solution approaches under the given framework conditions, for example by using creativity methods such as workshops.
Iterative development of a concept and a prototype for selected ideas, including the definition of goals, implementation strategies, and resource requirements.
Continuously evaluating the solution ideas using the most cost-effective, but meaningful prototypes possible. Monitoring and evaluating the results of the innovation to measure success, identify learning opportunities, and make adjustments, if necessary.
Taking the necessary steps to turn the innovation concept into reality, such as product development, process optimization, or the introduction of new technologies. Successful innovations may need to be adapted in order to expand the new ideas, products, or processes to a larger scale.
Bringing a product to market does not mean that innovation is over. Expectations are constantly rising, which is why continuous development of improvements is essential in order to optimize innovations and refine the innovation process.
Regardless of whether the aim is incremental, transformative, or disruptive innovation: For an innovation process, it is important to focus on the right starting point. This starting point determines the initial definition of the problem space and helps to mobilize existing resources within the company and identify relevant stakeholders at an early stage.
Choosing the right starting point means gaining a good understanding of the objective of the project and the constraints. In the course of the innovation processes, all perspectives are then considered in order to create a novel, feasible, and useful solution.
We frequently encounter these typical challenges when implementing innovation management. We use proven methods to find suitable solutions.
In two days, we work with you in multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative future scenarios for complex problems.
In a workshop, we work with you to develop a concrete and sustainable concept for a platform (Digital Ecosystem).
We develop customized prototypes to quickly answer technological questions and evaluate customer acceptance – before a solution is implemented.
With the right methods, we help you gain a deep understanding of the problems and needs of users.
Innovation rarely happens by chance. It takes people and structures that bring creative minds together, provide impulses, and create ideal framework conditions for ideas to flow.
Innovation management is therefore of crucial importance for every company. It is like the engine that drives the company forward and enables it to stand its ground in competitive markets. Because at a time when customer needs are changing rapidly, a willingness to innovate and the ability to adapt will secure your competitive edge.
The good news: This can be learned so that the ability to innovate will become firmly anchored in your company, too. We help you achieve this!
Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering IESE