Time passes extremely quickly, particularly when you enjoy yourself, or so it seems for me.
I was surprised, going through some of my past blogs, that the time between related entries on the need for having in place a sustainable competitive advantage framework on innovation has been longer than they it should have been.
This blog is the third entry on this subject.
Always, always and always do I see organizations struggle to align themselves for their innovation activity, why is this? Either alignment of innovation into the strategy they are (assumedly) following or shaping innovation into the context of where and how innovation can fit.
I’ve written on this often enough actually, and argued the need for building a more sustaining innovation framework. I have been working for some time within one of my formulas on this with its given framework of II + EE + MLC + OC + RNE build towards = SCA. I somehow suspect you need nudging on what this means.
Required past reading possibly needed here.
Without duplicating more than necessary you need to go back and read two previous blogs on this
The first was written in August 2010 and entitled “A formula for Sustaining Competitive Advantage through Innovation”. The link is here: http://bit.ly/95kCI1
The second was written in June 2011 and entitled “Sustaining is Pivotal to Making Innovation Progress”. The link is here: http://bit.ly/lPLssm
Both offer a helpful introduction to the framework and formula.
The next part of the equation
This blog ‘advances’ this framework by attempting to link the context of innovation into a process to think through. I say attempting because we need to accept each building process is different, and unique to the organization and the circumstances of what they want innovation to achieve, besides the standard reply “growth and profit”.
Doesn’t this always sounds like the famous question asked at beauty pageants: “So what’s the most important issue for you?” asks the compare with the reply “world peace”. Oh, I wish it was so simple.
Those leaders that talk of “growth and profit” from innovation seem to reduce it to just a sound bite, I just wish it was so simple. I do wish the majority of our business leaders would get ‘into’ innovation understanding a lot more.
Innovation breaks down always outside the CEO’s executive door and it really does need them to step outside and get more fully involved as it is a major area to succeed at if a longer tenure is in their minds.
Still, I digress. Here I outline how I see a typical linking through of a context to innovation in a ‘flow through’ process that is shaped along the II + EE + MLC + OC + RNE build towards = SCA, framework.
Innovation Alignment, Context & Process
Innovation Alignment to the Corporate Strategy does need working through. It needs linking to business goals and strategy, to the role innovation plays within this, the type of innovation portfolio you wish to design and work upon and the delivery and adoption needed so the organization ‘aligns’ itself. You need a thinking-through process to align context into activity.
This takes time, it needs sustaining effort but it needs leadership to understand the critical connecting parts to do this. It needs a defining framework that I see as separate to what I’m offering here. On my present rate of outlining this it does seem sometime next year for that – not good news for those interested.
Watch this space
Actually let me share a little secret between us, I’m working on a more radical, visually appealing and exciting way to approach this now but within a joint collaboration around this critical issue.
So, who knows this might be discussed earlier than my past track record of once a year to move from one aspect to another.
It needs to be and I’m sure my collaborating partner on this will be pushing me a lot harder going forward.
