In a just-released “The State of Innovation Management in 2015” that I have authored and kindly provided by HYPE for free, I believe you will find something of interest that you missed during a busy year, coming to a close.

I certainly hope you will find time to go through it.

You’ll gain a valuable and quick insight into critical aspects that innovation managers and CINOs should be aware of. It is in an easy format of thirty-plus pages and offers a reference resource that builds a solid understanding of innovation today regarding relevant factors that will stimulate and support your innovation activity.
http://i.hypeinnovation.com/the-state-of-innovation-2015-report

The Surge of innovation reports in 2015
I am sure you have experienced that in 2015 we have seen a significant surge in innovation reports, many of these coming from large consulting firms or innovation publishers. Each has been providing an updated view on where innovation presently ‘sits’, in its challenges and the needs to be addressed going forward.

I approached HYPE and suggested that there should be an attempt to pick out some of the interesting points within these reports, I was promptly given the challenge and they are providing this for free, a year-end bonus I feel.

Go to this link, which takes you to the landing page and simply register to obtain this free report provided by HYPE at the year-end. http://i.hypeinnovation.com/the-state-of-innovation-2015-report

Investing your time is always at a premium, I trust this report is worth it.
I decided this would be valuable to save you time or reconnect to some good reports that came out in 2015. Usually, we simply don’t have the dedicated time to wade through all these reports, they seem to come in waves or sometimes we even simply just miss them.

In this report now released I was highly conscious of saving your time and have tried to make as much of the reporting visual with as little text as necessary. Your need is to determine what is relevant to your situation and within the links provided you can explore these more if they have real relevance, I’d bet one or two really will.

The tough part was on deciding what to review, include or exclude. I took the view of just reviewing all the known (to me) reports coming out in 2015, with an exception or two going back to 2014 if it supported my thinking of what I think you might view as relevant as against just interesting. I was looking to achieve some “actionable relevancy”

I ‘housed those’ under a few important headings

These included leadership issues, concerns and needs, secondly the poor way we seem to be spending our innovation budgets, and thirdly some handy lists of the benefits of collaborating seen from both the large and small organizations’ perspectives.

Also an excellent benchmarking study full of really relevant tables that will get you comparing or constructing your own comparisons, some aspects of global R&D spending, a short view of some innovation leaders who gathered and debated three ‘choice’ topics of their top of mind concerns around innovation.

Finally I had to include one report on looking at the new innovation equation, a report I really felt was not well-distributed but full of interesting thoughts and relevant tables to compare where you are with their reported group.

I am hopeful it gives you a stimulating read over the coming festivities as we begin to move forward into 2016 with some helpful looking back from these selected 2015 reports. If you need any further interpretation or my further perspective you know where to find me.

Here is the landing page again, simply register for the report and then hopefully it offers you something of value to you.
http://i.hypeinnovation.com/the-state-of-innovation-2015-report

Happy reading, a really great start to 2016. Innovation will continue to be at the forefront of our business needs

The post The State of Innovation Management in 2015 Just Released first appeared on Building Your Innovation & Ecosystem Intelligence.

Just released on 18^th January is the GE Global Innovation Barometer with the results of its second annual review on innovation. Here is the source site to check out and explore your own needs: http://www.ge.com/innovationbarometer/

The aim of the release is to use this and have this available for the meeting in Davos as well as shape GE’s innovation agenda going forward. For the Davos meeting, let’s hope our leaders have the time and inclination to review its content.

No doubt GE will be there and if  Beth Comstock is going as the senior vice president and chief marketing officer of GE I’m sure she will be leading the “innovation does matter” charge.
Beth is emphasising a number of vital points that are arising from this survey. Let me provide a few, her rallying cry for business leaders is to understand where and how their innovation strategies are being challenged and to drive towards new solutions.

The report raises all the uncertainties found in today’s market place are challenging business’ ability to innovate. There is a growing restriction on accessing external funding or a conservative attitude and appetite for risk. Some would argue this ‘hording’ of cash, of not investing at this time does push us into more of a deeper hole so how can this be resolved.

Enter the political group to provide a more confident environment for investment so let’s trust some resolution of resolve and consensus emerges out of this meeting of minds.

The top line summary taken from this GE barometer taken in October/ November 2011

• • 9 of 10 executives report economic crisis negatively impacts their ability to innovate
• • View innovation as primary driver of economic growth, jobs, quality of life
• • Pro-innovation markets produce better economic results
• • New model for innovation in the 21st century validated
• • USA, Japan, Germany, China still perceived as most innovative

The continued belief, confirmed by the majority of business leaders interviewed is that innovation continues as the main driver of prosperity, competitiveness and job creation, and but also points out how challenging and uncertain the present economic and political environments we are in, may hinder companies’ ability to deliver meaningful innovation.

My one comment here on this– Leaders please ‘walk the talk’ on innovation.

A partnership paradox

I found more than interesting in the release by GE that a disconnect has surfaced between the importance of partnerships and the need to pursue them in the near term. There is a clear confirmation (86% of those surveyed) that partenerships are an important component of the new model of innovation but only 21% believe finding partners is an immediate priority to innovate more on a day-to-day basis

My comment here: That is a real disconnect between the present belief and momentum supposedly going on in open innovation and the possible activity taking place in the trenches and what the top knows about. That gap if it is there I think needs urgently addressing to get everyone on the same collaborative page.  Might actually “put the cat amongst the pigeons” for many.

Creating conditions for meaningful innovation
There is a reminder that one-size does not fit all. At the global level innovation continues to move towards an open, more collaborative model, innovation at the local level presents a complex landscape of challenges and opportunities that broad strokes can’t resolve. These constraints or nuances need to be dealt with at the market level as perceptions on innovations ‘place’ are radically different. This is where the barometer has some good insights for those applying global innovation across different market situations.

My comment here: Adopting a more flexible approach to innovation might have increasing value, especially in these more uncertain times where discontinuities will increase more than decrease.

Embracing the new innovation approach
The report reflects on the needed shift for innovation to thrive in the 21^st century. That is embracing a new paradigm, one that engenders this collaboration need between several partners, values the creative power of smaller organizations and individuals, and tailors solutions to meet local needs.

Business leaders around the world agree that great innovations in the 21st century will be about shared value — addressing both human needs and the bottom line – versus delivering profit alone.

• • More than ever, 88 percent of executives agreed that the way companies will innovate in the 21^st century is totally different than ever before.
• • 77 percent of executives acknowledged that individuals and small- to mid-sized enterprises have the ability to be as innovative as large companies.
• • 73 percent agreed that innovation will be driven by people’s creativity over scientific research.

My comment here: Again, I have to question this, not the notion or intent but the real understanding.  I would argue innovation still has not got the appropriate attention and critical understanding at leadership level for the vast majority. To believe they are taking us through a new paradigm is a tough one, I would suggest they are being dragged ‘kicking and screaming’ into the 21^st century, hanging on to tried and tested 20^th century practices.

My second comment here: The danger for executives in larger organizations does lie in the second point- individuals and small-to-mid-sized enterprises do have the ability to match and often exceed them in innovation. In individuals and small units or the smaller pockets of like minded communities does lie the potential of creativity and large organizations are struggling to get their heads around this dilemma.

Convergence and Divergence- narrow the gap.
So I hope the combined forces of Beth Comstock, GE and its global innovation barometer discussed in Davos provides a platform for strengthening innovation’s message at the leadership level.

I would certainly feel within GE it is shifting the focus in their own innovation challenges and as they absorb the outcomes of this barometer I look forward to seeing more innovation coming from them.

Come on GE lead the way and show that continued willingness to take risks and engage across and with society. It is better than the alternatives that many leaders are taking- to reduce innovation where they will eventually pay that price.

Get the innovation message across Beth please. The Global Economy needs innovation more than ever to move forward.

The post Shoring up the fragile innovation system, call GE first appeared on Building Your Innovation & Ecosystem Intelligence.