Three aspects for successful innovations

  • Innovation

Innovation projects often run differently than a "traditional" project. They often form a labyrinth of ideas, and unfortunately, many innovation projects fizzle out too quickly. Fortunately, there are several aspects you can work on to better manage your innovative projects and increase their chances of success.

Blog25 Innovation

Leadership and vision

Without strategy, there's no innovation. Consider what innovation means for your organization. What should we focus on? Should we focus on the core, complementary aspects, transformation, or a combination of these? As a leader, you provide the framework within which people can innovate.

Maintain focus. Don't work on all innovations at once, but select a few initiatives that you want to develop within a specific timeframe.

Decide clearly what you will and won't do and set boundaries. This way, people know the rules of the game. Be flexible enough to review and potentially shift those boundaries from time to time. Society, the market, and demand are constantly changing. Sometimes it's necessary to respond to these changes.

Processes

Innovation projects often lack a business case. "We're just winging it," you sometimes hear. This leads to projects that fizzle out and ultimately fail to deliver results.

Instead of jumping to conclusions, try to integrate elements of a business case into your approach. Map out things, make sure you measure (and know) what you're doing. There comes a point when you have to stop starting and start stopping .

Culture

Growth management versus employee engagement. It's crucial that employees are engaged and motivated in innovation projects, and in virtually every project and change. But how do you achieve this?

1. Clarify the role and expectations of each person within the project. Some roles make decisions (Gatekeepers), while others ensure that decision-makers can make well-informed decisions (such as the PMO). Clarify who has which role and responsibility.

2. Collaboration is crucial: involve the right people in the project. Are you pursuing innovation in the logistics department or within the marketing team? Make sure these people are involved. They are the ones most influenced and often have insider insights that other employees lack.

3. Celebrate successes and failures: Recognizing and celebrating successes keeps people motivated. But it's equally important to celebrate failures. This emphasizes the importance of persevering, even when mistakes are made. Mistakes give you better insight into your project and teach you what works and what doesn't. By fostering a culture that encourages both experimentation and failure, you create an environment where people continue to think innovatively and outside the box. "It's the courage to continue that counts."

Successfully managing your innovation projects requires a combination of clear leadership vision, streamlined processes, and a supportive culture. This creates a fertile ground where innovative ideas not only emerge but also deliver better results.

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