Innovation Management ? Flexibility

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be defined as consisting of a number of ideas, a number of diverse ideas and a number of novel ideas.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

Flexibility

The Economist (2003b) states that 3000 bright ideas are needed for 100 worthwhile projects, which in turn will be winnowed down to four development programmes for new products. And four such development programmes are the minimum needed to stand any chance of getting one winner.

From the above it follows that there are an enormous number of ideas that require analysis and that many ideas will require different strategies, competencies and resources to implement successfully. Thus, for a firm to innovate a number of projects, the solution is either to:

a) Restrict projects within certain boundaries. Many firms do this, for example, Disney operates within distinct boundaries of creativity.

b) Be very, very flexible. The arguments between specialisation and diversification apply.

c) Buy in the competencies through the merging or purchase of other firms.

These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

---

Managing Change - Get it Right

In any event, getting the process right is a vital... Read More

Top Ten Tips About Communicating with Your Employees Effectively

Communication is the basis of who you are as a... Read More

Where Else in Your Business Do You Accept a 60% Failure Rate?

I recently surveyed CEOs and Business Leaders of large companies... Read More

Management - Mary Poppins Style!

Mary Poppins describes a style of management which has for... Read More

Tales From the Corporate Frontlines: Managerial Influence

This article relates to the Manager/Supervisor competency, commonly evaluated in... Read More

Are You Prepared for a Disaster?

Yesterday I look at my calendar and saw that my... Read More

The Truth About Performance Reviews

Now that it is January, many of you are putting... Read More

Make a Difference - Sweat the Small Stuff First

My background is in retail management - yes, running stores,... Read More

Are You Using the Right Form of Energy?

As we near the end of summer, here is a... Read More

Tales from the Corporate Frontlines: The Responsibility for Job Security

This article relates to the Job Security competency, commonly evaluated... Read More

A Management Strategy

I witnessed some interesting behaviour from one of our premier... Read More

Gift Giving for Business a Major Headache

Corporate gifting is a big headache for most business owners;... Read More

Forecasting Support Costs

Did you know that maintenance accounts for 50% to 80%... Read More

Operating on Perpetual Overload?

Check Out Your E-HabitsAnother week has ended. And, despite moving... Read More

How Bad Communication Can Hold You Back and How to Break Free of It

The reason jobs are often not done right and employees... Read More

The Challenges of Human Resource Management

IntroductionThe role of the Human Resource Manager is evolving with... Read More

Employee Motivation - Access Their Unique Talents

Your people are invaluable to you. They are the lifeblood... Read More

Hidden Consultants Within Your Organization

You've all heard the old joke about a consultant being... Read More

Manufacturing Capacity as a Commodity

Excess capacity in an automobile plant at Ford, Chrysler, Toyota,... Read More

Dealing with Difficult People

You know, this would be a great business if it... Read More

Cheat Sheet; Understanding The MSDS and Your Obligations In The Workplace To Employees

MSDS SHEETSMSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheets. MSDS sheets... Read More

Four Corners of a Triangle: Why Organizations Succeed or Fail

When we want to hire people for a corporation or... Read More

The Few & the Many: Free Trade, Outsourcing, & Communication

Have you noticed that some sound ideas get bad publicity?... Read More

Allan Kempert Discovers That Truly All You Gotta Do Is Ask

A year or so ago, I met Allan Kempert. Allan... Read More

Getting to Consensus

The need to get people in an organization to pull... Read More

Is ISO 9001 2000 Right For My Business?

Firstly you should decide your own reasoning behind considering ISO... Read More

Use QA As Your First Step To Outsourcing

Quality Assurance, or QA, is often given short shrift in... Read More

Drafting an Employee Manual Sample Outline

One of the hardest things I had discovered running my... Read More

Too Much Time Treating Symptoms

A man drives down the highway each day on his... Read More

How You Can Learn to be a Better Manager

When you first take over a department, expectations are usually... Read More

The Professor Makes A Minus Power Move

If you think the power move has costs, consider the... Read More

It?s Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 2)

In part one of this article I told you about... Read More

The Permissive Environment is the Suspect

The permissive and participatory conduct which most employees take for... Read More