Streamlining Corporate Innovation: Tips for Efficiency

Empower Employees

As explained by experts at Forbes, creativity requires energy, peace of mind and perspective. However, it is very hard for employees to achieve this mindset if they feel unable to work on their ideas or have a fear of failure. Cultivating a culture that promotes flexibility in allowing employees to innovate while concepts are fresh is vital. Similarly, encouraging psychological safety and accepting failure as a part of an iterative procedure is advised. 

Understand the role of innovation

Innovation needs to boast contextuality, viability, and feasibility. As such, all employees should have a clear understanding of what the organization wishes to achieve. For example,  

INFRAVISTA’s vision was to make it easier to access mobile infrastructure, remotely. A company-wide buy-in facilitated by the KICKBOX innovation program made it accessible. Innovation also needs a client-centric approach. Even the best ideas count for nothing if there is no desire for  them. When employees work and think about the end user at all times, solutions become clearer. 

Let Technology Save Valuable Time

Modern tech can play a key role in streamlining corporate innovation, not least because automation frees up more time for employees to innovate. Any tech advancement that saves time on admin and daily tasks will translate to increased innovation time, which can see projects evolve far sooner. Better still, encouraging a culture of focus, minimizing interruptions, and providing a conducive workspace will feed into the process of empowering employees and allowing them to strike while the creative iron is hot. Increased engagements will yield improved results.

Combine Open Mindsets With Defined Frameworks

While corporate innovation does require creative freedom, many employees perform better when a defined strategy is in place to help them explore and express their ideas with clarity. As part of the KICKBOX program, innovators are provided with a range of templates and tools to guide them  through the validation phase, to the proof-of-concept (POC). Customer journey maps, persona templates, KICKMAPs, and project boards are just some of the tools to provide structure for  concepts.

Gain Insights From External Sources

Corporate innovation relies heavily on being open-minded. One of the most effective ways is to stop limiting your company to ideas presented by your employees. The NASCAR Fan Council is one example of how brand advocates can support innovation strategies, particularly when looking for ways to use incremental innovation. Meanwhile, the KICKBOX innovation program allows employees to leverage success from the collective knowledge of other companies who are also using the program.

• Evolution of business models - Contrary to popular belief, adaptability allows you to be here for a good time and a long time. 
• Identification of new sources of revenue - Once you’ve begun to establish yourself as a trailblazer in your industry, opportunity knocks. 
• Development and betterment of products and services - In an ever-changing market, avant-garde is attractive. 

Upscale With Tech Analysis

It is widely accepted that the most successful companies of the future will be those that leverage emerging technologies to drive their innovation efforts at scale. Whether scaling up, scaling out, or scaling deep, data-driven decisions are essential. You can assess existing processes, rank processes, and analyze outcomes to help refine your innovations. When combined with testing ideas and using feedback, you can scale out and up with greater confidence by making the right implementations at the right times.

Embracing corporate innovation is an indispensable aspect of thriving in today's dynamic business landscape. To keep up with the rapid evolution of the world, organizations must prioritize efficiency and speed in their innovation endeavors. As we have explored, there are several valuable strategies that can streamline the innovation process while maintaining high-quality outcomes.