Taking a balanced, structured approach to innovation

Everyone knows that Innovation is important, if not critical to the long-term survival of any business. It enables a business to remain competitive in a continuously changing environment. Innovation is always talked about in the context of ‘more-is-better’.

Who doesn’t want to be an innovator?

Innovation by itself isn’t enough, though. It must be guided toward making the right and backed by the way you serve your customers and other people in your business.

Is it new technology that makes your products better?

Is it new way of servicing your clients?

Is it the more efficient way of doing business in your field?

These ideas can be beneficial but an organization needs structure around Novation to keep everyone focussed on creating meaningful improvements. Without structure, you risked people coming up with a multitude of unacceptable ideas and distracting others from their jobs.

Innovation without direction can wreak havoc on your company’s productivity. Be careful to encourage people to bring ideas, but not spend their days thinking of ways that ultimately disrupt normal business activities.

it’s important to put structure around the Innovation process.

Although some of the most innovative ideas can pop into people’s heads when they’re immersed in their normal work is better to channel those ideas through a defined process of evaluating and sharing. Define specific times and methods for brainstorming and sharing ideas before they spread across the company’s desks and emails.

Development of innovation should be a managed process that something randomly determined by people pushing their ideas.

Establish criteria that said the bar for new ideas so people can pre-screen their own ideas before sharing them.

SAS software company may use a combination of these factors :

Applicability 

How many clients would benefit from this innovation?

Weight 

Are clients who could benefit being us a lot of money?

Competition

Do we have competitors who do this and do they leverage it well?

Difficulty

Will this require a lot of resources to implement?

Reevaluate your list of ideas regularly :

• Monthly
• Quarterly
• Annually
• According to whatever schedule makes sense for your business

Markets and Technologies change rapidly so you want to be responsive and proactive whenever possible and reasonable to do so.

Take advantage of Shifting priorities from your customers and employees when it makes sense to change direction.