The Other Side of Innovation

Innovation is vital to any company. Yet, most companies have trouble innovating, whether in terms of developing new products or services orimproving existing processes.

Whatever the scope of a creative initiative, the problem remains the same,that is, implementing the idea successfully. That being said, very little attention is paid to execution. If innovation can be compared to climbing amountain, originating the idea is often compared to reaching the summit, where the inventor is both exhilarated and convinced that he or she has“done the hard part.” Yet, all the experts attest that the hardest part is the descent, meaning the execution of the idea.

To accomplish this, the authors focus first and foremost on the need to organize and plancreative initiatives as specific projects that require dedicated resources. They divide their message into two main parts: the first covers the organization of the innovation project, which can require a dedicated team and specific operating rules. Great care must be taken tomanage interactions with operational teams, which are often sources of conflict! The secondpart looks at the best way to plan the project, which must be conducted like a scientificexperiment, by testing assumptions, drawing lessons from the comparison of predictionswith results, and measuring progress made.

The methods described in this book are based on observations of many innovative companies, such as BMW, Timberland, Thomson and Nucor. Although the advice dispensed by the authorsis not revolutionary, it is undeniably useful, particularly for those who manage innovation projects in large organizations.