Want to Drive Innovation? Technology is Critical

People are the lifeblood of any enterprise — even more so when it comes to initiating change or actually implementing an innovation process. Any change or innovation would fall flat on its face without the wholehearted support and acceptance of those who are supposed to bring in the new order. However, the role of technology is equally important when it comes to innovation. Without a seamless IT system and infrastructure, especially with an innovation platform to back up and complement the role of the people, innovation would falter.

Organizations need to not just invest in a smart innovation platform, but they also need to use it in the right way. Here are 5 ways enterprises can leverage technology to drive innovation.

1. Embrace Equal Opportunity

It is important to collect and consider every idea from the smallest and most tentative suggestions to the biggest and most elaborate plans. The ways ideas are gathered have considerable influence on the quality and schedule of a project. A good innovation platform ensures that all voices are given equal prominence and/or due consideration. It also facilitates seeking out ideas proactively on specific topics, such as identifying areas for improvement to drive efficiency.

2. Avoid Common Mistakes

Presumptions and assumptions are the biggest enemies of innovation; ideas are potential game-changers. However, the innovation team may be swamped with ideas, making it physically impossible to consider each for its individual merit. This is where a good innovation platform pays for itself. An effective platform filters all ideas through an automated idea graduation threshold, and then selects ideas that fit into what the innovation team is trying to accomplish. The innovation team is then able to review five to ten ideas for implementation every week, depending on their capacity and workload.

3. Employ Innovation Inception

Innovation doesn’t always have to be the end-goal in and of itself. Innovation within innovation — such as more effective ways to spread the message and initiate discussions — helps. A good innovation platform facilitates the rolling-out of flexible methods to elicit wider and more effective participation from the team. Some recent examples of this kind of “internal innovation” include a multi-media approach to disseminating innovation ideas, an “innovation update” newsletter that showcases hot ideas, two-minute videos that deliver information quickly and more effectively, and regular, structured online meetings to keep tabs on current and new ideas.

4. Open the Gates

Even as the implementation team propels innovation, it is important to be clear on the role of the innovation team as a unit. Teams that get carried away and become the sole arbitrators of ideas and processes do a disservice to themselves and the organization. They need to act as facilitators, not gatekeepers — and wise enterprises should make clever use of the innovation platform to ensure that it stays that way.

5. Be Customer-Centric, Always

No innovation would succeed without putting customers as the number one focus. It is possible to use innovation platforms to offer a reality-check; by reconciling ideas and suggestions with customer experiences and expectations, it’s possible to inspire innovation within the confines of organizational objectives.

Want to Drive Innovation? Technology is Critical