Recently I wrote about 7 Steps To Creating An Innovative Culture. Step 5 is to create “On Ramps”. I’d like to drill down a bit more into that topic because I find it to be a way to innovations to market.
The Resource Conflict
Managers often feel overwhelmed by the amount of work they need to accomplish and dismayed by the amount of resources they have to work with — who wouldn’t like to have more bodies and money to attack an opportunity? Yet, innovation can be stifled when 100% of resources are allocated. Conflicts arise when new ideas must compete with resources that have already been allocated. Promises have already been made. Expectations are already set. These are difficult obstacles to overcome when trying to move innovations forward in this system. The only way innovations can move forward is either increasing available resources (which usually takes too long to be effective) or to delay in flight projects. This means breaking promises and resetting expectations. It’s not a comfortable process for anyone. This conflict is caputured in the diagram below.
Building On Ramps
The key is building innovation into the system. Allocate a small percentage of resources for the purposes of innovation. This will give the organization the ability to respond to market opportunities. Create a system for deciding which innovations can and should move forward. This “decision engine” must work quickly to vet and test ideas. During earlier ideation phases you might have suspended judgment on whether an idea was feasible, but now is the time to apply a standardized rigor. You have to be quick and merciless in killing ideas which should not move forward. On the flip side you need to be able to advance good ideas quickly to take advantage of the opportunity.
In summary building “on ramps” creates a standard way to bring innovative ideas to market quickly.
Do you have innovation on ramps? Or maybe you have a different way of moving innovations forward?