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By listing best management practices using a framework of 25 Factors, and by providing profiles of innovative companies along with a host of anecdotal information, we hope to stimulate discussion and share information on cultural aspects of corporate innovation.

• Survey results for SMEs show priority concerns

  SME’s  – what is working and what it not when it come to an environment for innovation!

  We have broken out our survey results by size of organization and compiled the results for all respondents reporting to have 100 or fewer employess; thus more related to the size of SMEs than the  overall survey results.

  What we have found

  1.  The biggest concerns lie with two factors which come under the heading of ‘idea management’; reward mechanisms for innovators  (F14), and the general availability of resources  (F19).

  2. Of least concern are  risk tolerance in the planning process (F9), use of independent work groups (F11), the formality of the decision process (F13), tolerance for mavericks (F3), R&D budgets (F23), attitudes to mergers etc. (F16), and the role of employee organizations (F25).

  3. For the balance of Factors, SMEs noted a significant difference between their ‘Ideal’ for each Factor and their own ‘Reality’, In terms of Factors , 3 of 4  Factors come under leadership,  4 of 8 Factors are under day-to-day management, and 4 of 6 Factors come under idea management practices.  Thus gaps in innovative performance surface in all 3 major topics covered by the survey. 

  Most of the gaps are addressable by management by  carefully choosing the appropriate – not just one - enabling mechanisms.

  If you would like further background information on the survey results for SMEs just follow the link above (survey results) and download the 4 pages. 

  Posted on Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012 at 9:26 pm in Best Management Practices, Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Idea management, Leadership, Rewards for Innovators.

  2 Comments »

  Tags: innovative, management practices, SMEs

• India’s Innovation Management Practices

  India  survey results to date. We have analyzed the most recent results posted on our survey from those in India. Here are some early conclusions. 

  1. There is substantialconcern that innovation in India corporates is on the decline, that it is very difficult to retain ‘innovators’ and part of this may be that  there is little recognition given to the work of innovators. ‘Innovation Outcomes’; Factors;  24, 21, and 7. 

  2. There is little use of independent work groups (one of the key identifiable management techniques of highly-innovative companies). Management is highly centralized with little encouragement of ideas from staff overall. ‘Day-to-day management’ approaches appear to be lacking; Factors;  11, 12, 18, and 20. 

  3. There is every indication that tolerance on a  number of fronts is lacking; tolerance of failure, of mavericks,  and for variations from a corporate norm. ‘Idea management’; Factors  3, 5 and 8. 

  In summary,  and  based on respondents input to date, India corporates appear to be highly centralized, make little use of the delegation  of authority and resonsibility, and demonstrate little tolerance – all characteriistics which are evident in highly-innovative companies in  the U.S., Canada, Japan, and Europe.  Perhaps these are the Factors which contribute to the negative ‘Innovation Outcomes’.

  Further, it appears that employee organizations (see Factor 25)  are a major contributor to a lack of innovation in the country. 

  In somewhat sharp contrast to the negativity implied by the above noted results, there was less concern with respect to leadership. Management’s were seen to have a balanced view on the attainment of profits (F#1), were calling for innovation (F#2),  seeking new opportunities (f#4) and were willing to entertain risk in the planning process (F#9).

  Comments are most welcome, in particular the reference to employee organizations (F#25), and their negative impact on innovativeness.

   

  Posted on Friday, December 30th, 2011 at 9:01 pm in Best Management Practices, Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Rewards for Innovators.

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  Tags: culture, India innovation, innovation, innovative, management practices, tolerance

• John Deere’s ability to sustain innovation over decades. How come?

  John Deere’s founders had a tremendous impact on the culture of this global manufacturer of agricultural equipment. What is even more amazing is the ability of following generations of management to sustain innovation. How does this happen? What are the management practices which contribute to continued success? Our most recent corporate profile (21 pages, dated October 3, 2011 and found under Profiles/Papers)  delves into the reasons why. We also look at Deere’s spectrum of innovation; a distinguishing characteristic of highly-innovative companies.

  Posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2011 at 2:48 pm in Best Management Practices, Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Leadership, The role and place of R&D in innovation..

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  Tags: global business, innovation, innovative, research and development

• RIM’s (Research in Motion) Innovative Capacity in Reponse to a Crisis

  Co-Authors Paul White, P.Eng., FCMC, and Peter Farwell, F.C.A., CFA, examine RIM’s strategy and management practices in light of recent product development and management issues impacting RIM. Our conclusion, set out in a 36-page report, highlights the changes in strategy and the changes in management structure and performance that we believe will be essential to RIM’s future success. Download an Overview of Full Report. The full report is available, for fee, at: http/www.corporateinnovationonline.com under Profiles and Papers/Corporate Profiles – Innovation.

  Overall, we are not optimistic that RIM can survive in the current environment unless the real issues are addressed and quickly. So far there is little information from the company that the issues we have identified are being addressed and almost no information that the issues are understood let alone acted upon at this critical time. Stakeholders, particularly shareholders, deserve more than a ‘have-faith’ platitude.

  Posted on Friday, August 19th, 2011 at 2:44 pm in Best Management Practices, Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Idea management, Leadership, News, Rewards for Innovators, The role and place of R&D in innovation..

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  Tags: innovation, management practices, research in motion, strategy, tolerance, turnaround

• Argentina’s Innovative Capacity

  Three authors – two from Argentina and one from Canada – review and comment on national and corporate policies and practices which contribute to Argentina’s capacity to innovate in the 21st century. One is left with the impression that while there has been progress in the last few years, significant challenges remain. Unless addressed at the corporate and national levels, Argentina’s economic development will continue to lag behind expectation. Download Argentina Arriving.

  Posted on Monday, July 4th, 2011 at 5:52 pm in Best Management Practices, Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Economic development, The role and place of R&D in innovation..

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  Tags: Economic development, infrastructure, research and development

• Starbucks, the role of innovation

  Howard Schultz’s book, Onward, provides rare insight into the role innovation in the corporate world and the thinking of a founder. A short, 17-page, profile on this site, under Profiles and Papers/Profiles-Innovation, parses innovation at this inventive company. Starbucks Download. Comments are welcome.

  A brief – 2-page – document  Download Starbucks Innovation Profile Only provides an outline of the range of innovation at Starbucks. Use this example to profile your own ‘spectrum of innovation’.

  Posted on Thursday, May 12th, 2011 at 9:04 pm in Best Management Practices, Book Reviews, Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Idea management, Leadership, The role and place of R&D in innovation..

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  Tags: global business, research and development, Retail industry, Starbucks

• Idea management software! European success.

  Should you be interested in a very comprehensive approach to idea management, you will want to check out ‘CRITflow’, a recent release of new system software which has gained traction in Europe (ROCHE, Danone and Zurich are examples of users). ‘CRIT’ stands for Create. Reinvent, Innovate, and Transform. Built on a platform of Microsoft SharePoint 2010, it offers a flexible – you can customize the system – to your own needs. For contact information visit ‘Partners/Contributors’ on this web site under About.

  Posted on Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 at 9:05 pm in Best Management Practices, Idea management, Reviews.

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• Linking academic research to commercial success.

  Glasgow’s University of Strathclyde seems to have gotten the right formula in this energy/wind turbine initiative. Download – The Linkage Between University Research and Commercial Success.

  Posted on Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 3:29 pm in Best Management Practices, Economic development, Leadership, The role and place of R&D in innovation..

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  Tags: Economic development, innovation, research and development

• Is innovation inhibited in mainly-Muslim countries?

  A recent article in the New Yorker magazine prompts further research into this issue. Innovation, the main driver of economic development and the creation of jobs, may be inhibited by religious beliefs but progress in several Islamic countries seems to refute this notion. For more background information have a look at some of the ideas set out in a paper; Download the discussion on Innovation and Religion.

  Posted on Thursday, March 31st, 2011 at 3:17 pm in Cultural Aspects of Innovation, Discussion, Economic development.

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  Tags: Economic development, innovation, religion

• Massey-Ferguson Ltd., lack of innovation contributed to its demise.

  Our latest White Paper provides insight into the demise of Massey-Ferguson Ltd. (MF), once Canada’s largest industrial enterprise employing 68,000 people world-wide. Passing out of business in the 1990s, MF’ lacked innovativeness. Three ex-employees offer their insights into innovation during the critical period, 1960 to 1980, and conclude that the lack of innovativeness was a major contributor to MF’s demise. The then current management practices simply did not encourage innovation. Download the Massey Ferguson White Paper.

  Posted on Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 7:46 pm in Best Management Practices, Leadership, News, The role and place of R&D in innovation..

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  Tags: failure, innovation, Sick companies. Canada

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