Collaborative Innovation Reference Framework
The Strategic Layers
The essential layers that support innovation
The first of the three integrated frameworks is the
Innovation Business Architecture. It starts by
“peeling” what we call as the innovation onion. We
recommend starting at the highest level, at the
strategic level, and working down through several
other “layers”, including people and processes. The
goal of this first model is to deconstruct the important
drivers and influencers which will direct innovation
activities. From this we identify a innovation
framework.
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Our intention behind these different models of Innovation
We are interested in explaining the many facets that make up a successful innovation endeavour. It can
be extremely tough to capture and explain the complexity of innovation. We would like to see an
emerging reference model for innovation from this starting point. The end result is to create a common
innovation model or framework that accelerates acceptance, reduces mystery and rework and simplifies
innovation efforts. Innovation is dynamic. Opening this set of models allows for it to be constantly
improved for all to benefit - this is our stated aim in publishing these models.
We submit these suggested models as a starting point to deconstruct how innovation works and to
encourage a “common” innovation model across all geographies, industries and markets. Developing a
common innovation model and approach reduces confusion and simplifies innovation work. We believe
we can remove a lot of the mystique around innovation and help accelerate its adoption and
implementation by firms everywhere if we can agree on basic models and principles.
We would encourage you to feel free to send commentary, corrections, additions or changes to the
models or types to Paul Hobcraft or Jeffrey Phillips. We in turn will re-publish the model as necessary
under a Creative Commons License, so that anyone who cares can use it and adopt the innovation
model. We want this to be open and a transparent process but we will retain copyright while allowing
others to copy, distribute, and make some uses of their work as long as we are credited for the original
creation.
These are collaborative work-in-progress to achieve a common position for understanding innovation
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www.ovoinnovation.com
Goals/Purpose
• In the following set of slides we intend to outline an innovation model from
the most “abstract” and philosophical perspective to the most tactical skills
and processes you will need.
• We layer this because each successive layer of strategy, skills, approaches and
processes uncovers new thinking that requires a deeper understanding for
building and sustaining innovation.
• It sets about to resolve misunderstanding, it seeks to replaces myths with a
practical, detailed understanding of innovation and all its ‘potential’
complexity.
• We provide a structured business architecture for innovation choice
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Multiple Layers
• We propose a model for innovation that consists of multiple layers
• All of these layers must be fully considered in a systematic way.
• These layers are called:
– Strategic Needs
– People, Skills & Culture
– Processes & Platforms
– Approach types
• We recommend working from the “outside-in” for best results
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www.ovoinnovation.com
The Multi-Layers
Building an Innovation Business Architecture
Strategic Needs
People, Skills & Culture
Processes & Platforms
Approach Type
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Strategic Needs
• We start at the most primary layer- the strategic considerations.
– At this level we concern ourselves with the strategic issues that must
be in place before innovation can be attempted successfully.
– We focus on the key core capabilities and place them into context that
must all exist and ‘reside’ before innovation can be attempted
successfully. This is the ‘decision point’ to clarify and identify these
• The considerations need to cover the critical issues of
– Strategic Intent
– The culture & climate- past, existing and future
– The value creation needs
– Resource allocation & ongoing funding
– Communication actions
– Dynamics & Intensity clarification
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Strategic Needs
We move from the fundamentals to the critical enablers to make innovation
happen. For example:
• Corporate Strategy
– Where do we want to be as a company?
– What role does innovation play in this vision?
– What is our present status on innovation, what needs to change
• Enabling Innovation within the organization
– What key core capabilities do we need?
– How do we align them into the appropriate corporate context
– What must exist and ‘reside’, what can be outsourced?
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The four orientation points are briefly explained
Align Market &
Customer
Environment
Understand markets and
customer needs and aligning
your products & services to
meet these needs.
Understand existing competitors
and new entrants to exploit gaps
and white space opportunities
Existing product and service
portfolio and identified gaps
resolution.
Existing capabilities and
capacity.
Existing Portfolio
and
Capabilities
Establish corporate strategies
and where innovation links
Strategic Alignment
to Vision & MOST
(Mission, Objectives,
Strategies & Tactics)
Establish and align the vision,
mission, objectives, strategy
and tactics for realization,
The value of consistently
mapping back to these four
reference points is important
to gain consistency and
validation of return on
innovation investment
Clarify the desire and motivation
of the organization to innovate.
Ensure that business leaders are
prepared to innovate.
Align compensation and
evaluation to innovation activity
Organizational
Readiness,
Motivation &
Desire
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Innovation Management Universal Need Environment
Critical Strategic Questions
and Considerations
Align Market &
Customer
Environment
Alignment & Orientation
of Product & Services
Strategic Leadership
& Direction
Foresight, Scenarios
Context & Visioning
Customer needs / wants
Strategic Alignment
to Vision & MOST
(Mission, Objectives,
Strategies & Tactics)
Strategic Intent
Value creation objectives
Likely new entrants and
competitive challenges
Capability gaps
Thinking through the Strategic and
Organizational Issues
Strategic Needs
Ability to deliver
Communications
Resource Allocation &
People Considerations
Culture & Climate
Clarify the Innovation
Dynamics Needed
Changing environmental
conditions
(legal, regulatory, etc)
Training
Existing Portfolio
and
Capabilities
Capability &
Competency Build
Innovation Funding
Organizational
Readiness.
Motivation &
Desire
Considerations for Time
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Strategic & Organizational Issues
If you move too quickly through this stage you will NEVER get the results you want.
Each of these strategic “considerations” is important and must be addressed prior to
building about any innovation effort.
• You need to have clear strategic goals and innovative strategies and communicate
these effectively to provide direction and scope for the innovators.
• You must establish clear links between Strategic goals and innovations contribution
• This needs to be robust, well considered and well resourced
• You must account for the customer needs and market realities within this review
• You must understand your existing innovation activities, what they provide and
where the limitations are so as to be clear on the gaps you need to address/ change.
If you proceed without addressing all the strategic consideration, your team will
struggle by having a poorly understood strategic framework to work within
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People, Skills & Culture
Strategy
People, Skills & Culture
Processes & Platforms
Approach Types
No fear of risk
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People, Culture, Skills & Structures to promote a
winning solution
People are the “active ingredients” in innovation, they are the catalysts that turn
novelty into real benefit.
• The pivotal role of people to act as innovation carriers- their networks and
engagement, their collaboration skills, the way that their knowledge flows
• Developing a climate where people are openly encouraged to have consistent
interactions encouraging their tacit knowledge to flow
• Seek to provide a clear understanding of how innovation itself is a potent
competitive force that drives economic wealth, productivity and growth needs
harnessing.
Innovation above all is a social process and not a technical one. Establishing the
‘sense of shared purpose’ in spirit, ideas, culture and innovation is a MUST
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Thinking through the People, skills & competencies
Align Market &
Customer
Environment
Creativity
Invention &
Innovation
People, skills, competencies
Culture &
Climate for
Innovation
Innovation
Techniques
Training
Strategic
Alignment &
Validation
Reward &
Recognition
People, Skills & Structures
Recruiting
new
Skills
Existing Portfolio
and Capabilities
Encouraging
Leadership &
Knowledge
Relationship
Building
Capability
Building
Operational
Readiness,
Motivation &
Desire
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Capability &
Capacity
Building
Internal markets
for ideas, talent
and resources
Building that
sense of
community
purpose.
Broad
Leadership
Facilitation
Governance &
Managing Risk
Resolving Barriers
& Constraints
Strive to
humanize the
process-people
are the active
ingredient
Encouraging
Leadership &
Knowledge
Addressing
the People,
Culture, Skills
& Structure
Culture &
Climate for
Innovation
Building
new
Skills & habits
Encourage
Creativity
Invention &
Innovation
Innovation
Techniques &
Training
Dealing with
Fear & Change
Depoliticize
decision-making
and personal
bias
Communicating
Listening &
Feedback
Recruiting
new
Skills
Relationship
Building
Accumulating
Tacit Knowledge
and putting it to
different use
Relationship &
Trust Building
Reward &
Recognition
Building ‘thinking
time’ into the
process
Capability
Building
Exposure to
new
perspectives
Emotional Equity
needs to be
forward focused
Find new ways to
‘unleash’ human
imagination
Value of
networks, teams
and the
individual
Challenging the
status quo and
inertia
Achieve a sense
of identity and
passion
Encouraging
Diversity &
Creative Tension
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Processes & Platforms
Strategy
People, Skills & Culture
Processes & Platforms
Approaches
Information
Gathering
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Processes & Platforms
• Finally, you need a clear process that is…
– actively managed
– able to deal with different approaches to and types of innovation
– be sustainable and totally visible.
• In particular, the process needs to manage within the "4 Ps"
– Pipeline
– Platforms
– Portfolio
– Product Lifecyle Management
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Strategic Considerations
People and Skills
Process & Platforms
Generate Incubate Filter Evaluate Select Prototype
Platform, Pipeline & Portfolio Management
Regular Innovation Development Program is Established
Synchronize Build Manage Monitor Measure
Providing
Feedback
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Detailed Innovation Process
• The need for a consistent innovation process is composed of a number of
steps or phases which need to be defined
• To be consistent you need to have a vigorous, consistent idea
management process that moves through its different stages
• We “drill down” here as it is important to expose all of the underlying
steps and assumptions. These need capturing, constantly evaluating and
deciding upon to ‘kill or progress’
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A Consistent Innovation Process
Needs to Be In Place
Generate Incubate Filter Evaluate Select Prototype
Platform, Pipeline & Portfolio Management
Synchronize Build Manage Monitor Measure
Generate
Generate ideas
about a specific
problem or
opportunity using
idea generation
techniques such
as brainstorming
or a distributed
community
Incubate
Capture the ideas
in a public forum or
applicable application
to allow team members
to comment on,
review and rank ideas.
Tag and categorize
ideas for easy
searching and
filtering.
Filter
Filter all ideas to
find the ones that
are relevant to
a specific need,
challenge or
opportunity
Evaluate
Using established
transparent
criteria, evaluate
all ideas that
address a specific
challenge or
problem
Providing
Feedback
Select
Prototype
Once the evaluation
Develop rough
is complete, rank
rapid prototypes
the ideas that are
that demonstrate
relevant to a problem
the main concepts
or challenge and
of the idea and
select the ideas
gain feedback
according to their
from potential
ranking, evaluation,
customers
ability to address the
problem or challenge.
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The essential ‘4 P’s within the process
Platform Management
This is the connecting point between strategic need and innovation activity where you establish broad strategic themes that are
potentially more profitable
Portfolio management
A portfolio tracks all of a firm’s existing products and concepts to identify where the firm is placing its investments and prioritize
multiple competing objectives so as to align these behind the most effective strategy for the goal of finding value and optimal growth.
An innovation portfolio will indicate where the firm has its innovation investments and expose gaps or opportunities for new
innovation efforts.
Pipeline management
Much like a sales pipeline is made up of prospects, opportunities and finally closed deals; innovation requires an innovation pipeline which
needs constant monitoring to ensure there is a systematic movement of ideas from generation to evaluation and selection.
The innovation pipeline must be constantly refreshed with new ideas, and each phase follows a type of “stage”/”gate” model requiring that
the idea meet conditions or criteria for advancement
 This needs to be systematic and sustainable in its application of process, evaluation and methodology.
Product Lifecycle Management
 A Product Lifecycle Management software solution offers one ‘version of truth’ for all existing product iterations.
 PLM can overcome potential isolated activities, islands of information and disconnected systems and poor cross-functional coordination and often a lack of innovation visibility for critical activity.
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Finally within Process & Platforms
Stepping back and viewing the approach so far
We establish a more ‘holistic’ view of building an innovation
business architecture and the four alignment points.
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The Innovation Business Architecture Layered Process and the 4 Orientation Points
Strategic Considerations
Align Market &
Customer
Environment
Strategic
Alignment &
Validation
People , Skills & Culture
Processes & Platforms
Approach Type
To be discussed in next presentations
Existing Portfolio
and Capabilities
Organizational
Readiness,
Motivation &
Desire
www.agilityinnovation.com
www.ovoinnovation.com
Moving to the Mapping the 4 orientations within the 5 focal points (next deck).
Align Market &
Customer
Environment
Strategic
Alignment &
Validation
Strategies, Strategic Intent
Resources and funding
1. Strategic Context
Desire & Motivation for innovation
Existing Capabilities & Skills
4.Go-tomarket
execution
Scouting
Voice of Customer
.
2. Front End
3. Systematic
Innovation Process
Trend Spotting
Product Development
Launch
Execution
Scenario Planning
Common Environment, Networking & Collaboration-Building Tools
Existing Product
& Service
Management
5. Enabling Infrastructure
Software Infrastructure
New idea
Generation &
Opportunity
Identification
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Contact Details
Collaborative Innovation Reference Framework
Paul Hobcraft
Jeffrey Philips
• Email :
[email protected]
• Phone Number
+65 91 751 4350
For Europe, Africa, Middle East & Asia
• Email:
[email protected]
• Phone Number
+01 919-844-5644
For North & South America
►Go to the Wiki on http://cirf.pbworks.com
www.agilityinnovation.com
www.ovoinnovation.com