1. The ivory tower CXO
- Talks the talk – but barely backs up the efforts, and won`t let anything pass without his/her approval. Puts up a lot of control mechanisms, and allows “over management” to kill the innovative culture. Total stranger to OI, keeps ideation and staging in control via only using small groups and outside “experts” – or close inside ones. Downsides are…obvious. Upside are….he will probably be up for retirement soon.

2. The “short term results” CXO
- Engages and cultivates the efforts well – but are only focussed on short term results. This can be quite good if efforts are put in innovating on processes, improvements, cost reductions ect. – but a pitfall if going for new products and services. Typically a Lean practitioner – without the knowledge of conducting longterm innovation. Upside are…great short term results. Downside…no space/backup for longterm efforts.

3. The “closed circuit” CXO
- Backs, engages and cultivates innovation – however nothing ever comes into play! By creating a “closed circuit”, ideas and innovations circuit within, being tested rigorously, discussed at countless brainstorm sessions, dragged through endless spreadsheet maneuvers only to get from a good idea to; ” I just think something better has come up”…Upsides are…at least he`s enthusiastic – and will probably listen to critics. Downsides are…maybe he is just enthusiastic – and not a listener.

4. The “Traditionalistic” CXO
- Every year for 14 days, employees competes for “Innovative Employee of the Year”…it´s a tradition, and have been for many years. Believes that one short period every year, employees will cast everything aside to partake in winning that awesome silver plated trophy and the Ipod! Creativity, collaboration and ideation on demand! Upsides are…right intentions are present. Downsides are…tradition is hard to break.

5. The “silent” CXO
- Backs innovation with funding, staff, outside consultants, software – the works!…then slips out the backdoor, letting “the system” run without fueling it with repeated presence and interest. Upsides are…you are in innovation heaven – for a while…Downsides are…hell is just around the corner.

These are just a few “types” that I have stumbled upon – but they are quite typical and representative of what I still meet out there. There are probably more “types” – so feel free to add to the list – or do let me know if I am all wrong;-)

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1. Over managed projects
….Too many managers involved, bringing in too many opinions and hidden agendas using their managerial status to hinder progress.

2. Complexed flow structures
….Making the innovation flow structures too complex for audiences to comprehend, leaves contribution to be made by the few – thereby not harnessing the diversity of knowledge, from the many.

3. Restrictive policies
….No, you do not need to protect your IPR as if it was the holy grail – if this really is mandatory, then focus your broad innovation efforts on process improvements, cost reductions, CSR, ect. instead….and continue developing your highly secret game changing device, in the catacombs of your Alaskan deep undercover R&D facility.

4. Communicative chaos
….Be systematic when spurring and cultivating innovation – don`t expect your innovation ratio to hit the roof, just because you`re the gutsy CEO proclaiming that innovation is the core of your company…..Yes, you have talked the talk – but walk the walk as well, and make sure that systematic channels are present all the way from ideation to launch.

5. Reaching for the stars
….Why ?…..Start out by picking the low hanging fruits instead, giving you instant success – then patiently build your rocket to reach the stars and beyond.

By now you`ve probably guessed the meaning of the headline; Keep It Simple Stupid…

Let simplicity and a practical approach be your mantra´s, when leading your innovation efforts – and stick to it!

Some of the simple and practical things you can start doing tomorrow are;

- Assess if you have any of the above 5 innovation diseases – and stop it!
- Make someone in charge of innovation
- Start scouring for the low hanging fruits – ie. list your challenges – and pains!
- Ask whether your company is considered being innovative….and ask widely!…amongst your employees, customers, partners, family & friends (don`t ask your dry cleaner – these guys haven`t seen innovation since they emerged…apart from their pricing off course!)
- Make a plan!….How should the journey from idea to launch work in my company?
- Be realistic!…Respect your strategies by letting them be the drivers of innovation.
- Search for tools, methods, software and consultancy – but only the ones that has the KISS approach!

This should be your outcome;

Everybody knows where to post ideas, and collaborate on others ideas.

Everybody knows the process from idea to launch.

Everybody knows that spending time being innovative is part of the job.

Everybody knows that innovation is simple, practical and profitable.

And the last “Everybody knows…..your successes” – sharing is caring, and is the fuel to keeping your innovation efforts repeatedly successful.

Use the power of the Social Media “teens” in your organization!

Everybody is struggling with innovation collaboration – especially how to make employees, customers, etc. chip in… One way of bypassing this for good, is to identify the savvy social media experts within your company, and equip them with tools for innovation and ideation. And you don’t need to search for long – just call your Human Resource (HR) department and get a list of employees under 30 years of age, and you will have instant access to specialists brought up on facebook, messenger, linkedin, myspace, etc.!

This group knows what works – and what doesn’t – when it comes to sharing and communicating knowledge – which is the core element of innovation. Think about this – If just 10% of employees’ traffic/time spent on social media within the company perimeter was spent on collaborating instead, you could increase your innovation effort drastically!

You need ideation, collaboration and innovation, so why not just “copy” methods and tools that work? …and let the ambassadors be the young guns that use social media like never before. A quick self-assessment on this is to simply analyze your own ‘consumption’ of Linkedin, Facebook, myspace, etc. on a daily basis, and ask yourself “Why do I use these tools and what am I gaining from them?”

Innovation and ideation tools are out there using exactly the same techniques as the big social media networks – and here is my take on the key elements that you should look for:

• simple web-based intuitive interface
• accessible from ‘anywhere’
• simple input methods – don’t get too advanced in asking for knowledge!
• personalization opportunities

When you have found your tool, and recruited your ambassadors internally – copy this externally! Seek amongst your customers within the same group, and invite them to collaborate.

If I were responsible for innovation in a company, I wouldn’t wait one second in starting this process, as the benefits are so obvious and so easily accessible! And the nice part is that you don’t need to call for external social media expertise – you have experts sitting right next to you!

Stefan Lindegaard quoted me on this subject as well in this article, with some interesting perspectives -Can Social Media Tools Hinder Innovation?

Subjects are:

- Why the future of innovation is open and global
- Consequences of open innovation for danish companies
- What open innovation takes – for your organization

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To define “ownership” or management of innovation within a company, it’s vital to start out by looking at the organisational side of it. You need a strong innovation organisation in order to spur and cultivate innovation throughout the company – and you need to move away from the ivory tower strategy, where the few decides for the many.

You are not “born” into the innovation organisation on your job title – but on your capabilities to be an ambassador enabled to optimize the innovative thinking of your colleagues! So, how do we identify these ambassadors? The first move is to grant ownership of innovation to everyone! Management needs to stress that ongoing innovation is vital, and that everybody needs to participate – and the incentives must be created, to continuously bring collective innovative thinking into the loop.

When done, the ambassadors are easy to find, and you can start building your innovation organisation. Now, you can start reaping the benefits in continuously asking for ideas and suggestions, having a trim innovation organisation helping you out high and low! You can now get sophisticated, and run campaigns asking specifically on subjects like; CSR, Sustainability, new products, work process improvements, cost reductions, etc. You can even go as far as creating an innovation benchmark, from which you can extract valuable information about your company’s innovation capabilities!

Funny thing is, that when you get a job, in the hiring session you will always here the phrase; “…and, of course, we expect that you will participate in developing our company…” – Has anyone ever measured this?

You can check out all of the ‘Innovation Perspectives‘ articles from the different contributing authors on “Where should innovation reside?” by clicking the link in this sentence.

Challenge your specialists, to help you develop an innovative culture!

After you have checkmarked all the essentials of getting your company to focus on innovation – tools, workshops, gurus, funding, and management buy in – you are now faced with the biggest challenge:

How to develop and maintain it!?

First, try to SWOT what you need to succeed – HR competencies, communication, internal marketing, ROI methods, nifty design, IT…

Why start doing this halfhearted, when you already know that you don’t possess these skills?

Many innovative efforts – even with the largest funding and management buy in – have failed because these key elements were not done properly. Instead of failing, make sure that you get carte blanche to tap into your company’s specialists:

HR - They are brilliant at helping you tackle the different sub-cultures of the company – and knowing how to get them involved!

Sales & Marketing - They can help you design a marketing plan and a pitch – and your webmaster probably knows some mind-blowing methods of spreading the word on your intranet!

Finance - The numbers people will love the challenge of setting up that awesome spreadsheet on the innovation ROI!

Production & Engineering – These hands-on groups will be pleased to evaluate – and test – the groundbreaking new product ideas!

IT – Don’t forget them – they are vital!

All of above are savvy specialists, who know their way around their subjects, and if you involve their key competencies in the challenge, you will be on the road to success – harnessing their vast knowledge and dedication.

And a great side effect is that you will get ambassadors and lobbyists working for your project, in every vital and strategic corner of your company!

After you do the above, don’t forget to play your part:

• Publish all results… good or bad!
• Support, support… and support everybody involved!
• Make sure to announce any progress – personally – and throughout the company!
• Embrace suggestions to your project with enthusiasm!
• In general, spread kudos and karma to everyone helping you out!

And finally – keep challenging your enrolled experts and specialists, with important new tasks!