Who

What differentiates Innovative Organizations?

Out of very 100 organizations that aspire for quantum growth, less than 5 actually achieve it.

Out of every 100 organizations that compete for the customers mind, 98 are not even 'me-too'; they are 'me-threes' or 'me fours'.

As an organization, you are interested:

• Not in the theory of innovation, but in how to make it happen
• In using innovation to differentiate your organization, positioning, products and services
• In leveraging innovation to build new sources of competitive advantage
• In cultivating an organizational culture where 'new ideas flourish', which attracts and energizes the best talent

Innovative Organizations

Innovative Organizations have the capacity to take on and succeed with Orbit-shifting (Quantum) Innovation happen, by design!

What are the indicators of an Innovative Organization?

A) High Openness and Transparency

In an innovative organization, there is a high level of openness and transparency, which forms the backbone for orbit-shifting innovation. It is demonstrated by:

• Uninhibited open expression of fears, doubts, uncertainties, differing viewpoints, etc all of which can lead to gravity
• Transparency in information sharing
• Approachability at all levels, irrespective of role / position / titles
• Capacity to take feedback and new inputs, and most of all
• Willingness and capacity to challenge gravity mindsets and ways of working

B) Genuine Emotional Bonding and Ownership

The second key indicator of any innovative organization is the degree to which ownership and conviction exists within the organization and with external stakeholders, partners and customers, to the extent of a missionary zeal to a 'rallying purpose or creative challenge'.

There is a sense of joint ownership:

• Within teams, such that there is an ever-increasing number of people ready to take more charge and there is minimized silo behavior that can lead to dilution of business initiatives. People also resonate with passion for learning and discovery.
• With stakeholders, such that they don't operate merely as gatekeepers or sponsors who have to merely monitor and control, but are influenced to consciously add value.
• With partners, such that they feel reduced to just 'suppliers', but are inspired to contribute their best to the growth of the organization.
• With customers, such that they feel not merely handed down products / services to, but are genuinely cared for and have even unarticulated needs met.

C) Healthy Portfolio of Innovative Initiatives

An innovative organization is able to keep ahead of the curve in terms of business results and shifting new growth reference points: it is not dependent on the vagaries of market upturns or downturns. Instead it consistently manages to outperform the market and its own past performance.

This is dominantly visible in the existence of an ever-improving portfolio of new growth initiatives as well as performance-enabling initiatives to grow existing economic streams and create new revenue streams.

The portfolio includes a large number of Innovative initiatives, of which a given set convert into active experiments, of which there is a given strike rate of successes.

And as a result of the performance enabling initiatives, there is:

• an increased speed of resolution of problems
• reduced slippages and dilution
• increase in exceptional performers, and
• overall an increased capability in people down the line to identify and business problems and arrive at breakthrough solutions

D) Increasing number of Innovation Leaders

Lastly, a crucial indicator of an innovative organization is the number of innovation leaders that are created at regular intervals. There is a conscious investment in building people and pushing them to go beyond their own boundaries. There is a realization that the organization must not only outlast itself but in doing so must create capable leaders who can single-handedly:

• Take on new growth challenges
• Sustain the mindsets and culture that makes the organization innovative

E) Institutionalized Innovation and Leadership Practices

Over and above all of these, in a highly mature innovation organization, there are innovation and leadership practices that have been defined and internalized in the day-to-day rhythms of the organization so that the capacity of the organization to generate innovative initiatives and innovation leader is consistent, and not merely a 'flash-in-the-pan'.