Lifting the “innovation fog” and accelerating growth
The innovation dynamic starts with people
One of the key tasks of those responsible for innovation is to choose the right initiatives and to generate a strong forward dynamic in the development and realization of innovations. The so-called “Fuzzy Front-End” describes the starting phase of the innovation process – a phase characterized by uncertainty and a lack of clarity. This is when ideas and possibilities are explored, initial concepts are developed and fundamental directions are set among the multitude of options. Innovation is more than the interplay of market, technology and solution (Product-Market Fit) – it is determined by the “human factor”. Creativity, vision and the ability to bring internal and external stakeholders and how they respond together are decisive in order to create the necessary forward dynamic
The innovation fog – where innovation falters
Rejections on the market, accelerated technological progress and increasing competition strengthen uncertainty and raise the entrepreneurial pressure on decision-makers. This adds complications to the Fuzzy Front-End and increases the subjectively perceived uncertainty. Tight budgets reinforce concerns over bad investments and lead to hesitation in going for and implementing innovative initiatives. At the same time, strong market forces are at play in the background, widening the gap between winners and losers and enhancing the tension between short-term and long-term entrepreneurial goals. From a human perspective, the initial phase of innovation blurs increasingly into a diffuse “Innovation fog” – with a potentially slowing effect on the overall innovation process.
From fog to breakthrough: the Customer Innovation Cell
Three decades of experience with innovation projects show that now more than ever the innovation fog in the early phase of the innovation process is a critical aspect that successful innovators must lift. Despite numerous available innovation methods, many initiatives are not sufficiently dynamic – or they do not deliver the results that are striven for.
The pace and accuracy of innovation initiatives are decisive for long-term company success. The Customer Innovation Cell (CIC) offers a new approach – it targets real breakthrough solutions, creates a dynamic environment and raises innovations’ chances of success. The CIC method combines Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD), the conduct-oriented and solution-oriented Innovation Cell Systems and Systems Engineering into a clear and integrated process over multiple weeks. The result: quicker implementation, greater certainty with regard to customer benefits and fostering growth.
From understanding to shaping
Interdisciplinary teams first define and explore the range of innovations (Phase 1 Phase 1 Scoping & Initiation, Phase 2 Outside-in Discovery). Then they examine customer needs (Phase 3 Customer Needs Research) and based on this they formulate concrete solution concepts (Phase 4 Inside-out Solution Shaping). Stakeholders and management are incorporated in a targeted manner through Jury Meetings, while the teams go through an intense learning and creation phase that customers can also be directly involved in.
The analysis of the “scope of the problem” based on the JTBD method enables the identification of customer needs that are either insufficiently met or exceeded, as well as a needs-based market segmentation. This allows a precise quantification of market potential, as set out in Phase 3 of the innovation process.
This is followed by the “spectrum of solutions” (Phase 4) in which suitable potential solutions are developed and then evaluated according to various criteria: a) strategic – regarding the ability to differentiate and long-term positioning; b) tactical – in terms of practicability and priority for the organization (able & willing); c) operative – regarding the timeframe, risk assessment and economic viability.
Effective innovation
The result is solution concepts based on real customer requirements, roadmaps that take operative, tactical and strategic factors into account, as well as business cases that lead directly to accelerated implementation (Phase 5 Accelerate Implementation). Synchronization and a forward dynamic are created through the conduct-oriented incorporation of stakeholders throughout the process.
The formula for success of the Customer Innovation Cell can be summarized in a simplified form as follows:
Experience has shown that companies can shorten the “fog time” by up to 90% and at the same time raise the success ratio of their innovation projects to 70-80%. The novel approach of the Customer Innovation Cell offers a quick and high-quality solution in order to navigate safely through the innovation fog and achieve concrete results rapidly.
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