Being innovative is a must in today's business environment. But most organisations fail to manage innovation effectively. In this simple guide for managing innovation, Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour, presents a simple and systematic framework for taking charge of innovation in your organisation.

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Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

2. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Three Phased Approach
• Plan: Strategic innovation plan
• Prepare: Set conditions for success
• Proceed: Get on with making the changes
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

3. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Phase I : Plan
develop a shared mental model
within the management team about the
strategic intent of the organisation and
highlighting the main strategic themes
which become the focus of the
company’s innovation activities
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

4. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Elements of the Plan
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

5. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Capabilities:
Externalise and share the knowledge about company’s capabilities
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013
© Logan Wait

6. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Performance:
Highlight gaps in levels of performance and identify potential trade‐offs
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

7. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Market:
Scan widely for information and trends, and ensures peripheral area of
the firm’s vision is not ignored
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

8. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Technology:
Scan widely for new technology that enables innovation. Technology is
not the ultimate goal of the innovation.
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

9. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
CEO/Owner (main decision maker):
Ensure any plans for major change has the support of key decision
makers to avoid failure or strong opposition, by considering their areas
of interest, personal objectives and worldview
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

10. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Finance:
Find out about various funding opportunities and their specific
requirements
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

11. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Phase II: Prepare
Deliberately assess the context of
innovation with the aim of ensuring
appropriate antecedent conditions are
in place before affecting major change
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

12. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Elements of Preparation
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

13. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Process:
Set up mechanisms that enable a number of critical processes:
Communication, Collaboration, Organising
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

14. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Structure:
Become aware of opportunities and obstacles that the existing structure
provides, and take action to exploit opportunities and overcome
obstacles
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

15. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Control:
Identify the means for introducing and implementing a more
interactive style of control, with mechanisms that provide guidance
for seeking new ideas, stimulating new initiatives and giving
legitimacy to self‐organised teams.
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

16. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Knowledge:
Evaluate the knowledge requirements of the innovation
project, the gaps in the existing organisational knowledge, and the
potential sources, repositories and mechanisms for sharing the
required knowledge.
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

17. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Resources:
Consider appropriate use of key resources, and mechanisms to make
them easily accessible for the innovation project
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

18. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Culture:
Don’t aim to create an innovative culture just yet (it takes years to
develop a new culture), but rather aim to understand the
impact of the existing culture on the innovation process.
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

19. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Phase III: Proceed
initiate, develop and implement
solutions to the issues highlighted by
the strategic plan of innovation
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

20. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Elements of Proceed phase
• Creative problem solving
• Internal Diffusion
• Project management
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

21. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Creative problem solving:
• Define the problem systematically and holistically
• Analyse the problem in a structured and fact‐based
approach
• Devise innovative solutions and focus on eliminating
system trade‐offs museum
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

22. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Internal Diffusion:
• Persuade stakeholders through logical
presentation of evidence and rationale
• Inform stakeholders about the support of
influential advocates of the innovation
• Ensure all communications are transparent,
appropriately codified and credible
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

23. Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
Internal Diffusion (continued):
• Create opportunities for personal interaction and
cooperation
• Use political tactics effectively to gain support of key
stakeholders, specially the owner/manager
• Repeat organisational narratives that support the
objectives of the innovation project
Dr Mehdi Shahbazpour 2013

24. • To get an expert advice about how to better manage
innovation in your organisation, contact me on Linkedin:
– Review of your existing innovation management approach
– Facilitating interactive workshops for developing your strategic
innovation plan
– Executive training on the topic of Innovation Management
Simple Guide for Managing Innovation
How can I help?