We are not sure systemisation is even a word.
What we do know is that a set of processes and systems associated with innovation, mean an organisation has a better chance of developing innovative ideas, brands, experiences and products.
Firstly, we need to point out that ideas are not innovation; they are one part of the innovation process. As one leader in innovation at Bain consulting taught me some years ago – just doing something differently is innovation, you do not need the next big idea; it is the doing that is the most important part of innovation.
This is not to say ideas are not good, they are the lifeblood of innovation and creativity and a successful organisation. At the same time, organisations and CEO’s who now claim to be ‘lacking ideas’ are the very same organisations and leaders that failed to put systems and process around those ideas, so that they could be assessed, reviewed, prototyped and implemented.
In our experience, the best way to ‘kill’ the flow of ideas in an organisation is to do nothing with them. People soon stop contributing ideas if nothing is done with them.
Microsoft is a great recent example of an organisation who is starting to understand the importance of innovating out of the situation they face. They have achieved this through applying a system of capturing ideas, testing these ideas, and them delivering on the ideas that show potential.
The foray into gaming, and the xBox 360 was the first product to inform Microsoft of the power of a planned approach to new product design and development. For Microsoft, the first steps were to listen to what their customers wanted!
These very same approach has been extended into the development of Windows. Remember the Windows 7 campaign that focused on people asking for a feature, and then Windows providing it? This is a new approach from Microsoft, but an approach that hints at the infectious nature of a successful approach to innovation. People are now seeing their ‘ideas’ come to life…and this is a very engaging quality for any organisation to possess.
This points at Microsoft learning from its previous successes, and ‘nurturing’ a new and exciting approach to new ideas and implementation.
There is never been any doubt about the resources at Microsoft, and whether nor not they have the right people or brand. For Microsoft it has been about learning from their successes and embedding these behaviours across the organisation in a systematic way; this is innovation.
For now, it looks like Microsoft may be getting their innovation mojo back. Time will tell…what do you think?
