Welcome to the second article of our 5 part series on Innovation Management for State & Local governments. Discovering Innovation Management – Welcoming New Energy to State & Local Governments scratched the surface of innovation management practices best suited for governments in the US. In this article, we will talk about the strategies and leadership required for proper innovation management.
I’m sure by now you have heard most, if not all, of the latest buzz words from “industry”. You may have attended the latest virtual conference or was approached by a government consultancy. Either way, it is likely that you heard folks speak about:
When you hear people speak on one of these topic, it is almost as if they believe *THIS* will be the answer to all of your organizational problems and will ensure success. But it isn’t any single item that will help you succeed but ALL of them together. Innovation Management is a methodology that allows for the management of all of the listed systems (plus more) while placing you on the path to repeatable value creation.
With for-profit organizations, value creation is easily defined. But for non-profits, governments, and social organizations, value creation is measured differently. For governments specifically, having the ability to identify current and future opportunities while establishing innovative partnerships with businesses and communities is key to localized innovation success and value creation for all stakeholders.
What is Needed to Lead the Pack?
You need leaders who can create a vision. You need people to develop and execute an innovation focused strategic plan. You need creative ways to influence your partners to generate value on your behalf. These will all be key to innovation success. Innovation Management helps to bring all the pieces together. Leaders are responsible for implementing a system to help encourage and manage innovation. The system, processes, and culture should also help to influence and drive innovative efforts. Once your Innovation Management System is in place, you and your colleagues can work to realize additional value. This could be accomplished through experimenting with new technologies, processes, and governance methodologies. Just remember that it is imperative that all experiments and innovative efforts align with the vision and innovation strategy you set at the beginning. It is also important to remember since most governments control a finite number of resources, employees must understand the levers that are available to them to drive the type of positive change they are looking to have created.
You may be asking yourself, “Where can I learn the skills needed to drive increased innovation value for my area?” There are quite a few options for anyone looking to build out their innovation toolkit. Some universities have programs and/or certificates for things like Social innovation.
You can even find the occasional free course through sites like Coursera. All these programs mix public management, social, and innovation. But what do should you do if you are looking to focus on the science of innovation and innovation management? Ever Evolving Inc. teaches a number certification prep courses focused on all things innovation. These course are based on our experience, research, plus the decades of innovation insights from the International Association of Innovation Professionals (IAOIP).
With over 3000 members in 100+ countries, the International Association of Innovation Professionals (IAOIP) is the world’s only Innovation Certification Body, and fully networked community to deliver Innovation tools and collaboration across nations, industries, governments, and academia.
They are also the United States Technical Advisory Group Administrator for the development of ISO standards for Innovation Management. This means they are responsible for identifying experts in the US to help build these standards.
Contact us at info@everevolving.biz for a complimentary introductory session on Innovation Management Systems, IAOIP and the ISO 56000 Innovation Management series of standards.
Pingback: Harnessing the Value of Constituent Ideas - Ever Evolving, Inc.
Pingback: Harnessing the Value of Constituent Ideas – Ever Evolving, Inc.