Article: Strategy & Innovation: Are You Ready for the Next Generation of Innovation

My latest article was published in Strategy & Innovation. This is a newsletter run by Innosight which is an innovation consultancy built on the disruptive innovation frameworks developed by their founder, Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen.

In the article, I argue that companies have begun to embrace open innovation and more collaborative forms of innovation and that this move requires a new mindset and a new set of skills; it is no longer enough to just be a good project manager, researcher or engineer – or leader. The skills that need to be mastered are:

•  Collaboration: You have to work across business functions and with many types of innovation to turn ideas into profitable products, services or business methods.
•  Relationship building: In a world of open innovation, you need to be an expert at networking and building relationships.
•  Stakeholder management: You do not need to have everyone on your side, but you need to generate adequate support to champion your ideas and enough leverage to overcome major hurdles.
•  Communication: You need to be able to craft compelling messages to the stakeholders you want to influence.

Do you think you are ready for the next generation of innovation? Read the article and let me know what you think.