Understanding the Ten (10) Types of
Post-Covid Organisational Innovation
Commentary by
Jeevandran Raghavan
Innovation
can take many forms. Understanding the types of innovations available for an
organisation to pursue can help discover others that are suitable for a business.
By looking at successful innovators, we see that they are adept at finding
breakthroughs given any opportunity. The main point here being innovation isn’t
some mystical process carried out by a select few.
Doblin’s
10 Types of Innovation model is based on the framework of Larry Keely and Ryan
Pikkel, after in-depth research into how innovations are derived. They divided the different types of
innovation in the following three (3) categories: Configuration, Offering, and
Experience. The resulting strategic framework is used to analyse competition,
find new business opportunities, and is also applicable to personal branding
strategies.
In this post, we explore one of the three categories of the innovation wheel.
Configuration is all about what goes inside a business and the systems that
make the foundation of the company. Innovation within a particular organisation
can vary according to the sector and industry in which it operates. However,
innovating requires identifying the problems that matter and moving through
them systematically to deliver elegant solutions.
Although
innovation types in this category are not customer-oriented, they still have an
essential impact on the customer experience. How your company and products are
organised can have a significant downstream effect, even enabling innovations
in other categories. The four types of innovation in this category are profit
model, network, structure, and process.
The
configuration category is essential to the sustainability of an organisation.
The profit model determines how the business generates cash flow and is vital
for most business models. Pivoting strategies in a post-covid landscape, moving
from analogue and traditional, to digital and modern. Companies need to think
of innovation holistically instead of just introducing new features or services
to compensate for trying times.
Networking
in today’s business environment means that every company is connected and is
part of the collaboration strategy of a company. The pandemic has forced us to
appreciate the value of social capital and our ability to interact with one
another. At the same time, it is also essential to learn the art of connecting
with others. The intelligence of an organisation often resides in its social
network, the expansive connections linking contributors and exchanging
information.
As
the frequency of large gatherings have reduced due to Covid, companies might be
breathing a sigh of relief, but networking has not gone away. Companies are
adapting to setting up video chats for business meetings instead of calls. Video
calls can make it easier to establish a connection and be authentic – especially
with new clients.
Structure
is about how organisations align their talents and assets, whether tangible and
intangible, and how to arrange them to give the best results. Winning
organisations will be those that can restructure and retool their delivery
models while operating with a mostly virtual employee base.
At
the same time, 9-to-5 jobs of the past are fast disappearing as more companies
encourage remote work, further blurring the lines between work and home life.
Flatter and more nimble organisational structures developed in a post-covid
scenario require more engaged, empowered, and capable employees, giving a
significant advantage to firms that have invested in training and development.
Process
innovations are about using processes to create a company’s final offering in a
way that makes the business stand above its competitors. Process innovations
are more difficult to copy and could be a direct competitive advantage. Major
economic disruptions may provide opportunities for managers and owners who can
reject the status quo and “think outside the box.” Over the short run, businesses
that pivot promptly have been able to stay afloat until things decisively turn
around for the better.
What’s
more important is to identify the primary sources of revenue for the
organisation and, on that basis, make the “now or never” moves that need to
happen before the recovery fully starts. Innovations may include launching
targeted campaigns, developing customer experiences, adjusting pricing and
promotions based on new data, and automating processes to free up time. To
adapt, companies need to quickly rethink customer journeys and accelerate the
development of digital solutions.
Original Inspiration: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/07/innovation-companies-creative-corperation-new-innovative
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