IT-enabled Business Innovation

Alison Freer 23rd March 2012

Innovation is the New ‘New’

Innovation: what, why & who?

Innovation success factors?

IT as enablers & leaders.

Overview:

The best Innovators have been innovating for years…

… ideas successfully applied

… invention + exploitation + persistence

Innovation =

“I really think that the way companies implement business processes, organisational change, & IT-driven innovation, is what differentiates the leaders from the laggers.”!

Erik Brynjolfsson. MIT Sloan Management Review, !Spring 2010

How do we maximise our R&D Investment?

• Global business

• Multiple suppliers with expertise

• High competition

• Time critical

How do we maximise our R&D expertise?

• Entrepreneurial leader

• Innovation Days

• Won over hearts & minds

• ‘Open Innovation’ campaign with suppliers = 90 new ideas

How do we turn data into Information?

• NHS organisation

• 115 days to transfer patient activity data into management reports

• Slow, cumbersome planning

How do we turn data into Information?

• IT Team led agile development of customisable dashboard platform

• Time to report cut to 5 days

• Widely adopted within 18 months

How do we help our business colleagues to innovate?

• Global Airline

• High dependence on paper-based compliance forms

• Slow, complicated data capture, including safety critical information

How do we help our business colleagues to innovate?

• IT Team experimented with touch pad devices

• Idea generation session with Cabin & Flight crews

• In-house App store for data capture on the fly

Successful Innovation Engages the Crowd

Successful Innovation Requires a Toolkit

Successful Innovation is Enabled by IT

•  IT & Business strategies aligned

•  Collaborative Platforms

•  Scope for exploration & experimentation

•  IBM ‘Idea Jam’

•  40,000 ideas

•  10 new business ventures

•  $300M new revenue in 2 years

Successful Innovation is ‘Open’

Successful Innovation has Clear Sponsorship •  Idea Portfolio Manager

• Global Head of Collective Intelligence

• Chief Growth Officer

• Chief Innovation Officer

• Chief Inspiration Officer

• Chief Imagination Officer

• Chief Detonator

• Chief Lizard Wrangler

Successful Innovation Requires Diversity

•  Demographics

•  Personalities

•  Experience

•  Sectors

•  Life

Successful Innovation Requires IT Leadership

•  Envisioning Future Trends

•  Experimentation

•  Engaging with users

•  Embedded in strategy

•  Empowered IT Teams

Innovation Debate

•  How well does your organisation innovate?

•  Examples of good practice?

•  What scope is there for IT leaders to improve Innovation capability?

Contacts

alison@leadandtransformit.com

www.leadandtransformit.com

Photography credits: Alison Freer Instagram www.redboatcreative.com Google Images