As we move into 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating digital transformation and innovation across all industries. Many CIOs are stepping up and expanding the purview of their teams from a focus on innovation for IT to innovation on behalf of their entire organization.
Whether you are innovating simply to survive, to thrive, or both, here are nine best practices designed to help CIOs and their innovation teams incorporate more quality, consistency, and repeatability in their ideation efforts:
Start with an innovation framework and council
The first step is to establish an innovation program and framework (i.e. a process) that can help take promising ideas from concept to value across the innovation pipeline. Your innovation team may range in size from just a single individual to tens or even hundreds of staff.
One popular approach is a small, dedicated team connected to a larger, volunteer team located across the business. If you’re taking this organization-wide approach, be sure to establish an innovation council with members sourced from across the business who can serve as stakeholders, sponsors, and champions. The innovation program, framework, and council are an essential first step to add formality, structure, and legitimacy to your ideation efforts.