Signs of the need for an "Innovation Facilitator"

The good news is many people recognize the need for the organization to “ Innovate “ to improve business outcomes.

However, to improve outcomes consistently over time, there is the need to do different types of Innovation and do Innovation on an ongoing basis – to deliver meaningful benefits to Customers, Partners and the organization.

Since this is very challenging, an ” Innovation Facilitator ” is increasingly being utilized to bring specific knowledge, pertinent experiences as well as external insights to –

Fast track the process of the organization becoming more entrepreneurial
Provide input on the creation and delivery of new business capabilities
Assist in better manage the risks associated with change
Improve the probability of realizing important benefits from innovation

In this context, the signs an organization would benefit with an Innovation Facilitator are –

Very few, if anybody in the organization can clearly articulate a definition of innovation to move the business forward
Very few, if anybody in the organization can clearly articulate the corporate innovation vision / strategy / goals
People struggle to tell the story of one or more innovations launched to wide adoption by the organization
Most of what passes as innovation inside the organization would actually be classified as product or process improvements by people outside the organization
The organization does not seek external innovation perspectives to a wide internal audience
Very few, if anybody in the organization takes the time to participate in innovation efforts
The organization struggles with accepting insights and ideas from external knowledgeable sources in originating or developing new initiatives into concepts that can be scaled to wide adoption
Innovation Program Leadership has difficulty getting time or participation from the CEO
The innovation team is trying to do all the innovating – instead of collaborating with people in various business groups to accelerate their innovation initiatives
The pace of your Business Innovation is slower than current or potential competitors

An “ Innovation Facilitator “ is here to help ….

Having an ” Innovation Facilitator ” is about utilizing the services of a professional to get better at Business Innovation whereby the Innovation Consultant conducts sessions with those in the organization responsible for improving outcomes (ie: strategy, setting goals (ie: higher sales, more profits, and other metrics), expand into new markets, deliver new products, evolve the business model, etc.). Further, since Executives can be in denial or question the need for the organization to more innovative, answering ” yes ” to even a few of the questions above is an indicator it’s time for a no cost exploratory meeting about Innovation.