It has been 30 years since the term Lean Management – a long-term approach that seeks to achieve incremental process changes to improve efficiency and quality – was first coined. Some say that Lean Management has now become obsolete; others talk about a ‘post-Lean’ world and say it is fated to die. Yet in other circles, Lean Management still seems to be alive and well, with its potential to be fully revealed. The likes of Nike, FedEx, Intel and other global leaders are strong advocates of the method, and credit their continued success to its defining principles.
Lesson 2 from true innovation managers: top management commitment is needed
To mark Exago’s 11th anniversary, we have put together our clients’ pieces of wisdom to truly bring innovation together. This is lesson 2.
Why are medium enterprises still failing to innovate?
Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are still failing to innovate, and those that don’t keep up with the creative and innovative pace will inevitably fall behind.The intense competition that SMEs face requires them to reconsider their competitive positions and embrace innovation to enhance business competitiveness.
Why your idea management programme is so helpful for strategic cost-cutting
As business models being are challenged, organisations need to become more adaptable and resilient, naturally also by becoming more efficient and cutting inadequate costs. This change must happen from the bottom up, with the right leadership and sponsorship, to separate the good from the bad costs, at both micro and macro levels. Innovation managers can, and should lend a hand to address this shared challenge.
How to introduce a cost-cutting strategy in your innovation initiative: Step 1
To introduce a cost-cutting strategy in your innovation management initiative and ensure that your business remains relevant and able to maximise its potential under less favourable circumstances, five major steps should be taken.
How to conquer your Daily Innovation Zone
Once you’ve understood the four quadrants of the innovation model – steady growth, productivity gain, industry leadership, game change -, you’ll need a plan to conquer your own Daily Innovation Zone. This means also learning how to create game changing innovation with minimum cost and risk.
How to pick useful and feasible ‘fights’ for innovation challenges
Here’s a simple but essential tip when establishing your innovation challenges: pick ‘fights’ that are useful and bring attainable value to your organisation.
Decisions, decisions…
Be it through team idea contests or widespread programmes, we are enthusiasts of innovation’s number one rule: Give your teams a voice.
TIP: The checklist for your innovation programme success
Below is a checklist that, in our experience, will increase your odds of successfully implementing innovation initiatives. You will learn that there is never an ideal moment to get started and that you will never have all the necessary components aligned at the same time.
Back to basics: Define appropriate goals
In previous posts, we’ve made the case for purpose-led innovation. However, it’s also true that, in some cases, the ‘job to be done’ can entail ‘softer’ ambitions, namely, creating an innovation culture and embedding an innovation capability.