Innovation

If you have considered the rest of this self-assessment workbook, and scored highly in all areas, then your company already has an innovative approach to business development. Innovation is successful exploitation of new ideas and it is important to every business.

To ensure survival and continued prosperity, business must meet the challenges. To do this you need a constant stream of new and improved products, processes and services. Innovation, as a culture, must pervade your whole organisation.

This means:

• Managing change to allow new ideas, new technology and new opportunities for improvement to flourish.
• Improving the application of skills and technologies to processes, products or services, to increase profits and competitive advantage.
• Improving your research and development, design, production and marketing activities to be forward thinking.
• Adopting and adapting other people's ideas to improve on your competitive advantage.

The final section will enable you to focus on some fundamentals of the innovation process. See how many statements are really worthy of your "agreed" response.

H1 - Innovation

Product Innovation	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
We are increasing the number of new product ideas that we evaluate year on year.						Talk to customers, suppliers, competitors and influencers to get new ideas.
Our company has a high proportion of sales turnover from products introduced in the last five years.
We are ahead of our competitors in meeting customer demands for product enhancements.
We plan well ahead for new products to replace our older products and services.

Product Development	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
Our company has reduced the time to market for all new products.						Set up effective screening procedures for new ideas.
We have few problems with new products once they are launched.
Our customers perceive us to be at the forefront of design.
Our company can redesign and enhance products with relative ease.

Process Innovation	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
We have an ongoing plan for the installation of new process and operational technologies.						Make sure that your process technology keeps pace with your product.
All recent technology additions have produced measurable benefits to our company.
Our staff regularly suggest process improvements and enhancements.
Installation lead times for new equipment are falling in our company.

Technology Acquisition	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
We have a team responsible for the transfer of technology, in and out of our company.						Protect your ideas as early as possible.
We have increased the number of patents or unique features of our products and services.
Investment in research and development resources is increasing.
We have strong links to higher education institutions and other centres of research excellence in our field.

Leadership	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
We have technical staff on our main board.						Take risks but ensue they are well managed.
Our management team meet regularly to discuss new ideas.
Our employees recognise our company as one with advanced ideas.
We have good relationships with external inventors and innovators.

Resourcing Innovation	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
We always have sufficient skilled personnel to resource our R&D activities.						Build relationships with customers and potential investors.
Our product development team have multidisciplinary skills.
We never have to terminate new product or process projects because of lack of funding.
We have good relationships with external funding bodies.

Systems & Tools	Strongly Agree	Agree	Not Sure	Disagree	Strongly Disagree	Good Business Practice
Our company has invested in CAD designs systems where relevant to our business.						Invest in new technology where it can bring long term benefits.
We are well advanced in our use of systems to link designs to manufacture or production.
Our quality systems are reflected through the design and development process.
Our development staff are trained in advanced design techniques.

Companies that embrace the total concept of innovation will be those that continue to develop and achieve greater business success in the 90's.

To be more innovative you need to focus on the critical areas where you were forced to "disagree" or "strongly disagree".

Return to introduction