BUSINESS STANDARDS
is the quarterly magazine of BSI Group, highlighting the vital role that standards play in today's business environment. Regular features include interviews with leading business figures, as well as news on the latest developments in management systems and standards.
Future innovation
28 May 2008
Topics: Innovation, Design management
Innovation may not be appropriate for every business. But for many, managing innovation is fundamentally important to their bottom line - if not their survival. The challenge is to extend innovation beyond technical design and product development.
"Success in business often involves innovation across products, services, processes and business models. This applies to all kinds and sizes of organization - private, public and not-for-profit," explains Alan Topalian, principal of Alto Design Management and drafting consultant of BS 7000-1:2008 Guide to managing innovation - a UK world first when published in 1999 and which has just been revised.
"Sources of innovation should be sought throughout a product or service's lifecycle and in all aspects of its value chain, from project initiation to launch, delivery, support in the market, and on to withdrawal, recycling or disposal. There is no reason why potential innovations cannot be mapped out over several product or service generations."
According to Topalian, organizations that have a clear vision for innovation and are systematic when managing that innovation tend to be more agile, create larger numbers of new opportunities and manage change more effectively.
"Organizations need to explore beyond typical planning horizons when deciding what they should do to survive profitably," he says. "BS 7000-1 encourages businesses to map out an 'innovation highway'. This can extend up to three product or service generations into the future, and should be tied firmly to corporate objectives and strategies."
Creating an innovation-nurturing culture is critical, he adds: "Innovation entails tolerating uncertainty and managing change. If you don't set a solid foundation at the organization level, you won't have the deep roots to sustain innovation at the project level. Rush to introduce new procedures at project level and you may find it takes just one senior executive, acting on a personal whim, to withdraw support and resources, which could snuff out innovation." One of the distinctive features of the BS 7000 series is particularly strong guidance at the organization level, in order to address this issue.
The revision of BS 7000-1:2008 followed detailed consultation with a range of the standard's users and non-users - an unusual move, according to Topalian: "Standards tend to be formulated by experts who rely on personal views and a consensus reached between representative organizations.
"It is unusual for such guides to be informed by formal surveys commissioned before the original and revision are drafted."
The two surveys led to a better understanding of how this standard is viewed and used, as well as insights for improvement. For example, respondents reinforced the underlying vision to provide a richer language and comprehensive framework that organizations can adopt, not least when embarking on collaborative initiatives.
Respondents thought the standard would help organizations fulfil the requirements of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 because it provides detail about management procedures relating to design and innovation necessary to create quality products and services.
Ultimately, such guides are only as useful or valuable as users make them, in selecting and implementing the guidance provided. Respondents to the surveys acknowledged a "maturation" aspect to this process - motivations and priorities change over time, not least as confidence builds up with experience. Re-visiting standards regularly reveals different layers of detail, which help to make better use of the guidance and so gain greater benefit.
For more information: www.bsigroup.com/may08bs7000-1
Business Standards © 2008. Editorial produced by Caspian Publishing in association with the British Standards Institution. Editorial opinions expressed on are not necessarily those of BSI Group or Caspian Publishing. Neither Caspian Publishing nor BSI Group accept responsibility for advertising or editorial content, nor for that appearing on linked third-party websites. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without written permission from BSI Group or Caspian Publishing.
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