Pulp Innovation Chapter LIII: Executive Sponsor Selection
With the innovation initiative now under way at Accipiter, it's time to decide which senior executive will sponsor the project. Nerves run high, as the outcome will affect the entire team.
With the innovation initiative now under way at Accipiter, it's time to decide which senior executive will sponsor the project. Nerves run high, as the outcome will affect the entire team.
After months of being given the run around by the executives at Accipiter and with with recent success of the innovation presentation still fresh in his mind, Marlowe contemplates the next steps in the development of their innovation initiative.
After a successful innovation presentation and strong encouragement to move forward with their plans, Marlowe and Susan are elated. The question remains why some senior executives had been holding them back when it was clear to the CEO that innovation was the only option to move forward?
Marlowe and Susan present their strategic innovation plan to the senior executives at Accipiter, recommending incremental innovation for organic growth, and disruptive innovation in new products. The question is, have they created enough innovation momentum to convince management to take on two simultaneous innovation projects?
After six months of uncertainty and misdirection, headfakes and management gibberish, Marlowe and Susan are finally going to bring their innovation community at Accipiter to a head.
Just as Marlowe and Susan are ready to present their vision document to management, they discover some of the members will not be attending. Another disappointing setback for the innovation community.
After Marlowe and Susan work well into the evening to develop a strategic document for the management team to review and approve, they head out for some quality co-worker time.
Marlowe gathers the Accipiter executives to sit in on enthusiastic open innovation software demonstrations. Will the team arrive at the necessary conclusions about their innovation community?
Marlowe continues the struggle to get his top client to define the structure and direction for their innovation community. Has he signed up for a project that is doomed from the very beginning?
As Marlowe struggles to define the requirements for Accipiter's open innovation community, he is interrupted with the news that the newly hired consultant has just arrived for her first day at work. Perhaps this distraction is just what Marlowe needs...
Accipiter needs to establish the “rules” and expectations for innovation, and provide the programs and procedures to reinforce those programs, so innovation remained true to the goals of the organization. Marlowe takes the first steps to lead them in the right direction.
Marlowe’s concerns about Accipiter’s new innovation initiative continue to grow. How does one build an effective innovation platform without understanding the key strategic goals of the company?
Now that Accipiter has decided to create an open innovation community it’s time to iron out the details. The IT department has clear concerns about data privacy and security. Meanwhile, Marlowe narrows in on the community goals and making sure they map those goals to the selected software.
Marlowe struggles with a client who has decided to build an innovation community in 90 days without any consideration for the structure, support and funding to carry out such an operation. Can Marlowe manage to take the lead or will they develop a half-hearted endeavor to collect ideas?
When Accipiter suddenly changes game plan from a skunkwors to an innovation community, Marlowe barely has time to catch his breath before starting to advise on the new structure and goals.