Level Three - Innovation Leadership Proficient

Advanced Purpose: 

• The organization has a compelling and inspiring innovation purpose or reason

• The link between innovation and business strategy is clearly communicated across and beyond the organization

• There is a shared vision, mission, and goal for innovation that are ambitious and challenging

• There is a strong degree of commitment and engagement among different stakeholders, such as employees, customers, partners, etc., who support and contribute to the innovation efforts

• Innovation is seen as a meaningful and motivational activity

Advanced Focus: 

• The organization has focus areas that leverage both its capabilities and partners and its understanding of the customer value proposition, to win significant new business opportunities in the future

• These focus areas are based on extensive market research and validation, and they are aligned with the strategic objectives and customer needs

• The organization has a high degree of clarity and alignment on the innovation objectives and priorities

• Innovation is seen as a strategic and customer-centric activity

Advanced Pipeline/Portfolio: 

• The organization has an advanced innovation pipeline or portfolio

• The innovation projects or initiatives are time-sequenced and are proactively slowed down or accelerated to shifting market conditions and investments to meet growth targets

• The organization has clear and transparent criteria and metrics to evaluate and prioritize the innovation projects or initiatives, based on their potential value and risk

• The organization has efficient and effective processes and tools to manage and monitor the innovation pipeline or portfolio, such as stage-gate models, agile methods, dashboards, etc

• Innovation is seen as a dynamic and optimized activity

Advanced Process: 

• The organization has a structured innovation process that also sources insights and ideas from customers, suppliers, partners, and other external sources beyond the organization

• This process leverages open innovation and co-creation methods to tap into the collective intelligence and creativity of the ecosystem

• This process also incorporates feedback and learning loops to improve the quality and relevance of the ideas and solutions

• Innovation is seen as a collaborative and adaptive process

Advanced Teaming and Partnering:

•  Innovation teams have strong, fluid networks to informally access new competences, resources, and assets

• They use social media and other platforms to connect and communicate with internal and external experts, influencers, and communities

• They share information and knowledge freely and openly

• They seek feedback and input from diverse sources

• Innovation is seen as a networked and social activity

Advanced Resources: 

• The organization has a formal budget and an inventory of tangible and intangible resources from across the organization for innovation

• These resources include equipment, lab spaces, trade secrets, licenses, customer lists, relational assets, etc

• These resources are well documented and managed

• They are leveraged and optimized to maximize the innovation potential and impact

• Innovation is seen as a value-adding activity

Dedicated Innovation Team: 

• The leadership has established a formal innovation team comprised by individuals from different business areas and fields of expertise

• The team has a dedicated budget, resources, and autonomy to pursue innovation opportunities and challenges

• The team works closely with internal and external stakeholders to identify customer needs, generate ideas, test solutions, and implement innovations

• The team uses advanced tools and techniques to measure and improve innovation performance and impact

•  Innovation is seen as a systematic and disciplined process that delivers value to customers and stakeholders

Entrepreneurial Culture: 

• Employees take advantage of the time and space allocated to innovation and collaborate across functions

• They are empowered and accountable to pursue innovation opportunities and challenges

• They use customer-centric and agile methods to generate, test, and implement solutions

• They measure and improve their innovation performance and impact

• Innovation is seen as a systematic and disciplined process that delivers value to customers and stakeholders

Advanced Measurement: 

• The organization acknowledges individuals who deliver innovation activities, outputs, and results through some reward and recognition mechanisms, such as bonuses, promotions, awards, recognition events, etc

• These mechanisms are based on the innovation metrics and indicators

• They are fair and transparent

• They motivate and inspire employees to innovate more and better

• Innovation is seen as a behavior or a competency

Advanced Creation:

• The organization's commitment to creating new value for stakeholders is evident in its comprehensive and proactive approach

• Stakeholder feedback and insights are systematically gathered and integrated into decision-making processes

• Value creation efforts extend beyond product or service improvements to encompass broader changes that enhance the stakeholder experience

• Innovation is seen as an integrated force driving value creation

Advanced Capture:

• The organization actively pursues strategies to capture value across multiple dimensions

• Value capture is seen as a dynamic process that requires continuous adaptation and innovation

• Revenue growth is not solely pursued through traditional means; the organization finds new ways and business models to increase profitability, market share, and customer loyalty

• Innovation is embraced as a dynamic catalyst mastering value capture