"If growing up is the process of creating ideas and dreams about what life should be, then maturity is letting go again" - Mary Beth Danielson

IM2 Level 4 - Innovation Standards

Culture:   Culture encourages risk-taking and trust issues are confronted

• At IM2 Level 4, the culture has progressed to accept a reasonable amount of risk-taking.  This is promoted through well published examples of employees who have risked and succeeded, as well as risked and failed.  If there are still issues related to trust between employees, middle management or upper management, they are resolved quickly and openly.
  

Leadership:  Good leadership is becoming more and more important as the maturity levels increase.  Leaders must take an active role as promoters of new ideas and facilitators of effective idea generation.  These goals are accomplished via:

•  Leaders create and market targeted idea campaigns
•  Senior leadership communicates innovation strategy and processes

People:    People are encouraged to take calculated risks when problem solving

• Again, this level of innovation maturity is reached via calculated and educated risk taking
  

Processes:   Goals related to innovation system are established

• The innovation system itself has metrics established and goals set to ensure the program and related processes are effective and efficient
  

Tools & Techniques:   Targeted idea campaigns are launched to solve specific problems

• When the organization has new or chronic business problems to deal with, the entire organization is tasked with supplying ideas and facilitating idea generation sessions in an organized and targeted manner
  

Training:  Innovation-related training is focused on improving upon the basic training already provided.  For those people in the company who show interest in actively participating in the innovation program, facilitation-based training is also provided:

•  Advanced Innovation process training to employees and management
•  Idea Champion training provided

Facilities:   Dedicated Innovation/Idea Center established

• An Idea Center is established to provide for a centralized center for learning, collaboration, idea generation and inspiration
  

Idea Capture:   Ideas, regardless of source, are captured using a variety of means (personal, electronic, etc.)

• Idea capture systems are designed and managed to actively encourage ideas from every source the organization interfaces with such as employees, customers, vendors, etc.
  

Idea Management:   Idea implementation systems established

• Formalized implementation and project management systems established, resourced and funded to ensure that a certain percentage of all ideas are moved from concept to reality
  

Strategic Planning:   Innovation portfolio system established to ensure ideas are aligned to corporate strategy before implementation

• A formal portfolio management system is either established or branched off of an existing project management structure to ensure that the overall corporate strategy and the project implementation strategy are aligned
  

Metrics:   Metrics at this level are focused on driving the innovation program from the top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top of the organization:

•  Percentage of work time devoted to innovation efforts and idea generation
•  Percentage of employees with innovation-related performance goal
•  Percentage of executive's time spent on strategic innovation vs. day-to-day operations

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If you would like to see the entire Innovation Maturity Model (IM2), please click HERE.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!