The Innovation Manager's Playbook is * NOW AVAILABLE * to the general public via Lulu Publishing!!!

With the recent release of The Innovation Manager's Playbook, we are exploring the three main categories of "plays" (Defense, Offense and Special Teams) across a series of blog postings.

To recap, The Innovation Manager's Playbook is a collection of tools, techniques, templates, processes and systems ("plays") designed to more effectively and efficiently lead and manage your innovation management portfolio.


Two weeks ago, we walked through the key Defensive play sets :

• Current State Assessments
• Capabilities Audits
• Innovation Management Maturity Scoring
• Problem/Opportunity Identification and Selection
• Strategy/Scenario Planning

Last week, we looked at the key Offensive play sets :

• Idea Management Process Flow
• Innovation Management Development and Process Flow
• Project & Portfolio Management Process Flow

Today, we will take a look at the final series of key play sets...those on "Special Teams."

In American football, the special teams players are the experts of transition.  Special teams are unique in that they can serve as offensive or defensive units and that they are only seen sporadically throughout a game.  Because these aspects of the game can be so different from general offensive and defensive play, a specific group of players is drilled in executing them. Though fewer points are scored on special teams than on offense, special teams play determines where the offense will begin each drive, and thus it has a dramatic impact on how easy or difficult it is for the offense to score.

From an innovation management standpoint, special teams are people and concepts specifically designed for the sole purpose of managing and leading innovation within an organization:

• Innovation Center of Excellence Concept
• Resourcing for Innovation
• Organizational Change Management

You can order your own copy of The Innovation Manager's Playbook TODAY by visiting the publisher, Lulu Publishing.  Using this method, you will receive the book directly from the publisher in its intended format, a spiral-bound playbook style rather than the normal paperback bound version that will be made available soon on Amazon.com.  You will also have the opportunity to download a PDF version for your eReader, if that is your preferred method of reading.