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SHAPE A NEW FUTURE
Innovation isn’t just having a few bright ideas; it’s about creating value and helping organizations continuously adapt and evolve. In 2019, ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) developed a new series of International Standards on innovation management. ISO is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies), and the work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees.
Innovation is an increasingly important contributor to the success of an organization, enhancing its ability to adapt in a changing world. Novel and innovative ideas give rise to better ways of working, as well as new solutions for generating revenue and improving sustainability. It is closely linked to the resilience of an organization, in that it helps the company understand and respond to challenging contexts, seize opportunities that innovation might bring, and leverage the creativity of both its own people and those it deals with.
Ultimately, big ideas and new inventions are often the result of a long series of little thoughts and changes, all captured and directed in the most effective way. One of the most efficient ways of doing just that is through implementing an innovation management system.
An innovation management system provides a systemic approach to integrate innovation into all the layers of an organization in order to seize and create opportunities for the development of new solutions, systems, products, and services. According to the official webpage of ISO, the first International Standard for such systems has just been published:
ISO 56002, Innovation management — Innovation management system — Guidance, covers all aspects of innovation management, from how to generate those first sparks of an idea to selling something new in the marketplace. It considers the context that an organization is working in, the culture, strategy, processes, and impact. It crosses many types of activities including products and services, business models, organizational innovation, and more, and is applicable to all types of organization, regardless of size or type.
Alice de Casanove, Chair of the ISO technical committee who developed the standard, says ISO 56002 will help organizations increase business opportunities and their performance in a multitude of ways:
“Every organization that wants to master their future needs to incorporate some aspects of innovation management. That is, they need to evolve and adapt to keep up with market and societal trends,” she says.
“The challenge is to identify what will give them the competitive edge and create value for the future, and thus which strategic actions to take. By providing guidance on how to best capture their ideas, test them effectively, and manage the risks and opportunities associated, ISO 56002 can help organizations create new value propositions and maximize their potential in a structured way.”
ISO 56002 can also help to instil a culture of innovation in an organization, adds de Casanove, thereby harnessing the creativity and motivation of every member of the organization and ultimately improving the company’s collaboration, communication, and performance.
