Managing Automation - October 2007 - (Page 38)

[ SPECIAL REPORT] ideasma poll INFORMAL CUSTOMER ASSESSMENTS DRIVE IDEAS 1 Do customer insights and unmet needs drive innovation efforts? 56.7% 9.6% 33.7% 2 Do you use anthropological, ethnographic, or other customer research to discover unmet needs? 13.2% 39.2% 47.6% whether such a set of metrics actually exists in their organizations (Chart 4). “The results of the sur vey demonstrate that organizations need to shift from intention to action,” says Lisa Bodell, chief executive of futurethink. “To be successful, innovation should go beyond the boardroom and become part of everyone’s job. Otherwise, innovation efforts can start with a bang and end with a whimper.” Asked about how effectively they generate new ideas — the raw material for innovation — and much the same picture emerges. Nearly 57% of survey respondents said they are in close touch with their customers’ needs and wants, but, when probed, only 13.2% said they use any kind of anthropological, ethnographic, or other customer research to actually determine what those needs are (Charts 1 and 2). SILVER LINING Despite the contradictions seen throughout the sur vey results, some positive signs emerge. One of the most important observations is that the notion of innovation itself is clearly on the active-duty lists of most companies. Manufacturers are brainstorming, trying to anticipate opportunities and trends, and attempting to leverage intellectual capital throughout their workforces. When asked about brainstorming sessions in their companies, for example, 53.7% said they felt strongly that these sessions have clear objectives and result in a pool of interesting ideas. Likewise, just over 58% of those taking the survey said that innovative ideas are percolating at all levels, regions, and divisions of their companies (Chart 7). The problem, though, is how all of this intellectual activity is translated and used. The big issue around innovation processes and outcomes emerged loud and clear when respondents were queried about whether people in their companies are all on the same page about innovation. When asked whether ever yone in their organizations held the same viewpoint about what innovation means for their business, only 23% said they could strongly agree with that statement. A somewhat higher percentage, 31.7%, were firm in the belief that there is no consensus on innovation’s business value in their companies, while 45% simply didn’t know. Yet, nearly half of respondents said that business performance is tied to innovation. Interestingly, too, less than a majority — 46.1% — Strongly Agree = Strongly Disagree = Neither Agree/Disagree = ma strategy poll INNOVATION SEEN AS KEY BUT NOT WELL-MEASURED 3 Has innovation been identified as one of the key strategic objectives for your company? Strongly Disagree 12.1% Strongly Agree 59.8% Neither Agree/Disagree 28.1% 4 Have you put in place a core set of metrics to determine the effectiveness of innovation efforts? Strongly Agree 30.3% Strongly Disagree 29.5% Neither Agree/Disagree 40.2% Graphs source: Managing Automation/futurethink Graph percentages may have been rounded and may not equal 100%. ma 38 2007 October

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Managing Automation - October 2007

Contents Take 1 Mailbox New Selling and Fulfillment Product Leads Plan to Transform Sterling Commerce Comtrol Closes Bizarre Chapter Involving Founder New Omron COO Outlines Four-Part Growth Agenda New Mfg. ‘Czar’ Will Have a Full Plate of Issues Lawson Embraces The Trend of Fewer Upgrades Notes Wanted: A Unified Infrastructure Needed: Greater Reliability Special Report: Innovation: Why Are So Many Coming Up Short? Transforamation: Beating the Odds in Global Supply Industries: Metals: Tracking Carbon Footprints Product Scan Advertiser Index Next

Managing Automation - October 2007

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