Network & Collaborating Effects | Paul4innovating Innovation Views

Lets change the old record and sound on innovation

The old record and sound of Innovation certainly needs changing.

Recently I have been reading about how innovation management needs to get back to basics or how it needs to be given a fresh lick of paint in professional certification, revised and updated university training programs or short courses.

For twenty years, since I have been working in the innovation space, we have constantly complained about so many different aspects of innovation failure and offered solutions to why innovation management still seemingly fails to deliver on its promise to build new growth inside our organisations. Offering innovation advice is a big industry to consult and teach in.

Innovation had a major new lease of life when the concept of “open innovation” promoted in particular by Henry Chesbrough, adjunct professor and faculty director of the Center for Open Innovation of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, and Maire Tecnimont Chair of Open Innovation at Luiss.

This concept took hold of where innovation had been constrained, in the R&D labs of organizations obsessed with secrecy and their siloed mentalities of hanging on to their “worth” of traditional corporate research labs (source Wikipedia)

The recognition that open innovation is not solely firm-centric changed how we looked at innovation management. The problem, for me, was that we did not adapt it or push its potential boundaries as hard as we could with all the technological advancements.

We kept innovation management locked into a 20th-century paradigm and I believe we must break the “chains” and make a significant shift in our innovation thinking, into innovation and business ecosystems

So briefly the value of this shift to Ecosystem thinking and design

I would like to summarize the salient points of Innovation Ecosystems and their value over existing or presently accepted approaches to Innovation.

Innovation Ecosystems represent a transformative approach to innovation that offers significant advantages over traditional methods. Here’s a summary of the key points and their value:

Core Concepts of Innovation Ecosystems

° Innovation Ecosystems are dynamic, interconnected communities of diverse stakeholders collaborating to accelerate innovation. They are built on four fundamental and dynamic threads:

° Greater Value Creation: Ecosystems generate multifaceted value, impacting not just finances but also society and the environment

° Extending Knowledge Transfer: The free flow of information and ideas across various entities nurtures creativity and progress

° More Co-creation potential: Diverse actors collaborate to weave innovative solutions, fostering a culture of collective genius

° Improve Competitive Positioning: Participants must strategically adapt and form partnerships to thrive in this dynamic environment.

So what gives these advantages Over Traditional Approaches

Innovation Ecosystems offer several benefits compared to conventional innovation models:

+ Broader Resource Access: Participants gain access to a wider range of expertise, technologies, and customer insights

+Enhanced Collaboration: The ecosystem fosters increased opportunities for co-creation and cross-pollination of ideas

+ Improved Scalability and Speed: Leveraging collective resources allows for faster scaling and market entry

+ Greater Flexibility: Multiple perspectives enable quicker adaptation to market changes and customer needs

+ Sustainability Focus: Ecosystems are better positioned to design more sustainable and socially responsible solutions

The need is to take and advance Key Strategies for Implementation

To effectively leverage Innovation Ecosystems, organizations should:

–Extend Collaborative Ideation: Look beyond existing boundaries for external perspectives and insights

-Launch Open Innovation Challenges: Invite external contributors to solve specific business problems

–Form Strategic Partnerships: Collaborate with diverse entities like startups, research institutions, and industry experts

-Integrate External Technologies: Actively scout and incorporate cutting-edge innovations from outside the organization

-Facilitate Cross-Industry Collaboration: Explore innovative solutions through partnerships across different sectors

-Engage in Co-Creation: Involve customers and end-users directly in the development process

Establishing the Value Proposition of shifting towards an Innovation Ecosystem

The shift towards Innovation Ecosystems offers:

*Expanded Innovation Horizons: Access to a broader range of ideas and potential for breakthrough innovations

*Accelerated Time-to-Market: Faster development and commercialization of new products and services

*Enhanced Competitiveness: Staying ahead in the market by tapping into collective intelligence and industry trends

*Increased Adaptability: Better equipped to navigate uncertainties in a rapidly changing business environment

*Synergistic Collaborations: Integration of efforts leads to outcomes greater than the sum of individual contributions

By embracing Innovation Ecosystems, organizations can foster a more open, collaborative approach to innovation that is better suited to address the complexities and challenges of the modern business landscape

Can we move beyond the appeal of going back to basics, focusing on single-entity innovation building and expanding our thinking into the connected world we live in today? We live in the age of connected ecosystems, lets recognize this and embrace innovative ecosystem designs and thinking.

Dynamic Ecosystems become the Core of our innovating activity.

Dynamics- The core of Business Ecosystems

Recognizing the value and potential to the Integrated Ecosystem Design

The concept of having an integrated business ecosystem is central to the future growth and value businesses can provide. Yet, these have to be seen as highly collaborative, where mutual co-creation through networks of partners join forces to overcome more complex and challenging problems we seem to be facing today.

The single organization is unlikely to bring the depth of knowledge, diversity and access in resource and market realization. We need to learn to work in collaborative Ecosystems.

Buttons and Threads: A Modern Ecosystem Perspective

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the “buttons and threads” concept perhaps is a powerful metaphor for understanding and designing interconnected business ecosystems.

This updated perspective integrates technological advancements and business practices to illustrate how organizations can thrive in a network-centric world.

I was first introduced to the “Buttons & Threads” concept while working within one alliance I had in consulting while living in Singapore back in 2003. This concept was envisaged, in my view, before its time and ability to deliver due to the constraints of not having technology sufficiently capable and developed to be scaled and connected up, to fully gain the value that this concept offered from an Ecosystem perspective.

Entrepreneurial or Start Up Ecosystems need to be added into the Integrated Business Ecosystem Frame

Shaping Innovation through Entrepreneurial and Start-up Ecosystems

By including Start-up and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems into the Interconnected Business Framework, it becomes more comprehensive and reflective of the full spectrum of business activities. It can enable how ideas flow from innovation through entrepreneurship and into established business practices, and how larger businesses can engage with and benefit from entrepreneurial energy.

This inclusive approach would make the framework more robust and applicable across a wider range of organizations and scenarios, from nascent start-ups to multinational corporations, while still allowing for specific focus on entrepreneurial challenges when needed.

Entrepreneurial or Start-up Ecosystems: Let me explain the role is in supporting startups and new ventures, driving economic growth and innovation. it has its own unique characteristics and focus.

Extending out the Interconnected Business Ecosystem as necessary.

The Interconnected Business Ecosystem Framework is a pioneering and holistic approach that redefines how organizations create value, drive innovation, and achieve long-term success in an increasingly complex and dynamic business environment.

By seamlessly integrating interdependent ecosystem layers this framework unlocks a transformative paradigm that transcends traditional boundaries and silos, creating a virtuous cycle of value creation, resilience, and adaptability to secure an enduring competitive advantage in today’s dynamic business landscape.

Recognizing the Dynamics are becoming increasingly the core

Like any ecosystem this interconnected business ecosystem framework is dynamic, it is constantly evolving through greater insights, research and pioneering.

Initially I focused on framing this around four ecosystems: innovation, business, dynamic and enterprise as interdependent ecosystems.

In the past few months I have been questioning this and believe the interplay was lacking in recognition that other ecosystems were coming into play.

Where does open collaboration figure at the top of the CEO’s thinking today?

Open up your CEO’s innovating thinking to make the jump

Innovation must rely increasingly on interconnected organizations organized around a central focal point of value and impact. An ecosystem design should be in thought and design so that organizations can act differently on strategies, business models, leadership, and customer engagement to build new value and worth.

If we fail to recognize that innovation is vital to our business, to sustain it, and to enable it to grow, we eventually die. Today, more than ever, it is becoming an evolving collective endeavour. Increasingly, we are faced with growing complexities and challenges to resolve.

We need to foster collaboration between individuals, organizations, and institutions, creating a symphony of ideas that resonate far beyond the boundaries of any single actor.

Actively shaping the innovation future with Dynamism and Knowledge

Dynamics and Knowledge are essential to your future

Dynamism and knowledge insights are crucial to unlocking and stimulating new ideas or thinking. It is all about actively shaping thoughts or insights to navigate the changing terrain.

We do need to actively navigate the rapidly changing business landscape in multiple ways it is not just about reacting to external forces. It’s about proactively shaping the direction and actively participating in the evolution of your industry, your positioning and your own insights.

In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, the ability to build a strong case, stay informed, and think critically is the key to unlocking success and driving innovation.

Is Innovation evolving in the way I see it going?

Innovation is evolving, the future will be different

I have been asking Google’s Gemini a series of questions about innovation, how it has evolved in the past twenty-five years, and where it seems to be heading.

This is the third and final part of my questioning on looking towards the future and how innovation will evolve, starting from the original thread of looking over the evolution of innovation in the past twenty-five years, since 1999.

This post is about what has evolved and then what will evolve. There is a very different innovation pathway ahead of us, and then I touch upon a vastly different future at the end of this post.

Innovation will evolve very differently, linked tightly to the organization’s future design, no more cutting it loose, housed separately or outside the core.

Pitching Business Ecosystems opens up the possibility of real change.

Designing the Business Ecosystem Approach

I have been looking at different ways to pitch Business Ecosystems recently for some evolving and hopefully sustaining work.

You can “pitch” to clients in several different ways. Some know their problems, while others don’t recognize them until they are prompted or confronted. If you have a tried and tested way to solve problems, you can become a little blocked from considering something that looks on the surface as radically different, but underneath might be the pathway (to salvation) for new sustaining solutions.

Pitching business ecosystems has to gain attention and be seen as a (radically) different way to tackle growing complex and challenging business problems. The problem for many is that it does “confront” them in considering the multiple layers of what this might mean regarding changes in mindset, organization thinking, and design, rethinking trust by opening up to others outside your existing network and adapting to a new way of design and thinking.

I will tackle different approaches over several posts, but first, let’s look at organizational strategies and the distinct advantages Business Ecosystems can have compared to the more traditional ways of tackling challenges today.

Should we step into the realm of Business Ecosystem Collaborations?

Exploring Complexities of Business Ecosystem Collaborations

Why should “we” step into the realm of ecosystem collaborations? What does one organization give away and has to overcome in constraints and organizational barriers that form part of those lingering concerns regarding embracing Business Ecosystems?

The question always starts with “do I not give away more than I have as an individual entity?” What would make this attractive is overcoming many of the unknowns. It is hard to know the cost/return/risks and value when you begin this journey. Do you give away intellectual property or gain more from collaborations?

Still, you have to contain the change and disruption by recognizing these unknowns are offset by the many immeasurable benefits that arise as you explore and exploit the collaborative benefits and scope and scale potentials.

“Would it make my organization a market challenger, provide first mover advantage? How would I contain the step process, and how would I see this taking shape?”

You do need to provide a compelling case that addresses these concerns.

I offer here many distinct aspects and strategic advantages. Collaborations are challenging but exciting and potentially rewarding, but they radically differ in how you conduct business. They are complex.

Business ecosystems give strategic advantages that offer levels of uniqueness and competitive advantage and can fulfil customer needs far more than “stand-alone” solutions.

Business Collaborations are needed more today due to growing complexities and challenges requiring a radically different unlocking method. The validation for such a radical change in operating this requires working through systematically. Let’s offer some of these here.