Author Archives: Michael Soerensen
This is the third of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘What is the role of social media in innovation? (Either inside or outside the organization)’. Here is the next perspective in the series:by Michael SoerensenUse the power of the Social Media “teens” in your organization!Everybody is struggling with innovation collaboration – especially how to make employees, customers, etc. chip in… One way of bypassing this for good, is to identify the savvy social media experts within your company, and equip them with tools for innovation and ideation. And you don’t need to search for long – just call your Human Resource (HR) department and get a list of employees under 30 years of age, and you will have instant access to specialists brought up on facebook, messenger, linkedin, myspace, etc.!This group knows what works – and what doesn’t … Continue reading
This is the sixth of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on ‘How should firms develop the organizational structure, culture, and incentives (e.g., for teams) to encourage successful innovation?’. Here is the next perspective in the series:by Michael SoerensenChallenge your specialists, to help you develop an innovative culture!After you have checkmarked all the essentials of getting your company to focus on innovation – tools, workshops, gurus, funding, and management buy in – you are now faced with the biggest challenge:How to develop and maintain it!?First, try to SWOT what you need to succeed – HR competencies, communication, internal marketing, ROI methods, nifty design, IT…Why start doing this halfhearted, when you already know that you don’t possess these skills?Many innovative efforts – even with the largest funding and management buy in – have failed because these key elements were not done … Continue reading
This is the sixth of several ‘Innovation Perspectives’ articles we will publish this week from multiple authors to get different perspectives on “Where should innovation reside?” Here is the next perspective in the series:by Michael SoerensenTo define “ownership” or management of innovation within a company, it’s vital to start out by looking at the organisational side of it. You need a strong innovation organisation in order to spur and cultivate innovation throughout the company – and you need to move away from the ivory tower strategy, where the few decides for the many.You are not “born” into the innovation organisation on your job title – but on your capabilities to be an ambassador enabled to optimize the innovative thinking of your colleagues! So, how do we identify these ambassadors? The first move is to grant ownership of innovation to everyone! Management needs to stress that ongoing innovation is vital, and … Continue reading
