Planning and Building Innovation Ecosystems

• Which initiatives and programs aimed at innovation or digitization are already in place?

Instead of implementing something from scratch, it can be easier to use established programs as a stepping stone. Digital extensions for initiatives that have only been carried out in offline formats are often good starting points. Why not expand existing accelerator, startup, or intrapreneurship initiatives?

• Who is responsible for these initiatives and programs? And what are the goals in the long run?

Supporting and strengthening existing initiatives with new methods and technologies is an excellent way to demonstrate the benefits of the new strategy. In this way, those already involved in innovation initiatives can be convinced and integrated at an early stage. Their perspectives and experiences can help gather knowledge about the actual requirements or uncover critical weak points.

• Which tools and solutions for innovation initiatives are already used?

The conventional approaches and tools determine how employees think and implement their projects. However, the point is not necessarily to replace existing solutions, but to create new connections between them or align everything with a central hub. In contrast, a complete realignment is very complex and lengthy.

• What types of data and information are already collected and used?

The quality and quantity of added value can often be increased by connecting existing information sources or facilitating access to them. This is particularly the case if the available data’s value and innovation potential have not yet been recognized. As a result, the interfaces required for this are still missing.

• What is the long-term roadmap for expanding the ecosystem and involving additional stakeholders or data?

Ideally, the roadmap indicates which projects are planned and how the various initiatives and stakeholders in the ecosystem can be connected. It is best to start with one or two clearly defined use cases or stakeholder groups. It should always be clear which expansion stages will follow next.

• Who needs to be involved right from the start to ensure successful setup and operation?

A failed or faulty transition from strategic planning to actual implementation can cause many problems, especially in large-scale innovation ecosystems. Therefore, the people responsible for implementation should be involved as early as possible and impact the specific design at the operational level.

• Which innovations or initiatives does the ecosystem promote, and which departments in the company are needed for this?

If collaboration across departments and companies is possible, previously separate locations can now work together on innovative ideas and projects. This creates completely new ways of working and processes. The structure of an innovation ecosystem must take these developments into account and be able to react flexibly to changes.

• How can results and success stories be made visible?

It is important to raise awareness within the company of the positive effects of the ecosystem and the successes achieved. You don’t need detailed reports and figures for this. Interesting interim results, personal stories, or experience reports also help make the teams’ work visible and motivate other employees.

• What does “end-to-end” mean for a company’s innovation ecosystem?

Operating innovation “end-to-end” means dealing with consistent and seamless processes along the value chain. Many different stakeholders are active at other points in a networked innovation ecosystem. This is invaluable for innovation. Therefore, you should consider which direction you want to expand yourself and which areas you leave to other stakeholders in the ecosystem.