1.
AT ENGINEERING, INNOVATION IS PART OF OUR VALUE PROPOSITION AND A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF OUR APPROACH TO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. BUILDING ON THESE TWO COORDINATES, WHAT DOES INNOVATION MEAN TO US?
For us innovation is the process that generates value starting from ideas, so for us, innovation means helping our stakeholders, and the partners we work with, to identify the real value that can be generated through innovation processes, when they are applied to their organization, their production lines, and their own range of products and services.
The objective is not only related to the economic aspect, which is obviously still central, but also to the more general improvement of the impact the company can have on the world around it, also from a social and environmental perspective.
It is therefore not simply a matter of applying technology to processes, but rather of transforming the processes themselves, sometimes radically, through the use of technology and the ability to derive maximum value from all the information at the company's disposal, in order to improve and streamline processes and make them more sustainable.
Digital transformation is not only about technology, but technology is certainly the central enabler for any path of digital transformation. In this scenario, innovation processes act as a compass that points the way in identifying the value that can be achieved for the company and for society at large.
For us innovation is the process that generates value starting from ideas, so for us, innovation means helping our stakeholders, and the partners we work with, to identify the real value that can be generated through innovation processes, when they are applied to their organization, their production lines, and their own range of products and services.
The objective is not only related to the economic aspect, which is obviously still central, but also to the more general improvement of the impact the company can have on the world around it, also from a social and environmental perspective.
It is therefore not simply a matter of applying technology to processes, but rather of transforming the processes themselves, sometimes radically, through the use of technology and the ability to derive maximum value from all the information at the company's disposal, in order to improve and streamline processes and make them more sustainable.
Digital transformation is not only about technology, but technology is certainly the central enabler for any path of digital transformation. In this scenario, innovation processes act as a compass that points the way in identifying the value that can be achieved for the company and for society at large.
2.
LAST YEAR SAW A STRONG SURGE IN DIGITISATION. IN THIS CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AND UNPREDICTABLE SITUATION, AND GIVEN THAT RESOURCES ARE NOT ENDLESS, HOW CAN INNOVATION PROCESSES BE ADDRESSED STRATEGICALLY, WHILE STILL MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE TACTICIAN?
The best way to approach an innovation process for your organisation is to do it together with others. Create an ecosystem of different players, each with their own ability to make a contribution, their own vision, their own specialisation and their own goal of achieving a concrete result in the short and medium term. You will soon realise that by viewing the same problem from different angles and approaching it in alternative ways, there may be many more solutions than we could have imagined. This method offers an excellent strategic approach because it allows you to create complete roadmaps for the development of your production chain, your range of products and services and the way they are introduced to the market, both in the short and medium term.
From a tactical point of view, however, it is necessary to build and exploit all the framework conditions that allow us to activate the innovation processes in the best possible way; this means having a productive and close-knit team of innovators, building an adequate and diversified network of partners, governing the enabling technologies and constantly monitoring trends and emerging technologies.
The best way to approach an innovation process for your organisation is to do it together with others. Create an ecosystem of different players, each with their own ability to make a contribution, their own vision, their own specialisation and their own goal of achieving a concrete result in the short and medium term. You will soon realise that by viewing the same problem from different angles and approaching it in alternative ways, there may be many more solutions than we could have imagined. This method offers an excellent strategic approach because it allows you to create complete roadmaps for the development of your production chain, your range of products and services and the way they are introduced to the market, both in the short and medium term.
From a tactical point of view, however, it is necessary to build and exploit all the framework conditions that allow us to activate the innovation processes in the best possible way; this means having a productive and close-knit team of innovators, building an adequate and diversified network of partners, governing the enabling technologies and constantly monitoring trends and emerging technologies.
3.
WHAT ARE THE 3 MAIN STEPS OF AN INNOVATION PROCESS?
The first step is to understand precisely the context in which the organisation will operate in the future, what its reference market will be like, how the competition might move, and what tools the organisation will have at its disposal later on to manage the change. Innovation processes aim to prepare companies for the future, so the first crucial step is to study what will happen.
Next, it is essential to identify the innovation goals, i.e. all those aspects that define the value to be obtained as a result of the innovation process, for one's own organisation and for all stakeholders involved in the initiative.
Finally, you will focus on identifying the right partners to involve, the data to use, the technologies to integrate and the roadmap to follow to achieve the desired result.
The first step is to understand precisely the context in which the organisation will operate in the future, what its reference market will be like, how the competition might move, and what tools the organisation will have at its disposal later on to manage the change. Innovation processes aim to prepare companies for the future, so the first crucial step is to study what will happen.
Next, it is essential to identify the innovation goals, i.e. all those aspects that define the value to be obtained as a result of the innovation process, for one's own organisation and for all stakeholders involved in the initiative.
Finally, you will focus on identifying the right partners to involve, the data to use, the technologies to integrate and the roadmap to follow to achieve the desired result.
4.
IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CHALLENGE TO CONNECT THE WORLD OF RESEARCH LABORATORIES TO THE "STREET" WHERE TECHNOLOGY HAS TO BE USED IN A MATURE WAY. WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO TACKLE THIS CHALLENGE?
Research is an extraordinary example of how one can look to the future, building technological components that are strongly geared towards emerging technologies and creating digital platforms that can anticipate strategies and business models, which can then be appreciated by the market.
These components, together with our deep knowledge of enabling technologies and our scrupulous observation of emerging technologies and future trends, form the building blocks with which our initiatives for innovation are designed and implemented.
When end-users are also involved in research projects, these initiatives often turn naturally into real innovation processes, in which concrete results are achieved by enhancing the development of business models and the technologies involved.
Research is an extraordinary example of how one can look to the future, building technological components that are strongly geared towards emerging technologies and creating digital platforms that can anticipate strategies and business models, which can then be appreciated by the market.
These components, together with our deep knowledge of enabling technologies and our scrupulous observation of emerging technologies and future trends, form the building blocks with which our initiatives for innovation are designed and implemented.
When end-users are also involved in research projects, these initiatives often turn naturally into real innovation processes, in which concrete results are achieved by enhancing the development of business models and the technologies involved.
5.
ALSO BECAUSE OF COVID, WE ARE CURRENTLY WITNESSING THE DISINTEGRATION OF SILOS AND THE OVERCOMING OF BARRIERS BETWEEN DIFFERENT MARKETS AND SECTORS. HOW CAN INNOVATION PROCESSES SUPPORT AND ACCELERATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL ECOSYSTEMS THAT ENABLE PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT SKILLS TO CONNECT?
One of the positive side effects of activating innovation processes within one's own organisation is that many organisational barriers are overcome. Firstly, this happens because among the components used to trigger new innovation initiatives there is a tendency to survey, organise and make the best use of innovation experiences carried out by other corporate structures. Secondly, triggering several innovation processes within large organisations produces the cross-identification of objectives that can be achieved by banking on the experiences that others in the same organisation have already tackled and solved for other purposes.
The final result will be not only the outcome of the individual innovation processes, but also a new network of connections, on technological and business issues, that will make it possible to shorten distances and achieve efficiency on investments already made in technologies and skills.
By moving this level of collaboration outside one's own organisation, and by involving also external partners, customers, suppliers and research groups, we are able to trigger real innovation ecosystems that can greatly enhance the quality of the process and generate a higher value than expected.
One of the positive side effects of activating innovation processes within one's own organisation is that many organisational barriers are overcome. Firstly, this happens because among the components used to trigger new innovation initiatives there is a tendency to survey, organise and make the best use of innovation experiences carried out by other corporate structures. Secondly, triggering several innovation processes within large organisations produces the cross-identification of objectives that can be achieved by banking on the experiences that others in the same organisation have already tackled and solved for other purposes.
The final result will be not only the outcome of the individual innovation processes, but also a new network of connections, on technological and business issues, that will make it possible to shorten distances and achieve efficiency on investments already made in technologies and skills.
By moving this level of collaboration outside one's own organisation, and by involving also external partners, customers, suppliers and research groups, we are able to trigger real innovation ecosystems that can greatly enhance the quality of the process and generate a higher value than expected.
Massimo Canducci
With over 25 years of experience in Innovation and Digital Transformation fields (including Research and Management Consulting positions) Massimo currently leads an internal team of over 300 innovators, used to spread innovation, to gather needs from all levels of the organization and to bring innovation activities to the market.
Massimo is also a University and EMBA Professor, a public speaker and is an international selected expert for Innovation Management at ISO level.
He is also one of the authors of the "Engineering Innovation" White Paper.
Massimo is also a University and EMBA Professor, a public speaker and is an international selected expert for Innovation Management at ISO level.
He is also one of the authors of the "Engineering Innovation" White Paper.
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Tel. (+39) 06-87591