Many companies approach innovation as a one-off project, either to solve an old problem or to diversify their initiatives. While this can lead in best cases to an MVP, it often stops there, failing to make a real impact.

Why? Because successful innovation requires long-term commitment and a tailored implementation approach, distinct from traditional business practices.

One of my automotive clients faced this challenge.

After years of innovation efforts with limited payoff, their leadership team decided to take a step back and rethink their approach. They wanted to understand what innovation should mean for their organization and how to build a system that could deliver measurable results.

We began with an onboarding workshop for the leadership team to establish a shared understanding of innovation. Together, we reflected on past initiatives, identified what worked and what didn’t, and defined what they wanted to achieve moving forward.

In the 2nd workshop, we explored various innovation governance models and frameworks, selecting one that fit their needs. The result was a first version of a governance system aiming to enable fast decision-making, clear success metrics, and effective communication with the board.

The 3rd workshop focused on creating a first innovation thesis, selecting initial initiatives, and assigning sponsors and multidisciplinary teams to each project.

Each initiative was guided by a dedicated innovation framework, ensuring progress while enabling decisions to pivot, pursue, or kill projects as needed. We also implemented a "learning from intelligent failures" system to encourage experimentation and avoid wasting resources on unpromising ideas.

These workshops gave the leadership team a common vision, aligned their innovation efforts with strategic goals, and set a foundation for a flexible, evolving system. While no approach guarantees instant success, this structured method positioned the company to build a sustainable innovation system that could integrate seamlessly into their business.

Curious how this approach could transform innovation in your organization?
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