Strategy and Communication for Innovation
An Integrated Perspective on Innovation in the Digital Economy
Third Edition, 2017
The third edition provides guidance for managers seeking to understand the diverse ways by which they can leverage strategic activities and communication to accelerate value creation and innovation in the digital economy. A key theme is the provision of an integrated perspective to bridge the gap between innovation management and communication management at both strategic and operational levels. It also makes an important contribution to the evolving academic domain by providing the latest insights on innovation communication.
ISBN 978-3-319-49542-2
www.springer.com
Ideas are never more valued and debated than when their realization is insufficient. So it is right now with growth and innovation. […] Reviving innovation is increasingly predicated on effective communication in many important respects.
Scope of Research
IN-DEPTH EXPERTISE
1. Innovation Dialog
Relationship View - Communication
Basis: Human CONNECTION
Connecting with individuals in communities, presenting ideas and understanding the value of information-interaction design
2. Business Innovation
Management View - Innovation
Basis: Human CULTURE
Creating open learning spaces for employees and successfully translating (business) ideas from the creative world into action
3. Strategy & Leadership
Leadership View - Strategy
Basis: Human LEADERSHIP
Leading productive teams in transition phases and effectively managing innovation communication to achieve greater impact
Re-Building Organizations
DYNAMIC CAPABILITY VIEW
The dynamic capability framework of innovation communication allows a firm to design, implement and measure the innovation communication capability. The innovation communication capability is an integrated managerial skill set considering openness, interrelation and time/timing:
Growing
Strategic Communication Management
Value: Growth - Planning, monitoring and measuring communication activities in transition phases and growth zones (learning model: comfort, growth, panic)
Openness: Realities and learning
Interrelation: Activities, actions
Time/Timing: Managing activities
Relating
Stakeholder Relationship Management
Value: Reputation & Engagement - Emotionally connecting with individuals and ideas in (non)verbal interactions in we and me-idea-level relationships
Openness: Relationships/Interactions
Interrelation: (Non)Verbal interaction
Time/Timing: Communication patterns
Knowing
Intelligent Information Management
Value: Resource Set - Discovering, sharing, and co-creating ideas (= multisensory input-output) in co-innovation and data management
Openness: Co-working & creation
Interrelation: Data and information
Time/Timing: Matching data (ideas)
Leading
Capabilities Management
Value: Leadership - Creating new visions and viewpoints as well as establishing an innovation culture in the C-suite and new generation of leaders & co-workers
Openness: Strategic views & culture
Interrelation: (Ordinary) capabilities
Time/Timing: Doing the right things
Communicating
Design Management
Value: Image & Dialog - Communicating the New in open innovation processes and using dialog tools in pitch / go-to-market situations
Openness: Open dialogs & channels
Interrelation: Lean startup tools
Time/Timing: Innovation process
Basics
Management Basics
Value: Foundation - Basic tasks related to entrepreneurship, business model innovation, digital business and communication management.
Contract management, legal
Finances, accounting, tax
Facility, travel management
The ability to innovate - i.e. successfully introduce new products and services to the market - is a key success factor that underpins the profitability and competitive advantage of firms. ... From a strategic management perspective, communication represents a critical skill needed to explore and create the diverse routes for the commercialization of ideas across functions, organizations, and industries.
The process of innovation involves at least three stages: Leveraging knowledge to generate ideas (idea creation), communicating about the adequacy of novel ideas to the top management based on the firm's strategic objectives (idea translation), and actually making innovative products and processes a reality (idea implementation).
As innovations are created in social interactions, collaborative innovation is based on communication processes. An interdisciplinary view combining communication science, social theory, and management theory helps to reflect on the communicative dimension of actions and structures constituting today's organizations and their collective efforts to innovate.
When business model innovation is the goal of top management teams, a variety of challenges are faced. Visual tools help to overcome the challenges firms face when innovating their current business model by fostering strategic change through clarifying, organizing, and uncovering relationships, dependencies, and pointing towards blue ocean strategies.
To communicate innovations successfully, it is vital to manage themes in a sychronized manner. Media relations, publications, Internet, and multimedia, marketing, and internal communication must all speak with one voice. As a result, it can make a major contribution to the company's success.
