No! For Horizon 3 innovations, innovations far from the core business, I believe that a separate, dedicated innovation team is the most appropriate construction. “Separate” meaning operating independently from the current business teams. This team can be compiled with inside and/or outside employees to focus on disruptive innovations, without being distracted and held back by the short term priorities of typical business teams. I described an example of this in an earlier blog. For Horizon 1 and 2 innovations, it’s a bit of a different story: innovators should be as closely linked to the core business teams as possible. Here, I believe that every employee should be invited to come…
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Failure story
Serialization Counterfeited medicines are a dangerous problem. To help deal with this, a new technology, serialization, can now be applied. It looks like a QR code (see picture above), but contains unique information for each individual package it is printed on. A special reader can scan this serialization code and read the specific data linked to that package like the lot number, the package number, the expiration date, etc. No two packages have the same serialization code, so a counterfeited product can easily be identified. Several regulatory agencies across the globe started requiring Pharma companies to print serialization codes on the packaging of their medicines. Adding serialization codes to every…
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Starting from scratch
How to initiate an innovation program in a large corporation You just got the green light: you’re assigned as the first global Innovation Leader ever in your company. Congratulations! What now? Three recommendations, based on my learnings. Focus on a problem. DO. Make sure your leadership provides you with a clear objective: one (or a few) very specific challenges for which they need innovative solutions. The more specific the challenge, the better; the fewer the number of challenges, the better. Make sure all leaders and middle managers buy-in into this objective. Certainly limit the number of problems you focus on in the beginning of your journey as Innovation Leader: when…
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Breaking through silos
Attack on multiple fronts As discussed in my earlier blog, strong silos don’t have to inhibit internal innovation. Innovation can be facilitated across them. Sometimes, a silo can play the role of a vendor (for free). How can Innovation Leaders help innovators break through silos? How can they help innovators find collaborators in another silo? How can they help overcome barriers to collaboration across silos? Following are a few of my experiences in stimulating collaboration between the commercial and the manufacturing silos. I’m selecting manufacturing as many innovators in the “commercial silo” wanted to experiment with innovations that included packaging and supply chain elements. Networking. Asking several manufacturing colleagues if…