Structure

SWAT !

Sparks to fire up your innovation combustion

This coaching session discusses how to provide innovators with complementary expertise.

Starring: Inna (Innovation Leader in a large Pharma corporation) and Wim (coach for Innovation Leaders). [Transcription far below]

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Are you looking for a personal innovation coach?

Do you want a soundboard, a sparring partner?

  • Do you want to run an idea by a passionate outsider?
  • Did you just start an innovation program or want to improve it?
  • Do you need practical ideas to stimulate innovation?
  • Do you want tips on how to manage an innovation portfolio?

If yes, I’m ready to help you!

  • I believe in KISS: Keeping Innovation Super Simple. High focus on passion, low focus on processes.
  • I have coached more than 50 innovation leaders across the globe in Pharma/healthcare.
  • I work as independent coach: per hour or as long as you consider valuable.
  • You can reach me (Wim Vandenhouweele) at wimvand@outlook.com

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Transcript:

Inna:

⁃ Hi Wim, Some of my colleagues miss the practical expertise to exercise their theoretic innovative idea. How can I help them?

Wim:

⁃ Sure. Can you give me an example?

Inna:

⁃ A marketer wants to try out an idea that involves a certain technology he is familiar with. However, he does not have the practical experience of applying it.

Wim:

⁃ I see. I faced a similar challenge when I was Innovation Leader. To address this, I had created a group of global experts, which I called the SWAT team. These were colleagues who were experts in key fields that I had identified as typically needed by innovators. The team included experts in IT, compliance, supply chain, innovation concepts, medical affairs, etc. The members of this SWAT team had a collaborative, can-do, innovation mindset. They were supported by their management to help, ad hoc, innovators across the globe when needed. They just waited for my request to connect with the local innovator. This connection could be a virtual consult or the expert could travel to help the innovator locally.

Inna:

⁃ Interesting. What was the challenge you had faced?

Wim:

⁃ There were several. Let me share one from Australia. The team there had a challenge to increase access, affordability, for a cancer medicine. The local innovator, someone in manufacturing, had an idea. She wanted to make a change in the distribution process, with would reduce the total product cost. These savings would be passed on to the payor, who could then treat more patients for the same budget. The problem was that the change in the distribution process also created a change in the payment process. There were several complex legal and compliance implications that created a roadblock to implement the innovative solution. This is where the local innovator asked for my help. In my SWAT team, I had a global finance expert. I connected him with the team in Australia. He helped them to solve this challenge, which allowed the local team to experiment with their innovative idea. So, the SWAT team concept had worked!

Inna:

⁃ Thanks! 1. Create a SWAT team 2. Activate when needed

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Passionate about stimulating innovation within a large corporation. 35 years of global (Pharma) marketing and innovation experience.