A New Approach to Gaining Acceptance of Open Innovation
Despite the popularity of open innovation and the fact that many companies desire to embrace it, many organizations still struggle with how to gain acceptance of the concept. Fortunately there are plenty of organizations who have “been there, done that” and have insight and expertise to share. Fuentek, LLC has published a white paper outlining a unique strategy for overcoming unwillingness to accept outside sources.
The three-phased strategy is similar to that used in new product development: understand the customers and their needs, identify the solutions to their needs and then sell the solution to the customer. In this case the managers and decision makers who are required to embrace the outside ideas (the paper specifically addresses outside technologies) need to be treated as customers, having their needs and values addressed. If the technology does not meet program specifications and requirements, it will not be embraced by managers. If managers are not aware of how the technology will meet their needs, it will be difficult for them to buy-in to the change.
Limitations to the system found by researches included loss of internal champions through staff turnover and time pressures. Successful adoption was also more difficult when business was good, finding change is easier to embrace in times of crisis. The paper utilizes a case study from NASA to demonstrate the system. When the innovation office at NASA identified a new technology, they made an effort to first identify specific NASA programs that could benefit from it. Then, they used proposals and presentations to “sell” the new technology to those program leaders.
For organizations like NASA, sustainability of such an innovation approach requires that adoption occurs across multiple disciplines, departments and divisions as well as engaging employees at multiple levels from program managers to integrators. The process took patience, planning and focus but is worth the resulting time and cost savings.
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