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Innovation Solutions

Intellectual Property (IP) Protection is the biggest obstacle to an effective, sustained open innovation initiative. IP protection is complicated because both the company and potential contributors have developed concepts and systems, and sharing them brings risks unless tools are in place to protect it. The challenge is to balance these competing IP needs to assure a continual flow of quality submissions. Ezassi has IP protection built into our robust Idea & Open Innovation Management Solution, allowing organizations to confidently maximize the benefits of an OI system.   The Need for IP Protection for Open Innovation Intellectual Property protection is necessary to Open Innovation for three reasons:   Trust. Open Innovation requires the development of a symbiotic relationship between the Corporation and its contributors. For this to occur, there must be trust between the parties that their IP will not be exploited by the other. An effective IP protection establishes the trust environment.   Reputation. Companies must have...

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FEI Boston Recap

FEI Boston - An Event Grounded in Remarkable People   There were over 500 people at FEI Boston 2017. I’ve been attending and speaking at FEI the last five years and noticed that this year’s attendees were from more diverse areas of responsibility.  For those who did attend you can access the presentations on line at:   Login to FEI Connect Click on the 'Presentation' tab   FEI Boston Highlights   In the next couple of weeks you will receive a link to the FEI Executive Summary. This will include key takeaways, summaries and highlights from the keynote sessions, as well as select track sessions. The goal of the executive summary is to ensure the insights you gathered at the event stay top of mind — and make them easy to distribute to your teams back at the office.   My personal favorite was hearing from Clayton Christensen around the job to be done. Having been in Innovation for...

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open innovation corporate culture

People are territorial by nature, protective of their homes, job duties, and relationships. We don’t like others infringing on areas we have claimed as our own. Companies are organizations of people working toward a common goal. As a human endeavor, the corporation’s culture embodies human traits including a suspicion of outsiders and fierce protectionism of its entrenched systems. Unfortunately, these typical business characteristics inhibit the organization achieving true open innovation.   The Open Innovation/Traditional Corporate Culture Clash Traditional business culture is founded on specific beliefs:   No one can do it better than we can. Everyone has a job and job title and need to stay within their roles. Data silos organize information and protect sensitive information. With few exceptions, how we’ve always done it is just fine so why change it. Our processes are secrets to be protected from outsiders. Innovation and market response is important, but it’s more important that we control...

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Pharmaceutical Accelerate Innovation with Software Technology   First, A Look at Deloitte's US Life Sciences Outlook Report   Deloitte released the 2017 US Life Sciences Outlook and the report discusses some very important points for the pharmaceutical sector to consider. It’s a great report and one worth reading. Let’s compound this with a few other events occurring in this space: The healthcare bill on the senate floor that’s yet to be determined. The more informed consumers that think nothing of taking to social media to complain about the cost of care and drug prices. The press and evening news reporting immediately on the fallout from social media and drug prices. High deductible plans continue to trend upwards which equates to more consumers paying more out of their wallet for healthcare. And then there's Amazon...

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Innovation Through Competition: Effective Innovation Systems Encourage Ideation Whether the focus is on product development, service delivery, customer satisfaction, or market share capture, competition drives a company to improve its performance. Taking this to the next level, effective competitive systems encourage outstanding innovation, by allowing the best and brightest to tackle an organization’s biggest challenges. Internal Competitions Creating an internal competition is an excellent way to motivate your workforce to develop innovative solutions and new business opportunities. The most common structure is to form teams which compete to develop concepts, often working with mentors who provide guidance as needed. The teams present their projects to a panel of judges who select the best innovations for implementation. This process has the advantages of: Encouraging teamwork; Demonstrating trust in internal expertise; and Developing pathways for employees to participate in innovation regardless of job title or department. The significant downside of this process is that it keeps...

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Enterprise level innovation is the practice of looking beyond the organization’s R&D systems and past its discrete departments, to connect with global collaborators and improve business agility. This practice harnesses the benefits of open innovation to achieve specific enterprise-level goals. Why Enterprise Level Innovation (ELI) Matters The lifespan of large, successful companies is shrinking, and this trend is expected to continue. In 1965, the corporate lifespan of those listed on the S&P 500 was 33 years. By 1990, it shrank to 20 years, and it’s expected to drop to 14 years by 2026. Some of this change is due to mergers and bankruptcies, but a leading cause is market disrupters and innovators. This is a stark reminder of a simple truth: A company will not enjoy longevity in the marketplace without reinventing itself. The reason most businesses fail at this process is that they are not built for delivery or business agility,...

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Open innovation allows organizations to harness the creative efforts of others, both across the globe and in the office down the hall. The OI process is one that inspires and engages creative thinkers and transforms them into collaborators. While many corporations are establishing OI programs, not all find success. We offer these dos and don’ts as guideposts, avoiding common pitfalls and finding the path to effective OI. DO: Set Goals. Know why you are establishing an OI program and what you want to achieve. Define the problems you want to solve or advancements you want to realize and develop an OI program that supports these goals. Invest in Creativity. Break down internal organizational silos, including job descriptions and departments, and allow meaningful contribution to your projects, regardless of their source. Follow those same principles and engage outside collaborators by looking at the value of the information received rather than who contributed...

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The goal of open innovation is to allow organizations to collaborate with external resources to advance their technologies. Through OI, companies can efficiently address product or system needs and increase responsiveness to marketplace demands. Successful utilization of OI includes four essential steps and the right tool to manage them.   Crowdsourcing The first step is connecting with external resources to gather and evaluate ideas. You need a strong cyber scouting tool that challenges and engage your target collaborators as well as filters ideas to assure the best concepts are captured. This system should also provide intellectual property protection for both the organizations and the external collaborators.   Innovation Integration Organizations must have a system to take select ideas and integrate them into their system. This step is critical to achieving the full benefit of OI, and is one that is the most likely stumbling block. While some companies embrace the concept of OI, they are hesitant...

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Open Innovation is grounded in the belief that great ideas can come from any source and an organization’s internal expertise will transform those ideas into market value. The challenge comes when an organization chooses to shift from a closed innovation system to an open one. The decision to make this change will not be successful unless it is accompanied by a corresponding adjustment in corporate culture. The Cultural Shift When we discuss a corporation’s culture, we are in essence referring to its personality. It is rooted in shared values, attitudes and traditions that its leaders and employees believe in. As a result, corporate culture directs how its people behave toward each other and those outside the company. For long-term business success, this culture must align with corporate goals, strategies, and vision. Although each company is different, most have a traditional corporate culture that includes the belief that all innovation is internally driven. An...

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Open innovation injects new ideas into an organization by providing the ability for non-employees to submit concepts for consideration. The process relies on a pool of involved and enthusiastic contributors who want to participate in the process. The challenge is how to attract and engage these innovators in a way that sustains their interest and increases the quality of their submissions. Gamification is an excellent tool to achieve this goal.   Gamification is the process of transforming tasks or processes into a competitive process to engage users, solve problems, increase productivity, and drive innovation. It encourages ongoing participation, which keeps the open innovation ideas flowing.   Gamification Systems The concept of gamification is part of our everyday lives, in that certain systems encourage our active participation. Examples include: Airline Frequent Flyer Programs Real-time Fuel Usage Tracker Apps One Day Sales Crosswalk Countdowns Credit Card Rewards Store Savings Apps   Each of these systems gives rewards for participation,...

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