→ Innovation Innovation is not divisible – ‘good in parts’ is no good at all. Innovation systems are only as strong as their weakest links.

→ 6Ws of Corporate Growth

Today, the R&D function, alone, cannot significantly affect an organization's long-term bottom line or new business development. Neither a centralized creativity center can significantly impact the  profitability of an organization. Their efforts need to be synergized between themselves as well as with relevant activities of other business departments in order to achieve strategic success... More

In this new era of technological interdependence and systemic innovation, you must design your firm's innovation process holistically.

→ Holistic Thinking  ▪  Holistic Thinking vs. Analytical Thinking

Innovation is the key driver of → Competitive Advantage , → Growth , and profitability. There are many parts of the whole field of innovation: strategy innovation, new product development, creative approaches to problem solving, idea management, suggestion systems, etc. All of these components are important. "Yet approaching them piecemeal will bring piecemeal results... These seemingly disparate issues must be integrated into a single overarching strategy if they are to be mobilized in the quest for → Growth ," says Robert B. Tucker, the author of Driving Growth Through Innovation.

In strategic innovation road-mapping, the starting point for knowledge building and learning about the innovation concept is to establish a shared view of trends, disruptive technologies and other discontinuities, and related events that could shape the future. To move efforts forward, cross-functional teams, either formal or informal, need to be formed, and intellectual teamwork need to be enabled and streamlined.

For incremental innovation product or service development projects, a cross-functional team  typically includes a technical guru, engineer, designer, manufacturing expert, supply chain specialist, and marketing specialist. Your major suppliers and customers need also to be kept well informed of your new product/service development plans and allowed to work together to build these new solutions.