Applying innovation is a complex and difficult task. The activities in
each chapter of this book are designed to allow you to develop your
own innovation plan for a fictional organization that you will define
and to struggle with some of the same decisions that any innovation
team encounters when managing the innovation process. These activities
can be undertaken on an individual basis, but we recommend a
group approach. The output of all the activities throughout the book
combines to create a comprehensive innovation plan for your chosen
organization, that is, your very own case. For the purpose of these
activities your organization may be based on a real organization, or it
may be constructed from your imagination and based on your own
experience.
To help you with the many decisions you will have to make, there is a
sample plan in the Appendix for you to study. SwitchIt Manufacturing is a
partially completed plan that contains tasks for you to complete. You are
strongly encouraged to consider completing the SwitchIt Manufacturing
case before beginning your chapter activities.
In this first activity you are required to create some simple pieces of
information for your organization. The organization you create can be
a large organization or a department within an organization. Examples
of large organizations include hospitals, manufacturing plants, cinemas,
software design houses, and local government. Examples of departments
include computer services, engineering, quality assurance, human
resources, and logistics. The organization you establish will need to be
large in size. We recommend beginning with approximately sixteen
individuals made up of managers and employees. These people will
participate in developing and implementing the innovation plan you will
develop for your organization. As you progress through the activities in
each chapter, you can revisit this activity and add new employees and
functions as needed.
Search online for a real organization that is similar to the organization
you are considering developing. Make a note of its homepage address.
Research this real organization’s innovation effort to discover the goals it
pursues, the products and services it has developed for the market, who its
competitors are, and what aspects give it its competitive advantage.
Choose a fictitious name for your organization, such as Fast Fasteners Ltd.
or Kinder Childrens Hospital. Next, choose a name for your innovation
plan that also includes a planning period (typically 1–5 years), such as Fast
Fasteners Innovation Plan (2007–2010). Copy Table 1.2 into a spreadsheet
and complete the fields.