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Innovation

Innovation in the Face of a Downturn

innovation in the face of a downturn

Table of Contents

Read (and watch!) innovation advisor Noel Sobelman's advice on innovation in the face of a downturn, and how your team can prepare.

This is a hot topic for organizations right now! So, leadership advisor Noel Sobelman hosted a webinar on innovation in the face of a downturn, which you can watch on demand.

Rationalizing your Innovation Portfolio

When you rationalize your innovation portfolio, youโ€™re looking at balancing resource supply and demand โ€“ a useful exercise to do even when times are good! Youโ€™ll be able to judge whether your supply is outstripping demand or vice versa, and predict what effects this will have on your business in the short, medium and long term.

Decentralize Your Decision-Making

Itโ€™s important to make sure that the people making resource allocation decisions for innovation portfolio rationalization are those who are closest to your markets and understand your customers. These people typically operate at the business unit leadership level in large companies and at the corporate level in smaller businesses.

Revisit Your Innovation Strategy

When carrying out innovation in the face of a downturn, itโ€™s important to take a look at your innovation strategy. Start off by carrying out a quick market assessment โ€“ nothing complex, just talk to some of your major customers to get their opinion on whatโ€™s going on.

Once thatโ€™s done, you can assess your innovation strategy by asking questions such as:

  • How is the downturn impacting our target opportunity areas?
  • Will any new opportunities open up?
  • Do we need to revise our revenue targets?
  • Should we switch our investment to lower-risk projects?
  • Are there some opportunities we need to stop?
  • Are there any dormant projects that need to be cancelled?

Clean Out Your Zombie Projects

Zombie projects are those innovation projects that have a habit of coming back to life, even after you thought they were dormant or cancelled! You should clear out these projects and focus on those that bring real value to your organization.

Watch Innovation in the Face of a Downturn On-demand!

Watch the whole of Noelโ€™s masterclass on Innovation in the Face of a Downturn.

Youโ€™ll discover:

  • How to reset your project projections and adjust for market risk
  • The key steps to follow when rationalizing your innovation portfolio
  • How to avoid common pitfalls and thrive under market pressure

You can also find out more about Noel on his website.

Meet your new Innovation management companion!

Ready to discover transformative innovation management software with edison365? From triage features to deep reporting, edison365 is an end-to-end solution for your business. Alternatively, why not dive into our ultimate guide to innovation management.

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