Address the Need: Phase 2 in Open Innovation

In my March 3rd post, I mentioned the importance of asking what your internal “customers” of open innovation need and listening to their answers. Those answers are going to guide your efforts to address what they need.

As you get started, remember:

• Look before you leap: The problem your open innovation customer is facing might have already been solved. Do some research to see if an innovation already exists that solves the problem. If your organization is large, don’t forget to look inside as well as outside. (Do you really want to reinvent your own wheel?!)


• Look outside the box: Technology needs and solutions often overlap across industries. Take a cross-discipline approach and consider orthogonal industries as potential sources for solutions or joint-development partners. I call it “wide-open innovation.”


• Partner only when it makes sense: Not all problems are best solved through partnering. Don’t pursue infusion or collaborative R&D for its own sake or, worse yet, to appear to be an open innovation leader. (No one likes a poser!) Do the right thing and help your customers solve their problems quickly and cost effectively regardless of the innovation model.


• Keep in touch with the customer: As you can see in the illustration from my first post, there is back and forth with the customer at every stage. Check in with your customer periodically, particularly when there is ongoing collaborative R&D, to make sure the progress being made still aligns with the need. (Sometimes needs change.) This is why having a strong relationship with your open innovation customer is essential.

My next post will discuss some specific techniques for working your way through the Address phase. If you can’t wait until then and are eager for the details, check out pages 9–11 of my Understand-Address-Present paper.

Does anyone have any “reinventing the wheel” horror stories to share? (Change the names to protect the guilty!)

–By Nannette Stangle-Castor, Ph.D.

The Understand-Address Present Series
Intro: Overcoming One of the Biggest Barriers to Open Innovation
Preface: Build Strong Relationships with Your Internal “Customers”
U: Understand Your Customer
A-Part 1: Address the Need
A-Part 2: Be Successful in Addressing the Need: The Must-Do Steps
P: Present the Solution