Ignite

Having a clear picture of where innovation should be focused in order to have the greatest positive impact and then putting in place the necessary high level sponsorship and strategic targets to ensure it is delivered.

This includes:

Having the responsibility for innovation held by a senior person within the organisation.
Ensure there is a clear and widely understood vision of the role innovation is going to play in the future success of the organisation
Embedding the strategy for innovation within the overall business strategy
Providing a clear picture as to which aspects of the organisation are to be the focus for innovation and the associated target benefits
Backing the focus for innovation with clear strategic targets
Clearly articulating key business issues and challenges in a way that enables all relevant staff to fully understand the extent and nature of the issue and hence where to focus their innovation effort
Ensuring that achieving the strategic targets for innovation will deliver clear competitive advantage
Keeping the strategic role of innovation within the organisation constantly under review to ensure it remains relevant

Where all of the organisations leaders and managers have the understanding, ability and commitment to drive innovation activity and behaviours in their area of the organisation.

This includes:

· Equipping all leaders and managers with specific objectives for innovation against which they are measured

· Actively giving all leaders and managers authority and freedom to staff to enable them to innovate

· Ensuring that all leaders and managers fully understand what the organisation is seeking to achieve through strategic, tactical and operational innovation

· Ensuring that all leaders and managers fully understand what they need to achieve within their aspect of the organisation in order for the organisation to deliver its overall objectives for innovation

· Providing a clear understanding of the kind of actions and behaviours that are necessary to effectively drive an innovation agenda

· Fully recognising all leaders and managers for displaying role model behaviour in the area of innovation

· Constantly keeping under review the ability of the organisations leadership and management team to continuously drive forward the innovation agenda

Where the whole organisation fully understands and supports the aims for innovation and all staff recognise how they can play their part.

This includes:

· Having all members of the senior management team fully understanding and supporting the organisations strategic objectives for innovation

· Fully cascading the strategic aims and objectives for innovation throughout the organisation

· Communicating progress against the strategic objectives for innovation throughout the organisation

· Ensuring that all members of staff fully understand the need for the business to be innovative and the benefits that will be achieved

· Ensuring that all members of staff fully understand the role that they as individuals can play in the area of innovation

· Continuously reviewing the extent to which all staff know, understand and support the role innovation plays in the future success of the organisation and what they can do as individuals to support this