The document discusses the importance of innovation in small businesses as a means of maintaining a competitive advantage. It outlines various types and levels of innovation, the need for a culture that fosters creativity, and practical actions to implement innovative ideas. The key takeaway is that innovation can take many forms, ranging from small improvements to significant breakthroughs, and is essential for business survival.

1. Welcome It’s Not Rocket Science Leading Innovation in Small Business Rod Hattch Managing Director

2. Why? What? How? What Next ?

3. The desire, and the ability of an organisation to continuously learn from any source - and rapidly convert this learning into action - is its ultimate competitive advantage. Jack Welch CEO General Electric Company

4. Creativity plus innovation plus a hell of a lot of execution equals profit. Mark Bouris

5. What is innovation?

6. Definition of innovation Innovation is the actions to create and implement something new or improved

7. Innovation What actions? What is something new or improved? How do you create? How do you implement?

8. Leading innovation If you are leading a team or a business; and They are not being innovative You need to change one thing YOU!

9. Levels of innovation Strategic Tactical Operational

10. The Triple Jump of Innovation Innovations that Hop Innovations that Step Innovations that Jump Adapted from Making Innovation Happen, Morgan 2000

11. Four P’s of Innovation P rocedural innovation P eople innovation P rocess innovation P roduct innovation Adapted from Making Innovation Happen, Morgan 2000

12. … something new or improved..’ New product or service New voice mail message Technology improvements to improve service Better pens in your office Making forms easier to complete New sign Enhancements to your web-site Giveaways Improved branding of your products or service

13. Innovation What actions? How do you implement? Add innovation to team meetings Establish an ideas register Reward new ideas Add innovation as a KPI Make innovation part of your culture Follow through on all ideas suggested Implement selected ideas – make it happen

14. Innovation and creativity? Creativity is the process of having or getting new ideas Innovation is the complete process of creating new ideas and translating those ideas into action ‘Creativity only becomes innovation when ideas become useful’

15. ‘ A good idea is the enemy of a better one. You stop looking for alternatives.’ (Tudor Rickards, Manchester Business School in Ideas Unlimited 1985)

17. Some tools for innovation Revolution Six thinking hats Force field analysis Ideas matrix Brainstorm Five Whys? Ask What if ..? Visioning Metaphor or analogy 4-MAT Attribute listing Anonymous brainstorm Circuit Mind Maps SWOT GAP analysis Mind Mapping Forced connection

18. Revolution

19. 5,000 Ideas in 5 minutes!

20. Nine features of a truly innovative organisation Identifying future trends and their clients' future needs. Capturing new ideas. Ensuring they stay technically current. Looking at old ideas in new ways. Fast-tracking innovative concepts. Rewarding staff for their-creative input. Short circuiting cumbersome organisation structures and communication delays to facilitate rapid decision making. Tight project management to minimise delays in development. Sound operational systems to ensure that innovative ideas become part of the day-to-day procedures for doing business. Survival in the corporate jungle: innovate or perish, in Innovation and Imagination at Work (2001) Australian Institute of Management, McGraw-Hill Australia

21. In summary Innovation is a practical set of actions Innovation can be learnt Innovation can be something very small as well as something very large Innovation can be improving little things as well as breakthrough new ideas Innovation can be applied to all areas of a business

22. Questions?

23. Continuous improvement is about doing 100 things 1 per cent better, not one thing 100 per cent better.