ARTICLES
& REPORTS
Organizational
Innovation
- O r g a n i z a t i o n a l _ I n n o v a t i o n -
What's Your Organization's IQ (Innovation Quotient)?
The following questions will help you determine your organization's innovation quotient and will also help you decide whether signing up for Convergence 2000: Odyssey into Innovation would be an effective use of your time.
Please rate these 10 questions as candidly as possible. Ratings:
5 (always/definitely!)
4 (usually/probably)
3 (generally/maybe)
2 (sometimes/possibly)
I (never/probably not)
1. ___Does at least 25% of your revenue come from products and services developed in the past 5 years?
2. ___Do you consistently outperform your competition in things like customer service,
quality, time to market, ROI, and profitability?
3. ___Do you routinely solicit, listen to, and act on suggestions from people from every
level and function of your organization?
4. ___Do you encourage and stimulate interaction between departments and promote
cross-functional projects?
5. ___Have all of your improvement processes (TQM, reengineering, excellence, etc.)
been as effective as you hoped?
6. ___Do you regularly train people at all levels and in every function how to think
and work together more effectively?
7. ___Do people in your organization regularly have time available to think through
situations, look at the big picture, bounce ideas off of peers, and experiment with possibilities?
8. ___Is information freely and readily available i:o everyone in your organization rather than on a need-to-know-basis?
9. ___Does your organization regularly review and update its assumptions, mission
and goals and encourage everyone in the organization to do so also?
10. __Is ownership, rewards and risks, distributed widely through your organization through stock ownership plans, or profit sharing plans?
_____Total. Compare your scores with those below to see if you should sign up for Convergence 2000.
45 - 50 -- Congratulations! You are a rare organization with much to share with the rest of us. As someone who's reached this level, however, you know that maintaining an innovative environment is almost as difficult as launching it. We invite you to join us as we share ideas and information on what works and what doesn't so you can continue your success.
35 - 44 -- You're doing a lot right! Signing up for Convergence 2000: Odyssey into Innovation will help you acknowledge your accomplishments and plan your next steps.
25 - 34 -- You're on the right track but you may need an innovation boost. What could be better than to have three days to learn from and share with your peers who are facing similar challenges?
15 - 24 -- Your organization has a shaky grasp of innovation and you need a major transformation. If you're serious about making progress in this arena, you need to bring your entire team. You've got a lot of work to do!
Below 15 -- Before you spend your money signing up for Convergence 2000: Odyssey into Innovation, we suggest you spend some time considering your commitment to innovation. Unless there is strong agreement about the need for innovation and what it will take to transform your organization, the conference would probably be a waste of time and resources. If you are serious, this is a great place to start!