Seven factors determine an innovation’s success. For many of our clients, Qindle represents success factor #7: a dedicated interdisciplinary team and in-house innovation accelerator. With EXPLORE, ACCELERATE, and CREATE, we can connect people, garner leadership support, and understand (and manage) different stakeholders. In this way, we also influence success factors #1 through #6.

1. Consumer orientation: Constantly understanding your consumers’ needs and market drivers—competition, culture, regulations, science, and technology. Build a company culture that thrives on staying steps ahead, always keeping your customers in mind.

2. Leadership with a vision: Most companies anticipate a future based on the past. Instead of predicting the future based on the past, develop a vision and a purpose that can function as a compass for an unpredictable future.

3. Innovation with purpose: People need to understand the ‘why’ of an innovation. Without that ‘why,’ the innovation process always loses to short-term business performance and financial goals.

4. Guided innovation: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” Innovation is an open journey, but embracing a few sensible navigation tools—like roadmaps, quick scans, prototyping, qualitative research, stakeholder alignment, and well-defined yet flexible execution processes—goes a long way in helping you reach your destination.

5. Decision-making based on collective intuition: Decision-making should involve the full support of company leadership. The autocratic, top-down decision-making model is over. It’s about engaging all relevant stakeholders and supporting a passionate champion capable of making decisions.

6. Taking risks: Take risks because you have no choice. Let your competitors move in ‘obvious’ directions. Taking risks, even big ones or seemingly irrelevant ones is necessary to gain a competitive advantage. Entrepreneurial risk is a value.

7. Interdisciplinary team: A dedicated team with multiple creative skills—from collaborative workshops, ideation techniques, and visualisation and storytelling to mock-ups, prototyping, and UI/UX design presentations. Without the interdisciplinary team, ideas remain just that: ideas.

Qindle has developed its tools and approach to tackle these challenges. None are pre-defined or templated; we bring a process that easily adapts to our partners’ needs, cultures, and circumstances. Each organisation is unique and deserves tailored processes, innovation programs, tools, and workshops. This way, we align completely with company culture, solve actual challenges, and achieve success.

Want to know more about the Qindle way? Please read about our collaboration with European confectionary, chocolate and nuts player Cloetta to develop a global innovation program.