The Innovation Capability Maturity Model is a framework that assesses an organization’s ability to innovate consistently over time. It evaluates innovation capabilities across key areas like leadership, culture, processes, and technology.
The Core Tenets of the Innovation Capability Maturity Model
- Assesses maturity across 5 levels, from ad-hoc innovation to optimized innovation
- Focuses on core enablers of innovation like strategic alignment, ideation, portfolio management, and commercialization
- Used to identify gaps in innovation capabilities and create a roadmap for improvement
- Customizable model that can be tailored to an organization’s specific innovation needs
Why the Innovation Capability Maturity Model is Important to Business Consultants
The Innovation Capability Maturity Model provides business consultants with a proven methodology for helping clients build world-class innovation capabilities.
Assessing a client’s innovation maturity allows consultants to pinpoint areas for improvement. Consultants can then guide clients on implementing changes to leadership approaches, cultural values, portfolio management processes, and more. This elevates innovation from an ad-hoc activity to a strategic capability hardwired into the organization.
With strengthened innovation prowess, clients can accelerate growth, enter new markets, and consistently commercialize breakthrough offerings. Equipped with the Innovation Capability Maturity Model, consultants become trusted advisors in unlocking innovation-led growth.
Example of Innovation Capability Maturity Model in Use
Healthcare Industry: A medical devices firm used the Innovation Capability Maturity Model to rate itself at a Level 2 maturity. This revealed gaps in strategic alignment around innovation goals and a risk-averse culture. The management team then set a vision to reach Level 4 within 3 years. Changes were made to incentive structures, ideation processes, and team mix to systematically strengthen innovation. This resulted in a marked increase in disruptive innovations and new product launches.
Automotive Industry: An auto manufacturer benchmarked itself against top rivals using the Innovation Capability Maturity Model. It scored a 3.5, lagging behind competitors. To address this, they established an innovation board and restructured R&D processes using stage gate reviews. Within 2 years, many obsolete practices were eliminated, and new agile systems for prototyping and market testing were implemented. This accelerated speed to market for breakthrough concepts.
Technology Sector: A software firm realized innovation was siloed in product teams. Using the Innovation Capability Maturity Model, they set a goal to improve strategic alignment and collaboration. An innovation council with senior leaders was formed to coordinate efforts company-wide. Cross-functional teams were also created to identify emerging tech trends and incubate new ideas. These steps enhanced innovation consistency across the organization.
Innovation Capability Maturity Model Synonyms
- Innovation Management Model: A framework focused on managing innovation as a strategic capability across people, process, and technology dimensions.
- Innovation Excellence Model: A model centered on enabling organizations to achieve outstanding and consistent innovation performance over the long-term.
- Innovation Index: A measurement tool that scores different aspects of an organization’s innovation ecosystem to identify maturity levels and improvement areas.
- Innovation Audit: A comprehensive evaluation of an organization’s current innovation strategies, systems, competencies, and outputs to determine maturity.
Innovation Capability Maturity Model Antonyms
- Unstructured Innovation Approach: An ad-hoc, unplanned approach to innovation that lacks frameworks for assessing or improving maturity capabilities.
- Basic Innovation Model: A rudimentary innovation process that focuses only on ideation without considering strategic alignment, culture, portfolio management, and commercialization.
- Reactive Innovation Model: An innovation approach based on reacting to market changes rather than proactively strengthening innovation as an organizational competency.
Other Closely-Related Terms
- Strategic Innovation Planning: The practice of developing long-term innovation strategies aligned with business goals and targeting specific outcomes.
- Open Innovation Model: Collaboration with external partners like universities, start-ups, and suppliers to access new ideas and talent beyond internal capabilities.
- Disruptive Innovation Framework: A model for creating innovations that fundamentally challenge and displace established market leaders and conventions.
