Innovation audit

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An innovation audit is a comprehensive, systematic analysis of a company's ability to innovate with the primary aim of improving it. It enables small and medium-sized companies to correctly classify their own innovation behavior, to recognize specific potential for improvement, and to implement development measures in a targeted and efficient manner.

background

Innovation and innovation capabilities of companies are increasingly becoming competitive advantages in order to be able to survive in the market and to differentiate themselves positively from competitors. In order to increase your own innovative capacity in a targeted manner, it makes sense to increase the innovative capacity. The prerequisite for this is to recognize both the strengths and weaknesses that exist with regard to the ability to innovate. Innovation audits are an instrument for measuring a company's ability to innovate. They give an overview of the current situation and also show possibilities for optimizing the ability to innovate.

Requirements for an innovation audit

The requirements for an innovation audit are diverse and depend on the form of the audit , the size of the company and the objectives. However, some requirements apply to all forms:

  • Cost-benefit ratio
  • Availability of the required data
  • Auditor independence
  • Communication between company and auditor
  • Individualization of the audit
  • Management support
  • Quality and result assurance
  • Documentation during the auditing
  • Qualified employees, qualified auditors

Forms of an audit

Self audit

A self-audit should be carried out by your own employees, if possible without external assistance. However, it is possible to purchase tools from external providers (questionnaires, online tools).

Advantages:

  • Low cost
  • Little expenditure of time
  • High comparability with other companies in the industry

Disadvantage:

  • Tends to be less trustworthy than an external partner
  • Standardization can neglect company peculiarities
  • Certification not possible or of little significance

Guided audits

Guided audits are usually offered by management consultancies, institutes and departments that plan, carry out and follow up the audit completely.

Advantages:

  • High informative value
  • Neutral view from different perspectives
  • Can be individually adapted to companies
  • Certification possible

Disadvantage:

  • High cost
  • Time consuming
  • Low comparability due to individualization

Mixed form

In addition to the self-audit and the guided audit, there are mixed forms that combine both models.

Implementation of the audit results

Regardless of its form, the audit is assessed with a final report. The current situation is listed and the strengths and weaknesses are highlighted (e.g. with a SWOT analysis ). With the findings, it makes sense to benchmark , that is, to compare it with the strongest competitor (as far as possible). This gives you a precise overview of where your company stands. These results make it clear in which areas of the company there is a need for action. Those responsible should now discuss which measures could improve this situation. Ideally, a catalog of measures is created so that the measures can be controlled later. The measures should be practicable, financially and in terms of time and effort plannable and manageable.

Conclusion

In order to survive in the market , innovations are becoming increasingly important due to the ever shorter product cycles and increasing competitive pressure. The current state of innovation is determined through an innovation audit. In this way, weak points are identified. This is the prerequisite for being able to fight them. It is important to use recognized strengths. A variety of problems can arise when performing the audit, such as human habits, lack of time or a poor culture of innovation. If it is possible to counter these problems in a well thought-out way, the innovation audit is a good instrument for systematically increasing the ability to innovate.

literature

  • Martin Kaschny , Nadine Hürth: Innovation audit. Recognize opportunities, secure competitive advantages . Schmidt, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-503-12030-7 .
  • Tom Sommerlatte , Georg Beyer, Geritt Seidel: Innovation culture and idea management. Strategies and practical approaches for more growth . Symposion, Düsseldorf 2006, ISBN 3-936608-75-X .

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