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I. Boosted Innovation

Innovation is often seen as a grail quest – the search for a new product that will reshape an industry, as Google, Apple and Sony did. In mature industries, innovation power sometimes dries up or loses momentum. Top management then seeks to regain this power to create the necessary differentiation and to sustain competitiveness. Innovation is also becoming critical to reaching unprecedented cost levels. Approaches to boosting innovation need to be pragmatic, activating all relevant levers: revamping the idea generation process, opening up to the external world and getting more mileage out of market trends, fostering cross-functionalities and multi-disciplinary approaches, managing innovation introduction through portfolio risk scenarios, defining core competencies to be upgraded, capturing innovation potential beyond company boundaries, renovating the expertise ladder, etc.

Moreover, innovation must be understood in a broader sense than before. It must encompass not only product innovation, but also processes, services, business models, organization and lean management. For instance, successful introduction of the electric vehicle will be based on product and technology innovation, but also on innovative business models (e.g. TCO approach) and service innovation (battery management).

In this context, Roland Berger helps its clients diagnose issues, provide market views and trends, and support design improvement programs.

I.1 Technology strategy

What our expert says


Benno van Dongen
Benno van Dongen
"The last decade has seen growing pressure on how products are made and specified. Stricter regulations and norms (CO2, pollution, labeling), increased connectivity technologies (mobile communications, smart approach, web 2.0, etc.), new consumer habits and the green trend (more eco-materials, new applications) are gradually but significantly changing the technology trade-offs. Our approach aims at helping our clients evaluate technology risks and opportunities, but also at understanding how trade-offs will be made, based on a comprehensive view of markets, competition and scenario-based planning."
 

Key questions

  • What is the company strategy?
  • What are the key market needs?
  • Where does the competition stand?
  • Are regulations evolving in a way that might impact markets or products?
  • What are the technical, technological and market trends?
  • What is the best way to make the right trade-off between a market pull and a technology push approach?
  • What is the best way to evaluate the economic potential and feasibility of new technology? What is the best way to prioritize different technology strategies and options?
  • What is the best way to introduce new technologies to products and markets?

Typical results

  • Shared and defined technology roadmap
  • Risk and opportunity analysis associated with technology concepts

I.2 Portfolio management

What our expert says


Per I. Nilsson
Per I. Nilsson
"Boosting innovation is sometimes a question of allocating time to the right things and avoiding wasting resources and means on too many activities or the wrong priorities. Once the technology strategy is defined, the entire project portfolio needs to be realigned with this goal. However, numerous factors hinder companies' ability to realign their portfolios, including historical priorities: ownership of experts/units, rebalancing experts' activities, etc. Our approach helps our clients make a fact-based analysis of their project portfolio and support decision-making for realignment."
 

Key questions

  • What is the right portfolio segmentation and evaluation level?
  • What are the criteria and underlying analysis for classifying projects (detailed stakes and feasibility assessment)?
  • What is the process for reviewing and updating the portfolio (including new project integration, project stop, etc.)?
  • How is portfolio management organized? Is there a dedicated structure or is it delegated to métiers or project managers?

Typical results

  • Portfolio assessment and refocusing
  • Portfolio management tools
  • Portfolio management process and organization

I.3 Innovation boost

What our expert says


Max Blanchet
Max Blanchet
"Many of our clients need to re-energize their innovation power: They want to produce ground-breaking innovations that can be turned into products faster. To do so, new ways to innovate are required, such as open innovation, to globally detect and capture new technology opportunities. Innovation in the wider sense also means improving the customer experience, introducing new services and adapting business models, adding a much broader range of features from "frugality" to "premiumization"."
 

Key questions

  • What is the corporate vision and strategy for innovation (resources, priority, etc.)?
  • What is the best way to find great innovations?
  • What is the best way to optimize the innovation process from idea generation to final introduction in development projects?
  • What is the best way to organize innovation teams and their interfaces with other departments (corporate vs. BU level, level of formalization, etc.)?
  • What is the best way to measure innovation performance/what are the most suitable KPIs?
  • What is the best way to monitor innovation projects in line with their maturity level (e.g. through TRL)?

Typical results

  • Additional innovation throughput (+20% to 40%) – shorter innovation cycle and higher transformation rate
  • Better measurement/understanding of innovation value/impact in product development

I.4 Expertise management

What our expert says

Alexandre Prost
Alexandre Prost
"Experts are essential company assets, but they can also be hard to manage in traditional corporations (with a hierarchical approach and an overemphasis on management skills). We help our client to properly leverage their experts by implementing efficient expertise management systems (recognition schemes, career path, skills reservoirs and more)."
 

Key questions

  • What is the best way to segment technical métiers and competencies?
  • What are the key competencies for today and tomorrow? What is the best way to identify and plan new competence needs in the mid-term?
  • How is expertise managed? Who are the experts? What is the best way to evaluate and promote them?
  • What is the best way to differentiate expertise development paths from management or project development paths?
  • What are the missions and roles of experts in innovation and development projects?

Typical results

  • Expertise management model (network, animation, HR, etc.) implementation
  • Implementation of mid-term competence planning management tools and processes

Publications

think: act CONTENT "Public Private Partnerships for Innovation"
Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation

think: act CONTENT, 2012

Public-private partnership is not a new concept, nor idea. But its widespread use for innovation, the scope of this publication, is a relatively new phenomenon …  >>

 
Intelligence instead of fear
Intelligence instead of fear

think: act CONTENT, 2009

The crisis is a time for rethinking and offers new opportunities for innovation. Roland Berger Strategy Consultants has identified eight keys to success for research and development management in the current climate …  >>

 
Are you innovation-ready?
Are you innovation-ready?

Joint presentation of INSEAD and Roland Berger, 2009

The new financial order calls for legitimate innovation in order to develop new solutions and new business and adapt to a changing world. Together with INSEAD, we found answers to the question: "Are CIB players innovation-ready?" …  (PDF, 88 KB)