Profit reward for innovation implementation of innovation. Innovative activity of the enterprise as a source of increasing profits. How to innovate your business: a phased strategy

Innovation is a technological innovation

and or management organization

It is aimed at increasing productivity and, as a rule, at generating additional income as a result of the introduction of new products and the creation of “ideas and technologies that are best in their properties”. “Innovation covers the entire spectrum of the business - from research and development to marketing”
The concept of "innovation" was introduced into practice by the Austro-American economist Joseph Schumpeter (1883-1950). He is the author of original works with a peculiar, bright and juicy manner of presentation. One of his teachers at the University of Vienna was E. Böhm-Bawerk. Schumpeter was Minister of Finance in the socialist government of O. Bauer, with whom during his student years he studied at the seminar of L. Mises, a well-known critic of centralized economy and socialism. Soon after the end of the First World War, Schumpeter was invited to work on a government commission headed by K. Kautsky. P. Samuelson studied with him at Harvard University, where Schumpeter taught several lectures since 1932.
According to his theoretical views, Schumpeter cannot be attributed to any of the well-known economic schools. He deeply dealt with many problems, focusing on the development of a holistic view of the mechanism of functioning and the prospects for the development of the capitalist economy. One of his main works is called “Teopii economic development”. Schumpeter's methodology, the major categories highlighted differ from
218
conceptual provisions of the neoclassicists. Innovation, innovation, entrepreneurship in Schumpeter's theory play no less important role than price or free competition in A. Marshall's Economics.
Schumpeter believes that his "theory of economic development" better explains the laws and dynamics of the development of the commodity-capitalist economy than the analytical apparatus of Marshall. He draws a clear distinction between the static equilibrium of the system and its dynamic development, transforming the structure, the relationship between "new" and "old" production. The starting position of the economic system is pure equilibrium. But then, at some stage, innovations are introduced. The “habitual” cycle is disrupted by the actions of the innovative entrepreneur. To implement innovations, loans are taken from “old” firms and companies. Investments are directed into new areas, gradually involving the “new wave” of participants in the process.
Accumulation is not sustainable, continuous process... It is due to technical innovations, the development of new investment processes. The growth of the national product occurs in the form of leaps and jumps.
Economic dynamics, according to Schumpeter, is based on the diffusion of innovations, innovations in different forms... This is the production of new goods, the use of new technology and new technology, more efficient use already known materials, development of new sales markets, transition to more rational forms of organization and management methods. reorganization or undermining the monopoly position of other enterprises.
Implementation of “new combinations,” as Schumpeter notes. “Business is difficult and accessible only to people with certain qualities” 10 An innovative entrepreneur is not a capitalist, not necessarily an owner. Ownership is not an essential feature of an entrepreneur. It can be a director, administrator, founder, manager. An entrepreneur is one who is able to introduce new things into practice.
To produce, writes Schumpeter, means to combine things and forces, to create other combinations of these things and forces. Manufacturing is not a technical, but an economic sphere of activity. Economic and technical methods and knowledge often do not coincide. “Economic logic prevails over tech-
219
nichy. And so in real life we often see ropes instead of steel cables, poor draft animals instead of exhibition samples, the most primitive manual work instead of perfect machines, clumsy money economy instead of check circulation, etc. ”11.
“The entrepreneurial function is inextricably linked with innovation” 12. This thesis is repeated many times. The entrepreneur must combine, combine the factors of production, he is looking for new forms of organization, improvements in commercial combinations. The motives of his activity are self-development of the individual, achievement of success, overcoming difficulties. Entrepreneurship is not a profession, the relevant qualities and skills can be lost, transferred to other people.
Initially, one or a small number of entrepreneurs use new forms and ways of making a profit. Others follow. Profit is the reward for innovation. New combinations help to reduce production costs. The profit is received by the one who uses innovations (new combinations of productive forces) earlier than others.
Profit, like loans and interest rates, belongs to categories that come and go. When innovations spread, then production costs flatten out and profits disappear. According to Schumpeter. profit is an incentive to find and introduce new combinations.
As a result, each or most of them apply discoveries, novelties, before new system relationships and calculations can be balanced. “The system first moves away from equilibrium, and then again tends to equilibrium,” however, already. to another 13. Old products and previous forms organizations are being pushed out. The process of “creative destruction” arises. Prosperity gives way to depression. New combinations are implemented, firms are adapting to new conditions, “The main impulse that sets the capitalist mechanism in motion and keeps it moving comes from new consumer goods, new methods of production and transportation of goods, new markets and new forms economic organization who create capitalist enterprises ”14.
220
The decisive role here is played not by competition in prices or quality, but by competition in the introduction of new products, new technology, new sources of supply, new organizational forms... Schumpeter takes a close look at the “competition of innovations”. "This competition threatens not the surplus of profits of existing firms, but their very foundations, and competition of the first kind is just as effective as bombing is more effective than breaking a door." The competition of innovations is a powerful means of increasing output. growth of profits, if we consider long periods of time.
“The activities of the first entrepreneurs go beyond their own industry, and the mass of entrepreneurs as a whole is increasing to a greater extent than it would have been in other conditions, the national economy is quickly and more fully drawn into the process of reorganization, which is the essence of the boom period” 13.
The cyclical development of capitalism is also associated with innovation. Schumpeter's works analyze the relationship of all three cycles, differing in duration (short, medium and long); innovation affects each of the cycles. Thus, an attempt was made to reconcile cyclical fluctuations with the processes of innovation as a connecting link. The innovations themselves, which are a kind of basis for economic development, are cyclical (more on this in Chapter 17).
Schumpeter's ideas about the internal, stimulating role of innovation and technical progress served as a kind of starting point for the subsequent formation of various theories about the transformation of the capitalist system, its transition to higher stages of development (“industrial” and “post-industrial” society).

In a highly competitive environment, businesses are looking for ways to show their unique side that sets them apart from others. Some seek to improve existing products and attract customers as much as possible with a favorable price-quality ratio, while others choose to manufacture.

4 must-ask questions to ask yourself before innovating

1. Does your business need innovation at all?

How often does a leader need to tackle or change the company's strategy? Most of the directors who created successful businesses, and management consultants agree on one thing: in these times - constantly. A change in strategy is not an indicator of weakness, but, on the contrary, an indicator of a company's vitality.

In this article, we have collected four types of strategic approaches, their examples, as well as templates and tables for determining the company's strategy.

Often times, a business leader does not understand the exact role that innovation plays in his business. Some CEOs exaggerate their importance, while others, on the contrary, underestimate.

2. What specific results should each of the innovations bring?

It is easy to get carried away with the process of introducing innovations, but do not forget that any activity must pursue a specific goal.

3. Does the company know how to work with new ideas?

If the work with new ideas is not built correctly, then this can lead to a waste of resources on knowingly losing projects, and therefore undermine the motivation of employees of the enterprise.

4. How are you going to overcome staff resistance to change?

Most people are comfortable living the old way and not getting used to something new.

Innovation Management: A Guide For Those Who Need More

How to determine the need for innovation in the enterprise

The introduction of innovations is a rather serious decision that requires an integrated approach when analyzing the situation. It is necessary to investigate the work of the enterprise in the context of the following aspects.

Financial stability analysis

V modern world there are many techniques that help determine financial sustainability enterprises. For example, correlation regression models can be used to predict financial performance. Or use the usual method as well economic analysis, which takes into account the indicators of capital structure and profitability, business activity and liquidity, and so on. The specific set of parameters that will be assessed varies depending on the industry of the enterprise and other factors. In any case, if the analysis of this aspect shows the presence of a crisis, it means that it is necessary to introduce innovations.

Demand analysis

As part of the study of demand, it is necessary to study the general dynamics over 5 years, and it is necessary to analyze not only the demand for products in general, but also for individual goods. If, in the process of studying, a drop in demand is found, then it is necessary to introduce innovations.

Analysis of innovation activity

There are few indicators that characterize innovation activity, therefore, there are few methods for assessment. According to one of the known methods, the following indicators should be calculated:

product renewal ratio (the ratio of production to sales);
technology update rate (the ratio of the number of new technological processes to their total number);
coefficient characterizing the scientific level of the enterprise (the ratio of the cost of innovation to the total cost of production);
coefficient reflecting the share of implemented in-house innovative developments in the total number of the company's own developments;
index specific gravity own developments in the total number of developments introduced by the enterprise.

Due to the fact that there are no standards for these values, if the analysis reveals a deterioration in dynamics, or the calculation is completely impossible, then it is necessary to resort to the introduction of innovations.

Practitioner tells

Madhavan Ramanujam, Board Member and Partner consulting company SimonKucher & Partners, San Francisco (Silicon Valley)

The introduction of innovation is the introduction of completely new products. Not necessarily as innovative as an iPod or iPhone, but not just an old product in a new color. This definition reflects 95% of severe daily work above the product. Revolutionary innovations like the iPod are the exception.

Companies are now spending more on innovation and product development than ever before. Globally, we are talking about $ 1.7 trillion. However, the results of these investments are monstrous. 72% of new products do not meet expectations and do not bring the planned profit.

One of the biggest misconceptions is that it’s enough to invest a lot of money in innovation. We come across it everywhere: in Asia, Europe and the USA.

Enterprise innovation methods

Method 1.Forced method

This method involves overcoming the resistance of subordinates by force. In general, this is an undesirable process and, at the same time, quite expensive, but it significantly saves time. That is why it is used in conditions of severe temporary shortages and only when the nature of the resistance is obvious.

Method 2.Adaptive deviation method

This method is about gradually introducing changes over time. The process is led by a dedicated project team. In this case, in any case, sooner or later there will be resistance, albeit weak. Conflicts under this approach must be resolved through peaceful negotiations and compromises. This method is used when there is no need for urgent measures and there is a time reserve.

Method 3.Crisis management

This method is used in cases when the administration is in a critical situation, in a state of crisis.

Method 4.Resistance control

This method is considered adaptive and is used in a specific time period, in a specific time frame. If time starts to run out, then the method takes on the features of a forced method. If the urgency falls, then, on the contrary, the method approaches the method of making changes.

Development and implementation of innovations

Method 1.Self-realization

The simplest and most obvious approach to innovating an organization is to start and implement a project in-house. The advantages of this approach:

Full control of the project by the company.
Maintaining the benefits successful project within the walls of the enterprise.
Availability of competitive advantages due to the achievement of vertical integration.
The ability to change technology or operations within the project at any time.
There is no need to build relationships with external suppliers and strategic partners, whose interests may not coincide with those of the organization.

However, this approach also has disadvantages /

Doing it yourself can be expensive and time consuming.
If the developed innovation turns out to be useful for goods or services that the company has not previously produced, then in order to generate income, it will be necessary to develop new products.
It is often difficult for a non-tech firm to compete in terms of cost in the field of the best technology.
The ability of an organization to tailor innovation to its own preferences can be a disadvantage if the company has too many requests for modification (this leads to delays, complicates and increases the risk of non-release of products, and also inflates the project budget).
By independently implementing a project, an enterprise alone bears the risks for its failure.
Vigorous development of new technology very often disrupts basic business operations (mostly in non-tech companies).

Method 2.Traditional outsourcing

This method assumes that the service provider owns all the necessary knowledge and possesses the resources necessary for the implementation of technologies. Outsourcing is a great tool for achieving cost savings when launching new technologies. However, there is a significant drawback - it is not always a reliable way to create innovations.

When an outsourcing service agreement is entered into, it reflects the services and technology. In order for this detail to be spelled out, the technology used must already exist. In this regard, the main emphasis is not on the innovations themselves, but on effective implementation.

Method 3.Buying innovation

Buying innovations is perhaps the fastest way, and at the same time it does not have a lot of risks. After all, this technology has already been tested on the basis of another company.

Despite the quick results, there are certain drawbacks.

The complexity of integrating the purchased technology.
The technology may not be productive enough.

If you approach the acquisition process responsibly and analyze the future technology, then the above risks will be reduced, and the acquired technology will become effective tool development of the company.

Method 4.Joint ventures

Some organizations introduce technological innovation into manufacturing through joint ventures with other companies. This method lacks many of the disadvantages of previous models:

In co-production, the risks and costs are shared by everyone as well.
By combining partner forces, weaknesses are leveled through the exchange of experience.
Shared economic interest stimulates the exchange of the very best in the company.

However, despite everything strengths joint production, in order not to sink the common project, you need to take certain steps and not forget about some of the nuances:

Part of the control over assets and technologies should be given to third parties.
The longer the duration of the project, the more difficult it is to manage the joint venture, as the interests of the companies may change over time.
Do not forget about your daily work, thinking only about strategic advantages.
Quite often, disputes that arise during co-production are difficult to resolve.

If many mistakes were made at the stage of creating a joint venture, then the dissolution general production becomes a very difficult and unpleasant procedure. It is necessary to redistribute rights to intellectual property and other assets, manage relationships with potential and real customers, and so on.

Any organization that plans to create joint production with other enterprises must seriously approach this decision and plan everything, take into account what rights and obligations are given to which company, and so on.

Method 5.Strategic alliances

A strategic alliance is a great alternative to a joint venture. Often, an alliance presupposes a rather complex agreement in which all participants act as both customers and service providers. While creating strategic alliance it is necessary to describe in detail the rights and obligations of all partners, especially it is necessary to pay attention to the management of clients of third-party organizations, so that participants can predict possible problems in advance and change the point of application of forces in accordance with new business needs.

Within the framework of such cooperation, all partners can focus on improving their key technologies, while all the companies participating in the alliance are interdependent, which means that the costs of improving technologies will be low. In doing so, all members benefit from increased income.

As mentioned above, agreements on the creation of such alliances are quite complex and should reflect the answers to the following questions:

Will one organization or all participants introduce new technologies to consumers?
What should you do if a customer wants to interact with one supplier of all?
How should responsibility for expenses and income be divided between the members of the alliance?
What to do if a client has sued a member of the alliance? How to distribute this responsibility among the rest of the companies?
What information can be disclosed to partners and what should remain confidential?
If a common innovative technology is created, who will own the license and intellectual property rights?

Work through all of these questions and formulate clear rules in the cooperation agreement to prevent conflicts and unpleasant surprises in the future.

Method 6.Innovative incubators

For companies in industries that require significant R&D costs and long product development cycles, such as pharmaceuticals, the need to cut costs and mitigate risk early is especially important. Some businesses collaborate by cross-licensing intellectual property, coordinating research and sharing research results. These forms of collaboration are sometimes referred to as innovation incubators or patent pools.

Each participant should be involved in a joint analysis of the research results in order to decide what to do with this or that research - to defer, allocate funds for joint development or further refinement in the field.

The thoughtful allocation of intellectual property rights, licenses and royalties in such models is extremely important. Despite the complexity of dealing with intellectual property issues, the innovation incubator model has proven to be valuable for companies that have to spend significant funds on research and development.

There is another disadvantage to this model: patent pools often involve collaboration between competing companies, so participants need to monitor compliance with antitrust laws. Therefore, any organization planning to participate in this model must enlist the support of the state competition authority.

How to innovate your business: a phased strategy

Stage 1.Preparation

On this stage necessary:

determine the main content and level of changes;
draw up a preliminary plan of transformations, which are aimed at achieving certain improvements;
analyze the driving forces and constraints, as well as the potential that can support change;
choose a transformation strategy and ways that will help overcome resistance;
decide who else is needed to plan for change and how to attract them;
find and analyze the problems that may arise in the process of introducing innovations;
draw up a plan according to which the introduction of changes will be carried out, as well as determine the main criteria that will become the basis for evaluating innovations;
determine the resources that are needed for implementation (these resources include personnel, finance, material goods, external consultants, etc.).

Stage 2.Defrosting

As part of this stage, you need:

set aside time to relieve psychological stress in the company;
choose the best methods for training and informing employees, as well as identify strategies for introducing innovation;
monitor the progress of preparation for implementation, and if necessary, adjust plans and approaches to their implementation.

Stage 3.The change

This stage includes:

changing only what is necessary to achieve the desired improvement;
the availability of sufficient reserves of time and other resources in case of unexpected difficulties;
a possible change in strategy if, as experience (yours, employees or consultants) suggests, this will contribute to the success of the introduction of innovative technology;
informing the staff of the company about the success of the transformations.

Stage 4."Freezing"

As part of this stage, you need:

allocate all the resources necessary to consolidate the result;
consider further training to work with the implemented innovation;
implement the plans themselves (on the use of the results of the introduction of innovation), taking into account the situation.

Stage 5.Grade

At the assessment stage, you need:

conduct a study of all the consequences that arose after the introduction of the innovation, as well as analyze their perception;
organize (and maintain in the future) feedback with everyone who is affected by the changes (outside the company and inside it);
inform everyone about the results of the innovation implementation.

5 rules for managing innovation

1. Rule 30%

The essence of the rule is that at least 30% of the organization's total turnover should come from new products (that is, those that were released to the market no more than four years ago). At the same time, you should not try to extend the life path. successful goods... Even successful products become obsolete, and they need to be replaced by innovative solutions, something new, to introduce something else, and this must be done before competitors.

2. Rule of three Cs

In its full version, this rule looks like this: "listen, look and ask." It extends not only to working with information that comes from customers, but also to encouraging employee initiative. If you listen carefully to customers and try to understand their problems, you can understand what kind of innovative product they will demand in the market. Encouraging the initiative of the organization's staff creates a special climate that involves the introduction of innovations. The employee can come from the very crazy idea to the head, but it is always worth listening to the subordinate carefully, because it can be really original.

3. Rule 15%

The company's R&D staff can spend 15% of their working time developing own initiatives... This rule gives the employee freedom, it is easier for him to generate ideas and test their effectiveness.

4. The rule of quantitative goals

You need to give your employees more freedom, but this does not replace the need to set quantitative goals for them: if they are abandoned, it will be more difficult to move forward. The process of bringing new ideas to life in the company should be formalized: idea - concept - assessment of opportunities - development - adaptation - launch.

At each stage, a decision is made whether to go further. When a new product is invented, you always need to be prepared for the fact that it will not turn out to be successful. And even if you spent money on development, sometimes it is important to be able to stop in time so as not to lose even more.

5. The Patient Money Rule

Many developments are planned to enter the market only in 10-15 years, and these investments ensure the stable long-term success of the company.

How to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of innovations in the enterprise

Any innovation, as has been mentioned more than once, implies some kind of positive effect. Innovation can be assessed in terms of efficiency and impact. The effect is a purely commercial result, while "efficiency is the ability of innovation to create additional profit per unit of resource attraction." Based on the definitions, the following types of the effect of innovation can be distinguished:

Scientific and technical.
Economic.
Social.
Ecological.

There are a number of parameters that can be used to estimate innovative project... The commercial impact of innovation is not the most important in this chain. Innovation must be assessed along the entire chain of results. From a practical point of view, the commercial effect is of greater interest to both investors and creators. It is defined as the difference between income and expenses that have arisen as a result of its implementation.

The effectiveness of innovative activities is assessed by the following indicators:

Project cost.
Net present value of the project.
Profitability.
Internal rate of return.
Payback period of investments.

6 rules for working with personnel when introducing innovations

Rule 1.Narrow gate rule

This method of working with personnel can be safely called ideological, in other words, it is completely based on corporate culture... With this method of management, any innovation will be invented by a creative group, which is considered prestigious to be a part of, and it is interesting to work with such a team. Many tend to go through narrow doors. This is the main motive for highly productive work, therefore, ensures the success of the introduction of innovation. We can say that participation in the development of innovations and their implementation becomes an incentive for employees.

The narrow gate rule can be the basis for regular enterprise innovation. There is also a second meaning of this rule, which is to take into account the capabilities of a qualified employee. In other words, when the process of introducing any innovation involves new employee, it is important to consider how he can act in this case.

Research shows that if at the very beginning such an employee is given the opportunity to freely choose any method of work, and the most optimal method is offered later (for example, in the form of instructions), then, even having a desire to use the optimal method, he will deviate from the proposed instructions and act according to - to your own. Moreover, if the employee is immediately offered the best method of work, then the options for the means used by him at the end of the work process will be insignificant. Based on the foregoing, it can be understood that the second aspect of this rule is to limit the variations of future innovation, in following the general plan from the beginning of the innovation implementation.

Rule 2.The rule of climbing stairs

According to sociological research, indicators of quality and efficiency of work improve much faster and by long term in the case when new methods of work are introduced quickly enough, and then for some time stable work is carried out according to the introduced method ("rest" from innovations).

According to the stepwise implementation practice, compared to the continuous implementation practice, improvements are achieved faster and last longer. In other words, the ladder rule can be expressed as follows: new methods of work should be introduced quickly, alternating periods of intensive implementation (several days, at least weeks) with periods of stable work on new methods (“rest areas”).

Rule 3.Repetition rule

The rule is that the effectiveness of an innovation looks like waves. In this case, the highest point of the wave, that is, the maximum value, is called the efficiency plateau. According to this rule, after reaching the highest point, efficiency most often begins to decline.

In order to keep efficiency on the “crest of the wave” as long as possible, it is necessary to conduct trainings for employees that will help consolidate previously acquired skills (using the narrow gate rule). In other words, this rule may sound like this: when introducing new methods of work, it is necessary to pay attention to the education and training of personnel.

Rule 4.Preheating rule

Employees' old knowledge and skills affect the process of acquiring new knowledge in different ways. This impact can be both positive and negative. Old habits begin to break down during the so-called "defrosting" process.

During this time, employees of the organization experience discomfort, anxiety and try to look for information that can reduce this level of anxiety. If "defrosting" does not occur, then the staff will interpret any innovation through the prism of old views and approaches. This rule says the following: when introducing innovative forms of work, it is important to convince people that the usual methods are already outdated and not suitable for solving new problems.

If you try to introduce new methods without first destroying the usual order, you run the risk of running into the negative impact of old skills and knowledge.

Rule 5.The rule of the tired but happy

According to the theory and practice of effective management, you should set goals higher than the result that you actually expect to receive. However, the goals still need to be realistic to achieve. An employee who participates in the implementation of changes must have a high level of expectations and be sincerely confident in the effectiveness of their work.

This effect can be cumulative: in the process of increasing labor efficiency, the employee assumes more and more responsibilities, and therefore expands the opportunities for his growth and development.

Low expectations, on the contrary, reduce the efficiency of work, which means that they contribute to distrust in the process of introducing innovations. This rule can be formulated as follows: when formulating the goals of introducing innovations, it is worth setting them above the desired result.

Rule 6.Feedback rule

To finally convince employees that innovation is really effective, you need not talk, but act. That is why, as a leader, you must record the increase in performance in order to then justify the effectiveness of the implemented innovations.

In other words, this rule may sound as follows: the success of innovations is largely determined by the presence of an effective close connection between the manager and subordinates. Information about the successes and failures of innovation implementation should be timely, since only in this case it is possible to quickly adjust the implementation process and at the same time convince your team to work even better without disappointing people.

Examples of implementing innovations in Russia

Example 1. In 2009, the Russian IT company wanted to repeat the success of the antivirus it introduced to the market a year ago. His sales were about half a million boxes. The company has made the updated version of the antivirus a premium product: in expensive packaging and on another medium - a flash card instead of a CD. We also wanted to start promoting a version of the antivirus for mobile phones.

The crisis confused all the cards: both individuals and companies bought only the most necessary things. However, the company was not going to give up. To get things done, she offered added value instead of a price cut. When antivirus sales plummeted, it seemed like a logical move to lower the price a little. But I didn't want to do this, especially since the cost of the product had already grown due to the fall of the ruble.

Therefore, instead of reducing the price, customers were offered additional value: they added an English-Russian electronic dictionary to the antivirus as a bonus. Why a dictionary? Because in Russian retail it is the second most popular type of software after antiviruses. A new version of the antivirus with a free dictionary was released on the market in August 2009.

The demand for the updated box exceeded expectations, so that the price was even increased by 10%. At first, they were going to release two types of product: with and without a dictionary, but 10% cheaper. However, the market voted for the version with a bonus, and after three months the company completely renewed the lineup, starting to offer only the version with a dictionary.

Example 2. A Russian manufacturer of medical equipment has created a new device - a physiotherapy apparatus. Its counterparts have already proven themselves well in the markets of Europe and Russia, and three companies produced such devices in our country. But before starting to work in such a narrow market niche, it was necessary to clearly define competitive advantages... The company looked at the existing counterparts through the eyes of consumers and found opportunities for improvement.

The domestic apparatus was very bulky, and the more compact Chinese did not have a registration certificate from the Ministry of Health. The manufacturer released the device of higher quality than the analogue of Russian competitors, but at the same time with documents that the imported device does not have. With the new product, the company won 40% of the sales market from competitors in a year and a half.

Example 3. The Russian manufacturer of concrete curbs has introduced a new product to the market - continuous casting curbs. In order for the product to meet expectations, the company decided to use good news, humor and interesting information in its promotion. The first thing the company did was invent an enemy for its business. It was the ugly gray border of the old days. Nothing helps advancement like having an enemy.

If your business doesn't have an enemy yet, come up with one. The enemy does not have to be a competitor. This could be an outdated product or course of action. This does not offend anyone and does not offend personally, which means that you can laugh and scoff at such an enemy. This is exactly what the company did in the course of the action called "The Funeral of the Old Curbstone".

Its goal was to attract the attention of a wide audience by cheerfully telling the townspeople the good news. The best strategy for any honest business that enters the market is to offer something to the public without asking for anything in return. In this case, consumers will be ready to listen to you, see and try your products. Before staging a spectacle, the company has already made a gift to the city by placing graceful borders around the fountain and flower beds in one of the most beautiful courtyards in Moscow. Therefore, the issue of the place of the action was decided by itself - it took place on the site near the fountain.

The invitation to the curb's funeral was sent to many addresses, including in various media. Even those who could not come learned from the invitation that there was new technology improvement. The event itself took place according to a prepared scenario: with speeches, music, a ceremony of burying the old ugly border and a demonstration of the work of a new laying machine.

Example 4. This is how a Russian seller of medical equipment promoted its new product on the market. The company held an action “Across Moscow with a pedometer”. The idea was to remind people how to keep fit: you need to take about 10 thousand steps a day.

Everyone could, together with the company, measure the Boulevard Ring in steps in order to imagine what 10 thousand steps are. With the help of the company's new product - pedometers, they calculated that the length of the Boulevard Ring is 6,843 steps. This is how consumers were told about the company and its products.

Chicago economist Frank Knight argued that any real gain is associated with uncertainty or imperfect information. What he meant by this is that after subtracting implicit returns, what remains is net income, which is the reward for making investments with uncertain returns. When analyzing the risk reward, we usually do not take into account the risk of non-payment and the insured risk. Provision for the risk of non-payment "covers" the possibility that the loan or investment will not be returned, for example, due to the bankruptcy of the borrower. The insured risk is a risk that can be eliminated by purchasing insurance. These two risks are simply normal exercise risks. economic activity and are accounted for as costs. But there is also a kind of risk that should be considered when calculating profit; this type is the insured investment risk. A company can be highly sensitive to business cycles, which means that earnings fluctuate significantly with the ups and downs in aggregate output. Because investors are characterized by risk aversion, they require a risk premium on these unreliable investments to offset this risk aversion. Corporate profits are the most volatile component of national income, so corporate capital must contain a significant risk premium to attract investors. Empirical research shows that 3-6 percentage points of annual earnings on corporate stocks represent the risk premium needed to get people to make these risky investments.

Another channel through which uncertainty contributes to profit margins is rewards for innovation and entrepreneurship. To clarify this aspect, let us assume that we have already deducted from the profit compensation for the risk of non-payment, as well as for the insured and uninsured risks. In the world perfect competition and unchanging technologies, additional profits will not exist at all. In this world, owners will receive for their factors used and assumed risk exactly the same amount for which their services are estimated at competitive markets In other words, the free entry of countless competitors into markets in a static world of unchanging technology will drive prices down to the level of production costs. The only sustainable varieties of profit in such a world would be competitive wages, rents, rents, and risk-bearing income. However, we do not live in such a "sleepy kingdom". In reality, people with a new idea or patent can introduce a new product or lower the cost of producing an old product. Let's call the person who does these things an innovator or an entrepreneur. We can distinguish “innovation profits” as temporary excess income accruing to innovators or entrepreneurs.

What do we mean by "innovators"? Such people should not be confused with managers (managers) who are heads of large and small firms, but do not own a significant part of the property of these firms. Innovators are different from managers. Innovators are people who have insight, originality and courage in bringing new ideas to business. History has seen such great inventors as Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone), Thomas Edison (inventor of the light bulb), and Chester Carlson (inventor of xerography). Some inventors have made huge profits from their entrepreneurship. In this century, the world has watched Stephen Jobs, who founded Apple Computers, and Bill Gates, among the richest Americans because of his astute leadership at Microsoft, which made software... However, for each of these successful innovators, there are many who have failed on the road to fame and success. Many have tried; have succeeded units.

Every successful innovation (innovation) creates a temporary monopoly. During a short time interval, innovators earn innovative profits. These profits are temporary and are soon eliminated by rivals and imitators. But as soon as one of the sources of innovative profit dries up, another immediately appears. Innovative profits exist as long as technological progress continues.

Innovation is essential for any area of business. Success and stability of the company in the modern market depends on their successful implementation. However, in the process of change, management may face open opposition from a team that is not ready for innovation. How to “extinguish” the negativity and introduce innovations without harming the business?

"Many attempts to change are crashed against a pile of stereotypes - empty spaces in the Picture of the World"
Vladimir Tarasov

Innovation - an integral part of the business. Its main criteria are manageability and compliance with the organization's business strategies. Competent implementation of changes will allow them to become not only part of the company, but also part of the mentality of the team. They will certainly affect the quality of the products (services) created, the development and growth of the company, and contribute to its stability in the market. Many business leaders emphasize that a global amount of new ideas have been generated today. The problem lies in their choice and rational implementation. And this is possible in a team where there is a team spirit, there is a constant exchange of experience and ideas, and employees believe that all changes are for the better.

For employees to embrace innovation without negativity, they must be confident that the leader who takes the initiative can be trusted. Subordinates trust the manager who has formed a positive "credit history" in the eyes of the staff.

"If you want to take the path of innovation, then you must be capable of intuitive judgment."
Fred Smith

At one of his seminars, he spoke about the criteria for successful innovations:

“Even F. Taylor said that it is wrong to carry out the implementation of changes in the company on a massive scale, in all subsections at once. Innovation is always a "front", it is a redistribution of rights and power. There will certainly be those who are against, who will not give up power so easily. By narrowing the front section, you can get the maximum "advantage".

F. Taylor first implemented his great system on one worker who was dragging weights. He told him: “You make $ 1.15 a day, do you want this figure to increase to $ 1.85? We will move this stack of blanks together with you, but I will tell you how to take a blank, to what height to raise it, how to turn it, how to rest. Let's make the first batch together. " Interested, the worker agreed. Applying Taylor's hints, he transferred the entire stack of heavy blanks in one day, which was 4 days of a worker's work.

“The blow must be delivered with maximum advantage. It is necessary to narrow the front so that in this area you have the maximum "
Sun Tzu

“With an experiment conducted by F. Taylor with one worker, scientific organization labor in the world "
Vladimir Tarasov

Driving Innovation: Overcoming Resistance

“It is necessary to do what no one else has done - this is the only way to achieve success, the only way to maintain leadership”
V. Dovgan

How to implement changes in the company and make the team believe in their necessity and effectiveness?
The manager is encouraged to use the following methods:

provide staff with full information about innovations;
implement a training program for employees;
unite the team, involve employees in the design process and implementation of changes;
to provide support in the difficulties arising in the process of transition to a new format of work;
create special instructions regulating the use of innovations;
build a system of employee motivation;
apply the functions of control and persuasion.

Vladimir Tarasov emphasized that it is very important for employees to show that it is possible to work according to the new rules, moreover, it is even profitable and convenient: “Let's recall the F. Taylor rule again.”

Taylor Rule # 2: Prove the "existence theorem".

“Before creating a theorem, it is necessary to prove the possibility of its existence, so as not to search in vain. The same applies to the introduction of innovations. People should understand that it is possible, that it is possible to work this way! "

F. Taylor installed above the walkway platform with a machine, where the whole workshop worked, and a stopwatch hung above it. When workers went to work, they saw that a standard part, which takes, for example, 2 minutes and 20 seconds, was being made by Taylor's worker in front of everyone in just 30 seconds! People see that it is possible, and it is beneficial for both the entrepreneur and the worker.

When Confucius rebuilt China to his system, he figured out how to prove the "theorem of existence." He formulated a simple thing: “The ancient rulers (Vans) lived correctly. Let's go back to their control system. Since the “ancients” succeeded, it means that we will succeed ”.

"It is very important that people believe that it is real to do this, that this innovation is viable."
Vladimir Tarasov

There was also such a case. Soviet engineers could not decide technical challenge in a secret area. We decided that it wouldn’t work. The management decided to help them. But how? The executives might not be technical, but they were good at management. So they brought two plainclothes men to the engineers, who said, “The Americans solved this problem two weeks ago. So far, it has not been possible to steal a solution. Try it guys. " The engineers tried again and they succeeded. Because they realized it was solvable. Although the management came up with everything. "

New Life: How to Innovate a Company

"The key to business success is innovation, which, in turn, is born of creativity."
J. Goodnight

The introduction of innovations in the company will be successful if the analysis of the scale of the "forces" that operate in the conditions of the business processes of the enterprise is carried out. Such a measure will make it possible to identify opponents of changes and see how expedient their implementation is. The "forces" of the team can be conditionally subdivided into driving (supporting innovation) and constraining (resisting).

Vladimir Tarasov very accurately identified the types, thanks to which the changes will not "fade away" under the influx of opposition from opponents:

“Since during the implementation of innovations there will always be“ enemies ”who want to“ strangle ”them, it is important that the three roles are not empty:

1. "Fan" of the product. A person who understands the essence of innovation well and worries about it. He does not allow to pervert or simplify the innovation, to engage in profanity. He will "fight to the death", scandal and conflict with those who try to do it. For example, a situation from construction: there is only one architectural project, but builders came and figured out how to replace the material with a cheaper one, how to make the corners sharper. The result was not at all what was planned. Since there was no “fan” of the product who would not allow the idea to be perverted.

2. Product "manager". The innovation contains some technologies that need to be implemented. It's like a heart transplant: you need to not only find the heart, but also sew all the smallest vessels, and this needs to be done by someone. A common implementation mistake is that the least “needed” employee is hired for this job. He is not very competent, does not quite understand what others are doing. Everyone "kicks" him, sews him off, says: "We have no time." Then the implementation of the innovation fails - "a wrongly transplanted heart does not work."

3. "Godfather". This is a leader who is not involved in the implementation of innovation, but will "give it a hand" to anyone who tries to "strangle" it. There are usually many opponents - the people unite against the innovator, because if everything works out, his authority will grow, and their authority will fall. Therefore, there must be a "godfather" who will protect the "manager" and the "fan".

It is undesirable to allow one of the roles to be ignored in this "chain" - they are all important. If there is no “fan” of the product, profanation ensues under the general pressure. There is a “manager” of the product, there is a “godfather”, but it turns out as in the expression “We wanted the best, but it turned out as always”.
If there is no “manager” of the product, the picture is not very positive either. The “fan” of the product comes with his idea to the “godfather”. He lights up, they sit for hours in the office, others are not allowed, they are working on an important idea. But there is no “manager” of the product, which means that the business is not progressing. After a while, they no longer work on the idea so much, now the "fan" is waiting for a reception in front of the office. Over time, everything fades away, since there is a theory, but there is no practice. "

Vladimir Tarasov talks about roles and innovations in detail in his author's online course

Effective innovation - stability and growth of the company

"Change creates change"
N. Machiavelli

The introduction of innovations can also meet resistance from consumers, suppliers, customers. To increase the demand for the updated product, the main task of the head is to establish relations between the company and the "external" environment .

“You need to know that at the moment of introducing an innovation, the situation in the company will worsen. It's like renovating an apartment. At the moment of furniture replacement, the apartment will look worse than before it was replaced. Calling guests at this time is not very good good idea... This should be done either "before" or "after". It's the same with the company. There will definitely be a decrease in output, a decrease in quality, a decrease in income. This means that for this time it is necessary to accumulate and prepare a reorganization (innovation) resource "
Vladimir Tarasov

Measures to help reduce the resistance of the "external" environment:

creation of a system for collecting information about demand, product popularity, customer preferences;
encouraging employees to transfer "client" information to senior management;
focus on the "usefulness" of innovations not only for the company, but also for consumers;
building reliable relationships with customers and partners.

At lectures and seminars, Vladimir Tarasov spoke more than once about the importance of the properties and qualities of innovations:

“An important factor hindering implementation is unpopular innovations. It is good when innovation brings happiness to everyone. But it can bring happiness to the first leader who thinks far, in the distant "planning horizon." But the collective does not think "for years", it thinks for "months". Therefore, innovation is perceived as negative. The team understands its meaning, but does not want it. “Yes, I understand, but I don’t need that. I don't need company happiness in 50 years. I need now. I can tolerate two years, but not 50 years. I am against such an innovation. "
When innovation is unpopular, Machiavelli's thesis should be used. Namely: first, a popular measure is started, which we initially did not need, and only then an unpopular one is introduced.

The company's ability to learn and innovate faster than others is an important condition for its competitiveness in the market. Innovation potential today is one of the main strategic resources, and innovation management is an integral "lever" of a modern leader.

Any new technology or innovation process is not a secret formula. This is competent management and right choice company growth strategies, asking questions accurately and finding the right answers. Change for any business is an opportunity to make a breakthrough in its development. And if innovation becomes a unique value, the organization has a tremendous chance of sustainable growth and success.

Once a client came to my office and said from the doorway: "I am ready to take money." At first I was somewhat taken aback, but then, after clarifying the motive for his arrival, I realized that he had ideas and he was ready to take money for them. I always smile when I remember it.

Unfortunately, when it comes to innovation to one degree or another, the same claims are heard: not enough funding. Therefore, in order to dispel the myth of insufficient funding, without which it is allegedly impossible to create something new, let's start, as they say, "from the stove" - with the concept of "innovation".

Innovation is about creating something new that brings value. Signs of innovation - a "leap" in the added value received. We will refer to the new:

1. Improvement of the existing product.

2. Creation of a new product.

1. Improvement of a new product... This happens in 90% or more of the cases when innovations are introduced. Such innovations bring at least 40% of corporate profits per year, and if the innovation process is put on stream, then the percentage is much higher.

The costs in this case are small: making small organizational changes, creating an Innovation Management Council, creating innovative teams. Everything is done with the existing employees, with the available resources.

2. Creation of a new product... This happens much less often. There are new products that are technically complex, or less complex. Based on this, all resources are planned. If the product is technically complex, then a separate business unit is allocated, a fund of several investors is created. Corporations, government agencies, international structures can act as investors.

For example, when I took part in the project for the development of gas turbine engines "Superjet 100" (creation of nano-spraying for blades of gas turbine engines), I compared the whole process that was taking place then in Russia with foreign analogues. It turned out that in order to create a new coating for the blades of gas turbine engines, which are used in Boeing, competing companies are going: Boeing, Rolls-Royce, GE and others, create a fund (with approximately 10-20% participation) and in the region of 10 years this new business unit, I emphasize, created from competitors, researches, develops and launches a new spraying for blades. In our country, all financing of such a process falls on the shoulders of factories and the state. This is the question why the innovation process is slow in Russia in terms of R&D.

The mistake of our companies and corporations lies in the fact that since Soviet times only technically complex products have been attributed to innovations, which undoubtedly require significant time and financial costs.

In most cases, innovations take place according to the first option - improving the existing product.

And here the problem is not in financing innovations, for which large and even small companies have funds, for the most part, the problem exists in understanding which innovative actions bring profit “leapfrogging”, or in translation - how to implement the innovation process in a corporation?

What needs to be done to make the flow of innovations go according to the first option?

There are many ways: specialized innovation groups, the creation of an innovative culture, the allocation of separate business units, the creation of entrepreneurial teams, etc.

In each company, this issue must be approached from the specifics of the industry and business.

In Russian practice, everyone acts on a whim, since the main issues have not been resolved:

Top management does not understand, or does not want to understand that the main profit comes from innovations in improving the product, and not the development of a completely new product, but for this it is necessary to change organizational approaches.
Downstream divisions do not understand how what they are developing can be launched further and whether the market needs it.
Few people understand how to tie everything into a system to create an innovation flow.

But the main thing is not to deceive yourself that innovation is only financing, thereby leading your companies and your future to a standstill.

Innovation is how you implement the process. The question is, do you really want to innovate? This question seems absurd to me, but we can all see what is happening around. Everyone requires funding, everyone is "ready to take money."

Photo in the announcement: facebook.com

It might be helpful to read: