Learning how to manage innovation together

European Standards

This March, AENOR has published the official version, in Spanish, of several European Standards of the ISO 56000 family, which in turn, are the adoption of the International Standards ISO 56000 (based on the definitions of the latest version in the Oslo Manual). The published standards are the following:

• ISO 56002 provides guidance on the establishment, implementation, maintenance and continuous improvement of an innovation management system.
• ISO 56003 focuses on how to develop any kind of innovation partnership and collaboration, and provides guidance on the tools and methods to achieve this.

Different approaches

AENOR has also updated the 166002 standard, which sets out the requirements of the R&D&I Management System. Several standards of the 56000 series are still pending translation or approval by the international CTN Committee (Evaluation of innovation management, tools and methods for intellectual property management, strategic intelligence management, idea management and tools and methods for measuring innovation operations).

Some companies find that implementing these standardisation and certification tools helps them with their management, while others prefer to adopt different approaches. Xavier Marcet rightly says:

“We used to believe that in order to survive, we needed a plan. Then, we discovered that the world was changing faster than our plans and we opted to incorporate innovation as a driver of transformation. Finally, we discovered that the common thread that keeps companies competitive is their ability to learn.”

At Zabala, we do not offer standardisation consultancy services, nor do we certify organisations according to innovation management standards. However, we are convinced that it is necessary to link the strategy, culture and processes of organisations with innovation and the lifelong learning of professionals.

A strategy for each company

There is no single path to innovation, nor is there a single destination. Innovation is a never-ending journey, in which there is constant room for improvement in key aspects, such as the management of the innovation ecosystem, or the optimisation of public funding.

Each company needs a tailor-made strategy, to understand the road it has travelled so far, and the next stage in its journey. Undoubtedly, the Standards can give us clues on the fundamental processes of innovation management, which are already emerging after more than a decade of experience.

The important thing is to internalise that innovation management is an essential condition for survival, that we must incorporate a culture of constant adaptation into the DNA of our organisation. In our Strategic Plan, we have taken up this quote from Peter Senge, which captures this spirit very well:

“An intelligent organisation is one that continuously and systematically undertakes the processes necessary to learn from its experience.”

If you are interested in our experience on how to manage innovation within your organisation or in the ecosystem (have you tried Kaila?), or how to optimise access to public funding, we would be happy to talk and connect.