Skip to content

IT & Innovation Team to Support New Growth Frontiers

Beyond Tech Support

Many would make the case that the IT department, or IT specialist on the team, plays an integral role in the company’s innovation efforts. The IT team is often in a foundational role, as more organizations invest time and resources in technology, especially with the growing wave of digital transformation taking place across industries in the innovation space. So, in essence, the IT team supports the innovation team by making sure operations and infrastructure runs smoothly.

However, IT can also provide much more than tech support. As one blog on IdeaWake, “What Is IT’s Role in Your Organization’s Innovation Plan?” notes, “By allowing your IT department to lead the way on technological innovation, your organization will witness a wave of innovative thinking, from management to your frontline employees. The most innovative companies have already recognized this, with over 62% of high-growth companies investing in technology in order to grow their innovative potential.”

Strategizing with your IT leaders can be as simple as holding regular meetings. Weekly interdepartmental meetings help groups recalibrate and prioritize present tasks while developing future assets. This will help bring in the IT specialist as a strategic partner in innovation and transformation efforts. This will also help create a focus on risk assessment. Creating and cultivating an atmosphere of sharing will help both IT and innovation teams with co-creation initiatives. Recognize your IT professionals’ skills and listen to what they have to say. Communicate with each other and rely on their experience and technical expertise. You can be sure that other newcomers, startups and disruptors to your industry are doing the same as they develop their products and services.

Going Digital

An article on All Things Innovation recently explored, “Putting Together Your Innovation Team.” Innovation teams are no longer working in a bubble, or at least not as much as they used to. Moving forward for agile organizations there is a much greater emphasis on cross-collaboration with other teams and departments in the company. From marketing and finance, to research and insights, to technology and IT services, innovation teams are expected to integrate, co-create and align with the business and its strategies on a broader level.

In terms of technology, digital transformation is clearly a key hot topic in this year’s Innovation Spend & Trends Report, as innovation executives weigh in on the issue of advancing technology in their data capture, analysis and visualization needs. In the survey, just under two-thirds of the community list digital transformation as the biggest opportunity for the innovation discipline. About 65% of respondents listed digital transformation as the biggest opportunity in the field. These digital initiatives have existed in primarily finance and IT over the past few years. But efficiencies have been gained and now it seems that the innovation discipline is being tasked with taking those digital technology plans forward.

Plug into IT

Information technology specialists can bring several benefits to an innovation team. We plugged into ChatGPT and explored some ways in which IT specialists can contribute and add value to an innovation team:

  1. Technical Expertise: IT specialists possess in-depth technical knowledge and expertise in various areas of information technology. They can provide valuable insights and guidance on emerging technologies, software development, infrastructure, data management, and security. Their expertise can help the innovation team make informed decisions and develop effective technology solutions.
  2. Problem Solving and Troubleshooting: IT specialists are skilled at problem-solving and troubleshooting complex technical issues. They can apply their analytical thinking and troubleshooting skills to identify and resolve challenges that arise during the innovation process. Their ability to find practical solutions can save time and resources for the team.
  3. Technology Evaluation and Selection: As technology evolves rapidly, IT specialists can assist the innovation team in evaluating and selecting the right tools, software, and technologies to support their projects. They can conduct thorough assessments, compare options, and provide recommendations based on factors like functionality, scalability, compatibility, and cost-effectiveness.
  4. System Integration: IT specialists can help integrate various systems and technologies within the innovation team’s workflow. They can streamline processes, automate tasks, and ensure seamless communication and data exchange between different tools and platforms. This integration can enhance collaboration, efficiency, and overall productivity of the team.
  5. Data Analysis and Insights: Data plays a crucial role in innovation, and IT specialists can contribute by analyzing and interpreting data relevant to the team’s projects. They can leverage their data management skills, utilize analytical tools, and extract meaningful insights from large datasets. These insights can inform decision-making, identify trends, and guide the development of innovative solutions.
  6. Cybersecurity and Risk Mitigation: With the increasing reliance on technology, cybersecurity is a critical concern for innovation teams. IT specialists can contribute their knowledge of cybersecurity best practices, risk assessment, and data privacy regulations. They can help identify potential vulnerabilities, implement security measures, and ensure the protection of sensitive information throughout the innovation process.
  7. Continuous Learning and Adaptability: IT specialists are accustomed to continuous learning and keeping up with the latest technological advancements. They can bring this mindset to the innovation team, staying updated on industry trends, exploring new tools and methodologies, and sharing their knowledge with team members. Their adaptability can contribute to an agile and innovative work environment.

Driving Transformation

According to Deloitte’s Innovation Study in 2021, 80% of CIOs and tech leaders say they are driving their companies’ innovation efforts. The next most common roles involved in innovation were strategy at 48% and operations at 43%, indicating that technology by a wide margin is the primary function driving enterprise innovation. Deloitte notes, “CIOs are uniquely positioned to fuel their company’s growth, as they are already responsible for high-growth initiatives like data monetization and digital transformation. With nearly three quarters of organizations expecting to have an excellent or leading innovation capability in the next two years, CIOs should develop a methodical approach to innovation that can lead to differentiated growth.”

Overall, IT specialists bring a unique set of skills and expertise to an innovation team, enabling them to leverage technology effectively, overcome technical challenges, and drive successful innovation initiatives. Clarify your mission, build the right operating model and establish agile ways of working with IT.

As Deloitte notes in its article, “The innovation imperative: Lessons from high-growth companies,” “Accomplishing this across the innovation life cycle and scaling solutions to drive corporate growth is not an easy task—but savvy CIOs know that it is the only way for them to differentiate and deliver impact. Tech leaders should view this as an opportunity to rise to the occasion and push their organizations to new frontiers of growth.”

Video courtesy of CIO

Contributor

  • Matt Kramer

    Matthew Kramer is the Digital Editor for All Things Insights & All Things Innovation. He has over 20 years of experience working in publishing and media companies, on a variety of business-to-business publications, websites and trade shows.

 
 

Related Content

data science

Solving the Data Bottleneck

The flow of data into an organization has increased as technology such as AI has been developed and rolled out. Big data is here. Some companies may f…

innovation growth

Unlocking Growth Through Innovation

The business world is changing quickly for innovators and there is a growing and ever-present imperative to keep up. Business model transformations an…

technology

Living in A Digital Transformation World

Digital transformation (DX) has been a hot topic in the innovation space for some time, but the term can be easily misunderstood as well. As we accele…

disruptive innovation

Sustaining the Self-Disruption Journey

The adage “disrupt or be disrupted” may not necessarily always mean the same thing to the same companies. Even the original architects of disrupti…

foresights

Playing the Game of Disruption

At FEI, Angelina Carvajal, Strategy & Innovation Partner, Sr. Dir. (Optum Advisory), UnitedHealth Group, had a chance to share her thoughts on disrupt…

innovation team

Creating the Happiness Mindset for Innovation

With 2023 often being labeled the year of uncertainty, it comes as no surprise that consumers, and the innovation community, has had its fair share of…

innovation culture

Breaking Through Challenges to Problem Solve

While it’s important to learn from best practices from large and innovative enterprises, it’s also valuable to hear from the startup community. At…

consumer

Opening the Doors of Innovation Perception

Seth Adler of All Things Innovation caught up with Cory Sorice, SVP and Chief Innovation Officer, Masonite International, during this year’s FEI con…

disruption

Beyond Innovation Theater

At FEI, All Things Innovation conducted a special roundtable, bringing cross industry, cross disciplinarians together to talk about transformation and…

transformation

Supporting Data with Design Thinking

At FEI, All Things Innovation conducted a special roundtable, bringing cross industry, cross disciplinarians together to talk about transformation and…

technology

Achieving Transformational Innovation

At FEI, All Things Innovation conducted a special roundtable, bringing cross industry, cross disciplinarians together to talk about transformation and…

innovation team

The Finance Factor in Innovation

The finance function in an organization often gets tabbed as a bottom line-oriented, conservative department that more often than not stifles innovati…

innovation team

Setting the Strategic Direction

A chief strategy officer (CSO) is increasingly becoming a more relevant element to a research and development team in an organization. An innovation t…

innovation talent

Managing the Marketing of Innovation

Even some of the best new innovations might fail if there’s no effective marketing behind the product or service. With an emphasis on cross-collabor…

innovation culture

Playing Moneyball for the Win

In the popular baseball movie “Moneyball,” the character Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill) highlights the “epic failure” of MLB leadership in managin…

innovation talent

Putting Together Your Innovation Team

As the community’s recent Innovation Spend & Trends Report indicated, innovation teams are not working in a bubble, or at least not as much as they…

innovation technology

The Progress of Innovation

Technology is shaping our society, taking us in new directions and playing a key role in our lives every day. These forces can disrupt, or delight, co…

talent

Managing Talent to Drive Innovation

With the economy producing mixed signals, and companies often in a state of flux, managing innovation talent has never been a more challenging and imp…

innovation culture

Balancing Innovation with Ambidexterity

Innovators have long been tasked with being a flexible part of an ambidextrous team, as part of an organizational cog that can easily pivot and manage…

innovation culture

Growing a Culture for Business Innovation

Whether it entails a large jump or a small step, the innovation pipeline for a business keeps it moving forward through a competitive landscape. Busin…

brand friction

Embrace Good Friction to Stimulate Growth

The concept of positive brand friction postulates that it can be used to stimulate and maximize growth, improve the customer experience and enhance ma…

human resources

Tapping Into the Innovation Talent Pipeline

In the last few years, the pandemic and a range of other economic factors have influenced the talent recruitment, development and retention practices…

human resources

Ignite a Culture of Innovation

From the successes to the failures, from the breakthroughs to the breaking points, the innovation community knows all too well that fostering a cultur…

innovation strategy

Innovation During A Downturn

Whether you believe the USA is headed toward or already in a recession, there are signs of a slowing or reversal of economic activity. Of the 15 metri…

technology

15 Second Workday

This morning I generated 40 new product ideas with concepts and ad copy to accompany each.  It took 15 seconds. This is just a small fraction of what…

business innovation

Innovation Survey

The All Things Innovation Survey Committee along with FEI have created a Spend & Trends survey to provide you the opportunity to benchmark with your p…

innovation talent

From Boredom To Burnout

This roundtable discussion focuses on arguably the most important feature of an innovation discipline, talent. We have a diverse panel of innovation l…

2023 Outlook

Known uncertainty. We enter 2023 with some of the most known uncertainty of our lives. Going into 2019- certainty. Going into 2020- certainty-albeit m…

human resources

Fostering Innovation

When you start to talk that way and lead that way, people do feel more psychologically safe to support change and support innovation that’s happenin…

technology

Innovation Reality

When working remotely, the main challenge is bringing people into an office when they live across the country or around the world. The AES Corporation…

innovation frameworks

Innovation Ecosystems

Innovation is a journey, it’s a continuum of experiences, an act of exploration. The orchestration of ecosystems is more and more important in consi…

innovation culture

Control The Sails

Although the world was affected heavily with change in the last few years, not much in the business world has changed as far as topics and issues go….

innovation talent

Innovation Culture

Innovation starts with the employees of an organization. As we know, the people that work for a business are some of its greatest assets. In today’s…

technology

Interaction Innovation

We are at a time in history of incredible change and technological innovations, such as the rise of machine intelligence, and companies who keep doing…

insights

Measurable Innovation

Each company has their own KPIs that are important to their specific business in place to progress and be successful. Are people at the forefront of i…

innovation talent

Certain Uncertainty

Life is uncertain in every way. It’s always interesting to meet new people and try new things. On the other hand, attackers may sometimes appear out o…

innovation culture

Rolling Innovation

If you’ve done it once, you can do it again. Make sure to keep doing it, it’s rolling innovation. Amber Case sits down with us to discuss how impo…

Innovation Spend & Trends Report

The Innovation Spend & Trends Report has just been released onsite at FEI: Front End of Innovation. Be among the first to gain from this benchmarking…

transformation

Innovation Intelligence

It seems that innovation is one of the biggest buzzwords in business now. To sustain growth and be competitive in the marketplace, companies in every…

innovation culture

Innovation As Constant Change

The key strategy to a successful business is to know when they are being innovative or are just transforming their status quo according to market tren…

digital transformation

Innovation versus Transformation

Many people think digital transformation and innovation are one in the same, but according to Hatrick, while they are closely related, there is a diff…