Thought starter: Responsive Innovation.
Do you want to know how to be ready for what's next? Responsive innovation can help.
What is responsive innovation?
It's the idea of being able to quickly adapt in order to capitalise on new opportunities. This is about being able to change your plans as the world changes around you. You need to be able to have the flexibility in your ideas, but also in how you get things done. There are lots of benefits that come with this approach including:
greater customer engagement
increased revenue streams
improved operational efficiency
But before we get into those benefits, let's take a look at what responsive innovation really means so you can see if it might work for your business or non-profit organisation.
Responsive innovation = agility + adaptability
This is what responsive innovation really means; organisations that are agile and adaptable in their approach to different business challenges. It's having the ability to make changes quickly, based on new information, feedback or ideas. This can be applied not just internally but also externally when it comes to looking at your clients, donors, and the networks you work with.
This approach allows you to be more responsive in how changes are made, which means it's a good idea to try out new things and see what works for you. This ability to make quick adjustments means that organisations can respond more quickly to changing market conditions or customer needs. This means you can adapt, compete and succeed in a market that is more dynamic than ever before.
Some of the benefits of responsive innovation are that organisations can engage audiences better, grow revenue streams and be more efficient. Implementing a variety of measures is one way to make this a reality for your business. One way is to invest in new technology, people and processes. Another way is to train staff on how to be agile and adaptable in their approach. A third idea you might want to explore is using foresight tools to build plans and make decisions. In order to measure the success of this type of approach, set up some metrics ahead of time which you can afterwards track if they have been effective.
Lets look at 3 ways responsive innovation can make a difference:
Greater customer engagement
For a lot of not-for-profits, increasing customer engagement is a big challenge. There are a few different ways that responsive innovation can help with this issue. One way is by being able to use technology better in order to target the right customer with the right message at just the right time. Another way is by being flexible and evolving with your messaging so you can keep up with changes in customer needs or wants. This responsiveness is vital if you want to stay in touch with changing customer behaviour, and ahead of your competitors.
Increased revenue streams
Responsive innovation makes it easier for organisations to tap into new revenue streams. These can come from different sources but some examples are existing customers, new groups of donors and the networks you work with. By being able to embrace new possibilities, you can explore business opportunities that previously may have been too risky or unknown. This type of approach also gives you more room to try out new ideas. You can use your responsive innovation skills to test the waters and see what works for your organisation. This means you don't need to invest in things that ultimately aren't going to work for you, saving time and money in the process.
Improved operational efficiency
This is one of the biggest benefits of responsive innovation. Being able to make adjustments based on new information or changing technology enables you to be more efficient and effective as a business. It allows not-for-profits to use resources better, save time and improve impact.
By being agile and adaptable in your approach to business, you will be able to better engage with customers and achieve greater revenue streams. This means your business can operate more efficiently and successfully in a dynamic market environment, which is what responsive innovation is all about.
What do you think? Is this type of approach something that would benefit your not-for-profit? Or do you already have a way of doing things, like agile innovation, which provides many of the same benefits?
insight & foresight supports not-for-profit CEOs and Boards make decisions for impact and future growth. We bring additional capacity and capability to your planning and decision making. Contact insight & foresight today to discuss how we can support you.
