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After hitting success, all companies running ‘business as usual’ are faced with the same problem: how can they “reorient themselves to their future” (Geoffrey Moore, Escape Velocity, 2011) and leave behind their past growth creators in hopes of maintaining and improving their positions? Looking at today’s companies which were successful on the long-run, we see one clear answer: innovation. "Innovation is not an initiative; it is a business process. The process begins with market selection and includes steps to uncover customer needs, determine which needs are unmet, formulate a growth strategy, and devise and evaluate product and service concepts." (Tony Ulwick, Outcome-Drivne Innovation white paper, 2013).

During this complex process, things may get messy, and problems will start to arise. Our purpose with this wiki is to help you find them out, and show you how to solve them. For this, we provide you with a playbook that will guide you through the jungle of innovation.

We got your back!

Who are we?
We are a team of twenty five students currently completing innovation training at the ‘Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey’ in Guadalajara, Mexico. We all come from different backgrounds, that is to say that we both have different fields of study and expertise, and also come from various countries around the globe.

How will this playbook help you?
This playbook is a step-by-step guide to create an environment that fosters innovation. Innovation is crucial for a company to stay alive, and to keep and develop competitive advantage. It is important for companies to be familiar with a set of innovation capabilities.

Innovation capabilities are connected to:
 * The creation of new ideas.
 * The ability to identify market needs.
 * The ability to design attractive products.
 * The ability to create suitable solutions.
 * Design a business that allows the company to succeed.
 * Be able to differentiate from other market players.
 * Have resources to implement decisions and make them scalable.
 * Create sustainability.
 * As an overall consideration ask: Does the company act to innovate?

This playbook focuses on a set of nine different innovation capabilites written above. A company that lacks any of these capabilities has a capability gap. Consequently, the playbook is divided into nine chapters, one for each gap. The capability gaps are defined as: action gap, idea gap, need gap, product design gap, solution gap, business design gap, differentiation gap, implementation- and growth gap, and sustainability gap.

How to use this playbook?
Every chapter is introduced by defining the specific capability gap. This is to create an understanding about what the gap is. The definition part is followed by a diagnostic test to identify the current situation and further see if your company is in this capability gap. After this, there is a case study taken from reality which purpose is to create a deeper understanding of the gap and how to avoid it. Finally, there is the solution part where the playbook provides recommendations and practical solutions of how to exit the gap. First of all: To determine where you stand right now relative to the innovation and growth creation, start off by taking this SIMPLE DIAGNOSTIC which will help pinpoint your current location. Doing the diagnostic will lead you to know what chapter(s) to dig more into.

What else can I find on this site?
There is more material related to innovation that could inspire the growth of your company. In the VIDEO and ARTICLES section you will find more information that can guide the progress of your company to success. Go ahead and take a look!