Given the nature of our technology-driven global economy, all organizations and institutions must be innovative entities to remain relevant, let alone competitive. While it’s no secret that the speed with which technology is evolving is not matched by the human factor, I believe that every organization already employs the intellectual and creative talent it needs to be successful. The fly in the ointment is the fact that few managers know how to leverage the intellectual and creative resources of the individuals who report to them. In previous chapters, we’ve provided the means for managers to correct this situation with three workflow management sessions that elevate collaboration to the digital age standard.
The fourth workflow management component, Ongoing Planning, provides a means to capitalize on the interconnectivities created by technology’s warp-speed evolution. Significantly, it reframes the planning function from a scheduled event carried out by a few to an ongoing process involving many.
The collaborative sessions are interrelated and designed to be introduced in a particular sequence: Issues Management first, followed by Innovation, and then Problem-Solving. The Ongoing Planning Database cannot be installed until the three collaborative sessions are in place.
A management team can choose to adopt the Issues Management process only and not add the others. That alone has a transformative effect on the workflow management practices and collaborative outcomes in any organization.
Adoption of the Innovation process can be delayed until meetings have been replaced by Issues Management Sessions. Adding the Innovation process later enables an organization to develop top-tier innovative capabilities within a very short time span.
The Problem-Solving Session, as you know, utilizes elements of both the Issues Management and the Innovation sessions. The structure and guiding principles of the sessions enable managers to upgrade the quality of thought utilized to manage issues, solve problems, and recognize opportunities. Unquestionably, nothing is more critical to an organization’s success than the quality of its intellectual and creative capital, which, when properly applied, becomes intellectual and creative equity.
In conclusion, the collaborative sessions empower managers to leverage human capital and develop innovation and speed-to-market capabilities—vital competencies for success in the digital age. Ongoing Planning, the fourth part of the equation, enables the creation of sustainable value.