How do you collaborate with stakeholders in tech scouting?

Technology scouting is the process of identifying and evaluating emerging technologies that could create new opportunities or threats for your organization. It involves scanning the external environment, assessing the potential impact and value of different technologies, and selecting the ones that align with your strategic goals and capabilities. But technology scouting is not a solo activity. You need to collaborate with various stakeholders, both internal and external, to ensure that your tech scouting efforts are effective, efficient, and aligned with your organization's needs and expectations. In this article, you will learn how to collaborate with stakeholders in tech scouting, and why it is important for your technological innovation.

1 Identify your stakeholders

The first step in collaborating with stakeholders in tech scouting is to identify who they are and what role they play. Stakeholders are any individuals or groups that have an interest or influence in your tech scouting activities, such as customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators, investors, partners, employees, managers, or experts. You need to map out your stakeholders and understand their needs, expectations, preferences, motivations, and challenges. This will help you tailor your communication, engagement, and feedback strategies to each stakeholder group, and avoid potential conflicts or misunderstandings.

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Joab Khamala

Founder and President Joab's Capital and Equity Research
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Tech scouting entails searching for external technologies, startups, or collaborations that can improve your products, services, or operations. Here are some critical steps for effectively collaborating with stakeholders in tech scouting. Determining essential stakeholders; who the essential stakeholders in your organization are for tech scouting. Executives, R&D teams, product managers, innovation leaders, and legal and financial professionals may be among them. Define objectives and criteria; collaborate with stakeholders to develop specific objectives for tech scouting. What specific technologies or capabilities do you require? What are the success criteria? Setting these parameters will help direct your reconnaissance efforts.

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2 Communicate your goals and plans

The second step in collaborating with stakeholders in tech scouting is to communicate your goals and plans clearly and transparently. You need to explain why you are conducting tech scouting, what are the objectives and scope of your research, how you will conduct the analysis and evaluation, and what are the expected outcomes and benefits. You also need to communicate how you will involve the stakeholders in the process, and what are their roles and responsibilities. By communicating your goals and plans, you will build trust and credibility with your stakeholders, and ensure that they are on board with your tech scouting efforts.

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3 Engage your stakeholders in the process

The third step in collaborating with stakeholders in tech scouting is to engage them in the process actively and regularly. You need to solicit their input, feedback, and insights throughout the tech scouting cycle, and leverage their knowledge, experience, and perspectives. You can use various methods to engage your stakeholders, such as surveys, interviews, workshops, focus groups, brainstorming sessions, webinars, or online platforms. By engaging your stakeholders in the process, you will increase their buy-in and commitment, and generate more ideas and opportunities for your tech scouting.

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Dr Isil Top-Martinez

Open Innovation | Connecting Businesses with Opportunities | Technology Scouting | Emerging Technologies | Insights
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Based on my experience as a technology scout, I can say that effective collaboration with stakeholders in technology scouting involves regular communication. Frequent meetings, messages, and presentations ensure they stay informed and aligned with progress. These interactions also help identify technologies already known or out of scope, preventing ambiguity and ensuring a shared vision and goal.

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4 Share your findings and recommendations

The fourth step in collaborating with stakeholders in tech scouting is to share your findings and recommendations openly and effectively. You need to present your results and conclusions in a clear, concise, and compelling way, and highlight the key insights and implications for your organization. You also need to provide actionable recommendations and next steps for implementing or exploiting the technologies that you have identified and evaluated. By sharing your findings and recommendations, you will demonstrate the value and impact of your tech scouting efforts, and persuade your stakeholders to support your technological innovation.

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Michael Durst

Founder @ ITONICS, The #1 Innovation OS
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From my experience, a so-called technology radar is a solid tool (if available online and updated frequently) to create a single source of truth within emerging technologies. A technology radar is a graphic representation of the (emerging) technologies that might impact an organization's strategy. A team can collaboratively evaluate technologies online and then visualize their combined assessments on the radar. Each dot on the radar represents a technology. Its position and visual appearance (color, segment, size, halo) convey its rated values. Distance from the center, for instance, often indicates importance or urgency or time to market readiness.

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5 Align your actions and decisions

The fifth step in collaborating with stakeholders in tech scouting is to align your actions and decisions with your stakeholders' expectations and interests. You need to ensure that your tech scouting outcomes are aligned with your organization's vision, mission, strategy, and culture, and that they address the needs and challenges of your stakeholders. You also need to involve your stakeholders in the decision-making and implementation processes, and ensure that they have a clear understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and resources required. By aligning your actions and decisions, you will foster collaboration and cooperation among your stakeholders, and enhance your technological innovation.

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6 Evaluate and improve your collaboration

The sixth and final step in collaborating with stakeholders in tech scouting is to evaluate and improve your collaboration continuously. You need to monitor and measure the effectiveness and efficiency of your collaboration, and identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You also need to solicit feedback and suggestions from your stakeholders, and learn from their experiences and opinions. By evaluating and improving your collaboration, you will optimize your tech scouting performance, and foster a culture of innovation and learning in your organization.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you collaborate with stakeholders in tech scouting?

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1 Identify your stakeholders

2 Communicate your goals and plans

3 Engage your stakeholders in the process

4 Share your findings and recommendations

5 Align your actions and decisions

6 Evaluate and improve your collaboration

7 Here’s what else to consider

Technological Innovation

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How do you collaborate with stakeholders in tech scouting?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Identify your stakeholders

2 Communicate your goals and plans

3 Engage your stakeholders in the process

4 Share your findings and recommendations

5 Align your actions and decisions

6 Evaluate and improve your collaboration

7 Here’s what else to consider

Technological Innovation

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