Aligning Innovation to Strategy: Your Secret Weapon to Success

Innovation is often treated like a buzzword—exciting but vague. But if you want to make it matter to your organisation, you’ve got to align it with strategy. Read in this article how to do this in a practical way. ...

As when innovation supports the strategic goals of your business, it stops being “nice to have” and becomes essential, as I explain in my new book, Breaking Innovation Barriers.

Why Alignment Matters

Think about your organisation’s mission statement. It probably uses words like innovative, radical, or leading. But here’s the kicker: how does your organisation actually live up to those words? Often, there’s a gap between ambition and action. Aligning innovation to strategy bridges that gap.

When innovation is tied to strategy, it gets a clear direction, measurable goals, and the buy-in from senior leaders you need to make it happen.

Making Innovation Fit Your Strategy

Here’s the good news: innovation can enhance any strategy. Here are a few examples:

• Cost Leadership? Focus on new ways to cut costs while staying sustainable.

• Differentiation? Develop radical products that wow customers.

• Market Development? Find untapped markets to grow revenues.

• Digital Transformation? Build cutting-edge digital solutions that set you apart.

The trick is creating what I call an innovation assignment. It’s a specific, strategic challenge that gives innovation a clear focus and direction.

Crafting the Perfect Innovation Assignment

An innovation assignment is like a North Star for your team. It should answer the big questions:

• Why are we innovating?

• What are we aiming for?

• Who will lead the charge?

• When do we need results?

And what results are we expecting!

Here’s an example from CCI, which stands for Candy Creating Impact , a Dutch sweets manufacturer:

“At CCI, we innovate ‘to make a difference’—to be proud, relevant, and sustainable. We aim to deliver five innovation business cases for evolutionary and revolutionary products in ‘sweet moments’ within Northwest Europe.”

Clear, ambitious, and measurable. That’s what makes it work. Unfortunately I could not mention the quantitive criteria here.

Seize the Right Moment

Timing is everything. Innovation thrives when a company is ready to act. Here are two golden opportunities:

1. When a new CEO steps in with ambitious plans.

2. When a new corporate strategy is announced to energise the organisation.

These moments are your chance to grab leadership’s attention. Tie your innovation efforts to the success of these new plans, and you’ll get the buy-in you need.

Your Call to Action

So, innovation professionals: it’s time to stop waiting for change and start driving it. By aligning innovation with strategy, you not only create clarity but also win the trust of decision-makers. Want to dive deeper? My new book, Breaking Innovation Barriers, is packed with tools and real-life examples to help you transform ideas into impact. Check it out on Amazon today.

Stop talking about innovation. Start making it happen.

Wishing you lots of success.

Innovative regards,

Gijs van Wulfen

LinkedIn Influencer, Speaker on Design Thinking Innovation, Founder FORTH Innovation method, author of six Innovation Books, Global Number One Thought Leader on Design Thinking 2024

Ps. Click on this link to boost your skills to lead innovation with the FORTH innovation method as certified facilitator.

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