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Organizations can implement an innovation management system in order to address the multidimensional challenges they often have in their practical innovation work. Until the ISO 56002 standard was released in 2019, there was no international standard for the design of innovation management systems. The standard provides support as a framework and highlights important systems elements. We studied two early adopters that have used this international standard to design their innovation management systems. Based on the study findings, we devised a practical approach for framing the design of an innovation management system. The approach includes a set of steps and critical considerations that include understanding a company’s innovation ambitions and direction, analyzing the systemic dimensions of the system (the elements and how they interconnect), and introducing a balanced set of control mechanisms.

Innovation in the food sector is needed. This study addresses how to support learning around systematic innovation management in smaller firms within seafood, part of the highly regulated food sector. A collaborative change project, with four SMEs, a science park, and a research institute, aiming at enhanced innovation capabilities within the SMEs, was studied. The project included direct interventions in terms of training, dialogues, and coaching related to systematic innovation management ‒ in order to facilitate blue innovation. Empirical data was gathered in interviews and reflective field observations. Crucial factors to consider were to enhance the understanding of the systemic nature of innovation management and utilize visualizations as well as an innovation vocabulary, preferably related to ISO 56000 and ISO 56002. Further, it is also important to include diverse learning activities, while also ensuring a closeness to the firm’s current situation, and to focus on the progress that occurred.

The building of Innovation Management System (IMS), particularly in the integrated management systems (MS) context is rarely reported in the literature. Furthermore, the implementation of ISO 56002/2019 Innovation management system standard has so far only been described in a few organizational contexts. Therefore, this paper presents a case study of a global technology company, initially producing consumer electronics, experiencing a shift including new business, and collaborations with start-ups. As a result, the paper describes the IMS building process with challenges and learnings during 2012–2020, in an organizational context with integrated management system (MS) with existing ISO MS standards, prior to ISO 56002 launch. It reveals the rationale for proactively building an IMS, illustrates the motivation and challenges of building IMS in the constantly changing business environment, highlighting the top management as a key support. Moreover, it presents the gains of implemented IMS as regards to the achieved innovations. 

This paper examines an organization’s adoption of a standard based innovation management system (IMS) to systematize and lead its innovation efforts. The organization, a large public hospital, characterized as an early implementor of the standard based IMS approach to innovation management, was analyzed during a four year time span via a longitudinal study. The paper utilizes components of neo institutional theory as a lens to explain the empirical findings, adopting a legitimacy-as-a-process perspective to trace how the IMS system became a legitimate approach to innovation management, through institutional work. By analyzing the organization from its initial planning to its implementation of the system, the paper presents an order of legitimizing an innovation management system. 

An innovation strategy aims to provide guidance in terms of direction and prioritisation regarding innovation efforts. This study explores formulation and implementation of innovation strategy in the context of a case study of an organisation that explicitly deploys the guidance standard for innovation management systems ISO56002. Interviews were conducted and were analysed together with an abundance of company documentation, spanning seven years. The empirical results convey how intertwined the work on innovation strategy was with the formulation and implementation of the company’s innovation management system (based on ISO56002). The study addressed the call for more research on strategy implementation and showed the innovation strategy (part of the ISO 56002 Leadership element) influencing the other system elements within the innovation management system. Further, it is important to use a system of systems approach to integrate an Innovation Management System with other management systems. This may be achieved through ambidextrous leadership competences given that the management systems have with different purposes, properties and actions. Finally, as an innovation management system develops, it is important to adapt rather than over-optimise in order to for retain flexibility required to innovate.  

Abstract: Early evidence supports standardised innovation managementsystem(s) (SIMS) as an approach to achieve improved value for organisations.Mott MacDonald, a large multinational engineering, management anddevelopment consultancy is strengthening its innovation and social outcomes byimplementing a SIMS based upon ISO 56002:2019. This case study was basedon their UK operations, and explores early stage implementation phenomena.Data gathering included interviews and a small-sample questionnaire (purposivesampling). We identified how respondents perceived factors such as: ownershipof the innovation work (at individual, unit, and group level); understanding thesystem and value gained from a systematic approach, benefits of a commoninnovation framework; and development in terms of enhanced abilities to “talkabout” innovation, competency growth, and engagement in innovation activities.The findings provide insights for other organisations to further understand theeffects of SIMS and opportunities for enhanced implementation and uptake.