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Key Change #2: Reimagine deep collaboration

The pandemic forever changed how innovation teams work together. Just 6 percent of teams work out of a physical space full-time, even though 57 percent say their company has a dedicated innovation center. Most teams, 81 percent, are using a hybrid model, while 13 percent are innovating in a fully virtual environment.

How’s it working? Eh. Fifteen percent of respondents say productivity has decreased compared to prepandemic levels. And while 41 percent say it’s about the same and 43 percent say their teams are more productive, it’s important to consider the opportunity costs.

It’s easier to innovate incrementally in a virtual environment, and with more than a third of physical spaces being used less than once a month, might this be another reason why less transformational change is happening?

At the very least, it’s likely a contributing factor. Survey respondents noted a “loss of creativity� from too many structured meetings, fewer opportunities for spontaneous interactions, and—not a small issue—less access to senior leadership.

The opportunity: Similar to physical office space and in-person interactions, setting up a cadence of activities and gatherings that can cross functional silos is key, as is bringing in executive leadership and even outside experts. This can create interactions, innovative “sparks,� and even prototypes that likely would not emerge from virtual meetings.

Survey respondents also said getting senior leadership excited about the innovation vision is the number one key to unlocking more resources, both human and financial, beating traditional levers like incremental revenue generation, competitive pressures, and demonstrated cost savings.

The message is clear: Innovation teams are increasingly working in silos, and they recognize the critical need to have more organizational support. It’s been a domino effect, not unlike how flight cancellations ripple across the country: The pandemic and the subsequent global and economic challenges have changed how we work, which has reduced visibility with leadership. This has made deep collaboration more challenging and transformational change less of a priority.

The opportunity: For innovation teams, this is a critical moment. As always, they must continuously evaluate innovation, R&D, and new product pipelines with a clear eye. But equally important, they need to understand what’s delivering value, what’s sucking up time and money, and what opportunities they’re missing. They must then be deliberate about garnering support up, down, and across the organization. Planes don’t take off without air traffic control and a ground crew too.

But here’s the beauty of both airplanes and innovation teams: Neither can fly backward. The innovation team’s work does, inevitably, move the organization forward. It’s really a matter of ensuring they’re going in the right direction.