Human Factors in Managing Strategic Funnels of Innovation

Abstract: Nowadays business environment is influenced by continuous discontinuities and change. That leads to the need for a methodology that can be used to manage innovation activities in the longer run. For ensuring competitiveness in business, it is important to have more than one innovation project in funnel on various innovation phase running on it. Utilizing innovation funnels makes it easier to understand operations and allocate expertise to the right projects and manage the partnerships. Through systems thinking and conceptual progression model it is possible to manage several development projects interactively at the same time. The goal of this article has been to create a system model for continuous management of the outcomes of ideation and innovation activities. This article introduces strategic innovation methodology using innovation funnels executed by cohesion building opportunities in teamwork. A reference framework has been developed and used in implementation of innovation phases. This makes it possible to manage strategic innovation activities much better. Successful strategy- based innovation management by innovation funnels needs value- based approach and clear common innovation strategy, goal setting practice and innovation environment. Human centric aspect to teamwork and its workflow is essential in success. The article introduces as case study a proof-of-concept of the growth- based start-up business idea “Training of Working Dog's Handler” which was created in group- based free ideation. The digital twin and the gamified environment illustrate and present the training progression model, considering the needs of dog-specific training.

Keywords: Strategic Innovation – Innovation process – Self, organizing Teams – Motivation and Commitment – System Innovation

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003885

Cite this paper:

​