The Search Field and Opportunity Space frame your entire innovation initiative(s) up to portfolio level. They fundamentally help you define the general problem you want to solve and help you shape the areas where you could offer viable solutions.
The package
The case
True innovation efforts search for new products and Business Models, they don’t figure out how to better execute existing ones. So, we start our process of innovation by defining a Search Field, a general topic cluster that identifies the markets, products, technologies, and trends in which you want to innovate. The Opportunity Space subsequently helps you refine what you really want to focus on.
The mechanics
Like your Business Intention, the Search Field provides thematic focus and high-level orientation. To begin to define your Search Field, ask yourself, which industry do you want to focus on? Who are you addressing? What types of challenges do they have? After this, you may want to clarify which level of abstraction you want to act on. Do you want to change the world and create a totally new Business Model, or do you want to focus on a more targeted product or service innovation? With the help of the Search Field Matrix, you can then go deeper and assess your Search Field through a number of different dimensions. This could include taking on different perspectives, including technologies, core & differentiating capabilities, fields areas of application, market segments, or technical competencies. Last but not least, you can break down each Search Field into a number of distinct Opportunity Spaces, which will ultimately help you create a detailed definition of where you want to innovate.
The purpose
What is the goal of the model?
Focus. Defining a Search Field and Opportunity Space will allow you to systematically analyze the areas in which you could be innovating. They help you think about what large problem you could be solving, and prioritize spaces where you could productively intervene, while at the same time connecting your innovation process both to your business intention and your company’s strengths and capabilities.
What people say
Richard Cobie, CEOReviewed on 15 July 2022
★★★★★Recommended as a purchase, worth the investment!
I completely re-evaluated the role of innovation in business growth: before reading this book I have to admit I thought it only entailed product new features and technologies enhancements, while now I see it has everything to do with meeting customer needs and uncovering a business USP, which automatically translates in sales! Could not recommend it more!
Janette Lavalier, Innovation Professor and ConsultantReviewed on 15 July 2022
★★★★★Recommended as a purchase, worth the investment!
Unlike most business innovation books I read over the last years (and even decades) when reading How to create innovation you immediately understand the authors have been there, innovating and transforming some of the world’s most amazing brands. Great work!
Karl Meckel, Change Development ManagerReviewed on 18 July 2022
★★★★★Recommended as a purchase, worth the investment!
Not only this book offers the most comprehensive innovation and business change overview but it really helps you take the next step, driving you step by step from theory to practice (also with super useful background notes and driving questions)
Franz Hellstrom, Head of CultureReviewed on 2 Aug 2022
★★★★★Recommended as a purchase, worth the investment!
I really enjoyed the whole book, but mostly the culture chapter, mainly because I always failed to acknowledge its major role in favouring or inhibiting business growth. Loved the graphics that helped connect all the dots in a visually appealing (and way easier) way.
Satoru Fukuda, Chief Strategy OfficerReviewed on 13 Aug 2022
★★★★★Recommended as a purchase, worth the investment!
We’been willing to innovate our business for some years now, but then we always got stuck before we even started, because basically we had no idea where to start…This book helped us do just that: find the right starting point with guiding questions and an incredibly comprehensive innovation overview.
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