Standardizing innovation

BSI's (the British Standards Institution) UK committee on Innovation Management (IMS/1) had an eventful year in 2019. The first ever ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) standards on innovation management were published and subsequently adopted by BSI. The ISO 56000 series on innovation management will eventually contain a family of eight standards. Three were published last year, led by the UK implementation and publication of BS ISO 56002:2019, Innovation management — Innovation management system — Guidance.

The standards were developed in order to give clear guidelines to readers on managing innovation by offering an iterative process that is accessible to all types of organizations and individuals. The series of standards, including the overarching BS ISO 56002:2019, focuses on embedding good practices, encouraging the implementation of voluntary approaches, and promoting organizational agility and continuous improvement.

Using standards to manage innovation

At the annual BSI Standards Conference and Awards held in London on 21 November 2019, three committee members from IMS/1 presented to and engaged with the audience on the topic 'Using standards to successfully manage innovation'. With the attendees' participation, the debate centred on innovation and the standardization of innovation management processes.

The UK experts, the subject matter and the exchanges with the assembled audience were fascinating. As a Standards Development Manager I engage with stakeholders to shape standards and identify opportunities across industry. I frequently witness these discussions in committee meetings, at events and on the international stage. However, at that particular moment I felt extremely privileged to have been part of their journey, to have facilitated collaboration between a unique and diverse group of industry experts, and for them to finally be able to impart their knowledge and wisdom.

Standards from a personal perspective

Developing an ISO standard can be an extremely challenging but rewarding process for UK experts. Looking back, I have had the experience of being involved in many insightful discussions. One such debate focused on the UK committee's comments to be submitted to ISO on BS ISO 56002:2019 and the definitions of 'disruptive innovation', 'radical innovation' and 'incremental innovation' and on whether their intended meanings had been accurately captured by the standard. I recall that there was a probing of concepts built upon personal experience. Consensus was reached by the end of the meeting.

In another meeting, all the committee members gave each other 15 minutes to draw a flow chart encapsulating an 'idea management process' from the generation of an idea to its implementation and continued use within an organization. As each diagram was presented and subsequently compared, there was a mutual admiration and inquisitive response from those present. The diagrams all had similar key milestones, but as each expert explained their process, the differences presented a personal story.

In the end, nothing is more enlightening than being surrounded by passionate individuals who look at the world differently and who are collectively trying to make it a better place.

The medium is the message. If UK experts use BSI and standardization as a platform, then I believe that it is my duty to spread that message – whether it's setting up an ISO plenary at BSI, writing marketing material for a range of platforms, sitting in on workshops in another part of the UK or bringing colleagues on the journey. 

The development of innovation management 

Innovation management is not a new idea; it has existed in the commercial environment for many years and is currently taught in many academic institutions. In the arena of standards, it is a relatively new concept; 2008 saw the publication of the British Standard BS 7000-1:2008, Design management systems – Part 1: Guide to managing innovation, which was well received nationally. CEN (the European Committee for Standardization) published a series of seven standards on innovation management between 2013 and 2015 with participation from BSI's UK committee. In 2013, ISO created the technical committee ISO/TC 279, Innovation Management. UK participation in the preparation of international standards was entrusted to IMS/1, which was tasked with codifying the best learning across the globe into an innovation management system and ensuring that UK expertise and industry were represented in the ISO technical committee.

Sharing ideas and expertise

The process of creating international standards in this area has taken several years. It would not have been possible without a dedicated committee of UK experts who attend committee meetings to share their knowledge – committee members who lead international project teams, contribute to reviewing and developing standards, and promote awareness to the wider innovation community and industry through a variety of methods.

It's been a great journey so far and yet I feel that we are still only at the beginning. I believe that innovation is more than a buzzword. I believe that standardizing the innovation management process has the ability to change the way in which organizations operate – for the better. I hope we can successfully build upon that message in the years to come.

The currently available guidance standards from the ISO 56000 innovation management series are:

We also look forward to bringing you the following standards as they are published in the future:

 Delme Stephenson, Standards Development Manager, BSI