Our Approach

Proven methodology for building innovation capabilities that drive sustainable growth—based on real experience, not theory.

Core Philosophy

Build, Don't Buy

Sustainable competitive advantage comes from building internal capabilities, not renting them from agencies. External partners have their place, but true differentiation requires internalization.

Outcomes, Not Activity

Innovation isn't measured by workshops run or whiteboards filled. It's measured by business results: revenue growth, market share, customer satisfaction, competitive advantage.

Strategy Drives Process

Don't implement innovation processes just because "that's what everyone does." Start with your strategic objectives, then build capabilities that deliver against them.

People + Process + Tools

Capability building requires all three in balance. Great people with poor processes fail. Great processes with wrong tools frustrate. Success requires thoughtful integration.

The Capability Building Methodology

This framework guided the build of P&G's Digital Design Capability and has been refined through years of execution.

1

Strategic Alignment

Before building any capability, we must understand why you need it and what success looks like.

Business Context

What are your strategic growth objectives and how does innovation capability support them?

Current State

Where are you today in terms of innovation capabilities, gaps, and constraints?

Success Metrics

How will we measure success? What outcomes matter to your business?

2

Capability Design

Design the specific capabilities you need—not generic "best practices" but capabilities tailored to your strategy, culture, and constraints.

People Strategy

  • • What roles and skills do you need?
  • • Build internal vs. use external partners?
  • • Recruit vs. develop existing talent?
  • • Organizational structure and reporting?

Process Design

  • • Innovation process gates and milestones
  • • Decision-making frameworks
  • • Cross-functional collaboration models
  • • Quality standards and review processes

Tools & Infrastructure

  • • Design and collaboration tools
  • • Project management systems
  • • Knowledge management platforms
  • • Measurement and reporting systems

Governance Model

  • • Portfolio management approach
  • • Resource allocation framework
  • • Performance measurement
  • • Continuous improvement mechanisms
3

Phased Implementation

Build capabilities in thoughtful phases—proving value early while building toward the full vision.

Foundation

Core team, processes, tools. Establish fundamentals.

Pilot

Deploy on selected projects. Prove capability, refine approach.

Scale

Expand team, broaden deployment. Build momentum and results.

Sustain

Handoff to internal ownership. Continuous improvement.

4

Change Management

Building capabilities isn't just about processes and tools—it's about people and culture. Change management is critical to success.

Stakeholder Engagement

Secure and maintain leadership support. Engage key stakeholders throughout the journey.

Communication

Clear, consistent communication about why, what, and how. Celebrate wins, address concerns.

Training & Support

Equip people with skills and tools they need. Provide ongoing support and coaching.

5

Measurement & Iteration

Track progress against success metrics. Learn, adapt, and continuously improve.

Leading Indicators

  • • Team capability development
  • • Process adoption and compliance
  • • Project velocity and quality
  • • Stakeholder satisfaction

Business Outcomes

  • • Revenue growth from innovation
  • • Time-to-market improvement
  • • Cost efficiency gains
  • • Competitive advantage metrics

Design Thinking for Industrial Contexts

Design Thinking isn't just for product design—it's a powerful approach for solving complex organizational challenges like capability building.

Empathize

Deeply understand the current state, challenges, and constraints of your organization.

  • • Stakeholder interviews and workshops
  • • Observation of current processes
  • • Understanding organizational culture
  • • Identifying pain points and opportunities

Define

Frame the capability challenge in terms of specific, actionable problem statements.

  • • Clear problem definition
  • • Success criteria and constraints
  • • Stakeholder alignment on objectives
  • • Prioritization of opportunities

Ideate

Generate multiple approaches to capability building, drawing on best practices and creative thinking.

  • • Explore multiple capability models
  • • Consider build vs. buy options
  • • Evaluate organizational approaches
  • • Assess resource strategies

Prototype

Test capability approaches on pilot projects before full-scale implementation.

  • • Pilot team and process deployment
  • • Selected project application
  • • Gather feedback and learnings
  • • Refine before scaling

Test & Iterate

Continuously measure, learn, and improve capabilities based on real-world results.

Measure

Track both leading indicators and business outcomes

Learn

Analyze what's working and what needs adjustment

Improve

Continuously refine processes, tools, and approaches

Internal vs. External Resource Strategy

The Strategic Question

One of the most important decisions in capability building: What do you build internally vs. what do you source externally? This isn't an either/or decision—it's about finding the right strategic mix.

Build Internal When:

  • Capability is core to competitive advantage
  • You need deep organizational knowledge
  • Volume justifies internal team
  • IP and confidentiality are critical
  • Long-term cost efficiency favors internal

Use External When:

  • Need specialized expertise periodically
  • Volume doesn't justify full-time team
  • Want fresh, external perspectives
  • Need capacity flexibility (peaks/valleys)
  • Testing capability before full commitment

The Reality:

Most successful organizations use a strategic mix—building internal capabilities for core competencies while partnering with external specialists for specific needs. The key is making this decision strategically, not by default.

Ready to Apply This Approach?

This methodology is proven, practical, and adaptable to your specific context. Let's discuss how it can work for your organization.

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