By Prof Benjamin Anderson, Co-Founder & Executive Director
This September, interested individuals like Prof Magnus Karlsson, the co-founder and former Chairman of the Association for Innovation Management Professionals in Sweden, and others welcomed the publication of the much-awaited ISO 56001: Innovation Management Standard.
In this note, I wish to reflect on and share some of my experiences and expectations going forward.
Eleven years ago, I had the privilege of being invited by Mmakgabo Maheya from the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) to participate in an ISO 279 plenary session in Dublin. At that stage, 53 countries were already represented and cooperatively working on developing what is now referred to as the ISO 56001: Innovation Management Standard.
From the start, I became aware of an overarching sense amongst participants to “work together for the greater good”.
We were all in it to contribute towards the world of work becoming a more integrated and well-articulated system. Similarly, we were all concerned, in one way or another, about the “roughness” regarding innovation within organisations globally.
To achieve this milestone, there have been a lot of energy exchanges from different contexts around the world over the past years on what innovation should be and how it could be incorporated as an integral part of being at work.
The goal being to improve performance at work and to position innovation as a critical contributing factor to organisational success and sustainability.
The ISO 56001: Innovation Management Standard should, in my view, become an important key to unlocking and redirecting the innovation journey at work, both within developing and developed socio-economic contexts.
The world is becoming more “knowledgeable”, and I do hope that people at work will seize the opportunity to integrate, amongst others, the principles and guidelines related to innovation management at work.
At this point, I wish to thank colleagues from AFNOR and ISO TC 279 for guiding and assisting us as a global community in doing this work over the past 15 years!
The above reflections were adapted from a LinkedIn post by Professor Benjamin Anderson, Co-Founder and Executive Director of DaVinci Business School, on 10 April 2024.
ISO 56001: A Transformative Framework for Systematic Innovation Management
ISO 56001, the newly published certifiable standard for innovation management systems, represents the culmination of over 15 years of collaborative international efforts to establish a common framework for fostering innovation across diverse organisations.
This standard addresses the previously fragmented nature of innovation practices by providing a comprehensive, systems-based approach that integrates various elements such as creativity, strategy, leadership, and technology into a cohesive whole.
It offers a structured methodology for organisations to evaluate and enhance their innovation capabilities, bridging gaps and aligning efforts towards sustainable growth and performance. ISO 56001 is designed to be adaptable, supporting different types of innovations—from incremental to radical—and is relevant to both private and public sectors and small and medium-sized enterprises.
This standard sets the foundation for a shared language in the innovation management discipline.
It is a vital tool for organisations aiming to unlock their full innovation potential, paving the way for a more systematic and impactful approach to creating value and driving societal progress.
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