Innovation Strategy Design
Make deliberate choices. Set direction with confidence.
For organisations where innovation teams need more direction, portfolios need more focus, and investment decisions should be less political than strategic.
With Innovation Strategy Design we help you create the clarity needed to invest in the future with intent. We help leaders define where innovation should play, what it should not do, and how decisions will be made across the organisation.
Why innovation strategy rarely succeeds
Most innovation strategies fail not because of a lack of ambition, but because they shy away from making hard choices. Priorities remain implicit, governance is fuzzy, while portfolios grow and shrink without a coherent logic.
Without an explicit mandate and a shared decision framework, innovation always becomes vulnerable to politics, to leadership changes and to retrospective ROI debates.
What changes will come from our work together?
Typical outcomes you can expect
- Priorities and trade-offs made explicit
- Unshakeable alignment between strategy, portfolio and investment logic
- A shared understanding of uncertainty, risk and the opportunity for ROI
- A clear strategic direction expressed through an Innovation Mandate and an Innovation Thesis
Innovation strategy design can operate at different levels of the organisation. We work at enterprise level, business unit level, or within specific functions, depending on where strategic choices need to be made and governed. The principles are the same; the scope and mandate are tailored.
Customer testimonial
One of Stephen’s most impactful contributions was a highly successful workshop series with my entire global business team. His ability to facilitate and guide us through the process of defining our Innovation Thesis not only aligned our team’s vision but also laid the foundation for our innovation and product development roadmap.
When Innovation Strategy Design is the right choice
Best suited when
- Strategic direction needs clarity, is contested or lacks legitimacy
- Innovation efforts feel “busy” but aren’t focused enough
- Leadership alignment could be stronger
- Boards or Finance are asking increasingly challenging questions about ROI
When this isn’t what you need
- You’re primarily looking for idea generation or inspiration
- Strategic priorities and decision authority are already explicit and consistently appliedBoards or Finance are asking increasingly challenging questions about ROI
How our work is delivered
Our work is delivered through a range of engagement formats, selected based on context and seniority.
What this produces for you
- A documented Innovation Mandate with clear scope and authority
- An Innovation Thesis translating strategy into investable themes
- Explicit decision criteria for portfolio and funding choices
- A strategic narrative aligned with Finance, ExCo and the Board
Example
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How this fits into a coherent, disciplined innovation system
Our approach to innovation strategy design is grounded in the idea that strategy is fundamentally about making explicit choices under uncertainty.
It draws on well-established strategic thinking, including Roger Martin’s Strategy Choice Cascade and design-led approaches to strategy that emphasise choice, trade-offs, and learning before commitment.
Where we go further is in translating those choices into a governed system: clear mandates, portfolio logic and investment criteria that stand up to scrutiny from leadership and Finance.
Strategy isn’t treated as a one-off exercise, but as a repeatable decision framework.