The Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment
We work with many organizations to grow their culture of innovation. When they reach out to us, they are often interested in an assessment to give them a clearer picture of their innovation practices. Organizations aiming to drive innovation need a structured way to assess where they are starting from and measure their progress. The Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment provides a tool to evaluate how well an organization’s innovation efforts are translating into meaningful outcomes. Unlike the companion i2 Skills Assessment, which focuses on individual innovation mindsets and behaviors, the Outcomes Assessment helps leaders understand where their innovation culture stands and where it needs to improve.
This article will break down what the Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment is, why it matters, how it works, and how organizations can use it to guide their innovation strategies.
What Is the Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment?
The Innovation Impact: Outcomes (i2) Assessment is an online tool that helps organizations assess the effectiveness of their innovation initiatives. It was developed by Treehouse Innovation in collaboration with Professor Jeanne Liedtka, a leading expert in human-centered design and innovation strategy.
The assessment is designed to:
- Measure the impact of innovation practices within an organization.
- Benchmark results against other organizations using a large dataset of innovation performance.
- Identify strengths and gaps to guide improvement efforts.
- Provide actionable insights for leaders and teams to focus their innovation strategies.
Why Use the Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment?
Many organizations attempt to evaluate their innovation culture with internally created surveys, but these often lack the research backing, benchmarking, and analytical depth necessary to generate useful insights. The Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment solves this by offering:
- A data-driven approach backed by extensive research.
- Comparative benchmarking, allowing organizations to see how they stack up against others.
- A simple, efficient process, taking only 15 minutes to complete.
Unlike individual assessments, this tool provides an organization-wide perspective, making it ideal for kickstarting innovation and culture initiatives.
Key Areas Measured
The Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment focuses on five key innovation outcomes, which are critical to an organization’s ability to innovate successfully. As someone who is working with many organizations on their culture of innovation, I resonated with these questions when I took the assessment. These are:
- Increased Collaboration
- How well do teams work together across functions?
- Do employees seek alignment across different perspectives?
- Are teams persistent in overcoming challenges together?
- Adaptability (Individual & Organizational)
- Are employees open to trying new things?
- Do they feel safe experimenting and taking creative risks?
- Is there a shared language and framework for innovation within the company?
- Better Decision-Making (Leading to Value Creation)
- Do employees deeply understand user and stakeholder needs?
- Are they aware of biases that impact decision-making?
- Do they generate and implement high-impact solutions?
- Likelihood of Implementation
- Are new ideas likely to be carried through to execution?
- Do employees feel ownership over innovation projects?
- Are key stakeholders engaged early in the process?
- Reduced Risk and Cost of Innovation
- Are employees identifying and testing key assumptions?
- Is the organization willing to pivot when needed?
- Does the culture support responsible risk-taking?
Each of these areas is assessed through 41 intuitive, research-backed questions, providing a comprehensive picture of an organization’s innovation strengths and weaknesses. It’s an easy assessment to take.
How the Assessment Works
Step 1: Take the Assessment
- The assessment is completed online in just 15 minutes. Click here to access it.
- No prior experience with innovation assessments is required.
- Respondents answer questions about their organization’s innovation behaviors and outcomes.
Step 2: Receive & Interpret the Results
- Organizations receive quantified scores in each of the five outcome categories.
- The tool highlights both strengths and weaknesses, making it easy to see where to focus improvement efforts.
- Results are benchmarked against other organizations, helping leaders understand their relative performance.
Step 3: Facilitate a Discussion & Take Action
- The assessment is best used as a conversation starter in leadership and innovation meetings.
- Leaders and teams can explore:
- What patterns emerge in the results?
- Why are certain areas stronger or weaker?
- What concrete actions can be taken to improve innovation impact?
- The insights can inform strategic decisions about training, culture initiatives, and process improvements.
Using the Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment to Drive Change
Organizations can use the Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment at various strategic moments:
- Before launching a major innovation initiative – helps identify where to focus efforts.
- As part of an innovation training or workshop – establishes a shared understanding of the current state.
- During leadership retreats or strategy meetings – guides discussion around innovation impact.
- Regularly (e.g., annually or biannually) – tracks progress and benchmarks improvements.
- After launching a major innovation initiative – there are a lot of organizations that have tried design thinking in the recent past and this tool will help them evaluate that investment making more incisive choices for investment going forward.
Key Benefits
- Quick & Efficient – Takes only 15 minutes but provides deep insights.
- Reliable & Valid – Built on extensive data and research from a trusted academic institution.
- Action-Oriented – Results lead directly to discussions and strategic decisions.
- Comparative Benchmarking – See how your organization stacks up against others.
Innovation Impact Outcomes Assessment Conclusion
The Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment is a valuable tool for organizations serious about innovation. It moves beyond intuition and anecdotal evidence, providing data-driven insights into the effectiveness of an organization’s innovation culture.
By using this assessment, organizations can:
- Pinpoint areas of strength and improvement.
- Facilitate meaningful conversations about innovation.
- Set clear priorities for future efforts.
- Benchmark progress over time.
If you’re looking to take your organization’s innovation capabilities to the next level, integrating the Innovation Impact: Organizational Outcomes Assessment into your strategy can be a smart move. Start by assessing your organization, engaging your teams in discussion, and making informed decisions to enhance your innovation impact. Click here to learn more about the assessment or get started.
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