Commitment to Innovation - What’s it all about?
By Basheera KhanInnovation, that term so frequently bandied about in management boardrooms and business development seminars, has developed something of a naff reputation through over-use. Through no fault of its own, it’s come to be dismissed in some quarters as a throwaway buzzword - and that is a bit of a bum rap, because there is no getting away from the fact that true innovation is a pre-requisite for business success.
True innovators know, there is no point to doing anything if you’re not constantly striving to do it differently, better, more imaginatively and efficiently. In 1997, the Welsh Development Agency realised the economic sense of recognising companies which have shown innovative talent in spades, and began rewarding them for the energy they pour into making a difference.
Its Commitment to Innovation CTI programme was established, and with it came the CTI Awards to recognise and promote the achievements of companies who have shown exceptional levels of innovation. Companies compete in three size categories - 1-10, 11-50 and 50+ employees; the prize in each category is 3,000 to further the cause for innovation in Wales.
Held biennially, the awards are open only to members of the CTI programme; membership is by invitation only from the WDA’s network of Innovation and Technology Counsellors, which means, the programme organisers say, that the quality of innovation recognised by CTI is kept consistently high.
Entrants are audited by an independent board of judges, who look for signs that the companies are applying the CTI principles in their day-to-day operations, demonstrating an integrated approach in introducing an innovation culture leading to significant improvements in performance. Primarily, the judges are looking for business growth, management, networking, marketing and new product development.
The CTI programme has three levels of membership - adopter, achiever, and ambassador. As the names suggest, this places member companies in categories of respectively, developing through innovation, achieving through innovation and leading through innovation.
The status of individual companies is dependent upon the exact number of CTI criteria which they meet as assessed. An independent assessment is undertaken for companies at the ambassador level.
Companies invited to join the CTI programme will have to demonstrate that they fulfil some or all of the following in order to qualify for membership:
Recognise the importance of innovation
Seek to achieve continuous improvement through good practice in innovation
Develop partnerships with customers and suppliers
Work profitably with external sources of knowledge and expertise e.g. universities and colleges
Increase innovative capacity by employing and developing skilled people
Encourage employee participation
Grow through new product, process or service development.
It’s a very thoroughly structured procedure. Assessors, including the ITCs visit companies and take them through a review process to measure performance and commitment against the criteria listed above. Organisations that achieve the required standard of performance are deemed to have demonstrated a "Commitment to Innovation". A monitoring scheme is in place to maintain standards. Additional scrutiny and verification is applied to the highest stage of ambassador.
One of the most recently recognised is Swansea-based Data Mobility, which was awarded adopter status in April this year. Data Mobility writes software packages for handheld PCs - specialising in automated data collection and dissemination for some of the largest construction and utilities companies in Europe. The company was recognised for its innovative use of handheld PCs, and for gradually changing the way that on-site workers manage their data.
Simon Thomas, Technical Director, explains, "The obvious advantage of using our software on the construction site as opposed to pen and paper is speed. For example, a quality control officer or health and safety inspector has all the information they need to hand, can E-mail the information forward to colleagues immediately if necessary and do not have to waste time typing up the information once they are back in the office."
The benefits of Data Mobility’s innovative technology are not only confined to the building site. Organisations working for utility companies such as South West Water use software produced by Data Mobility to capture data for maintenance reporting as well as scheduling and billing of reported information directly into their main database systems.
Innovation is key to winning new customers and getting ahead in business, and The Writemedia Partnership, based in Pembrokeshire and one of the earliest companies to join the CTI programme, has found that its achiever status within CTI has had knock-on benefits as well.
The company develops bespoke software programmes which use multi-media devices for audio-visual interrogation, and produces multi-media products in support of sales and marketing objectives: e-commerce, web and Internet communications.
Dilys Penney, who runs the company in partnership with her husband Stephen Penney, says that it has benefited tremendously as a result of its achiever status.
"We’re a SMART award winner, we’ve also done the regional innovation programme, and we’ve also been able to redevelop our premises through the Rural Recovery Fund."
The company was awarded SMART funding for research and development of new interrogation and image data analysis and last year, was awarded a WDA Regional Enterprise grant to further develop its flagship multi-media interrogation software.
The R&D it is undertaking as a result will focus on an enhanced interrogation of CCTV images and related data in terms of image recognition to achieve advanced fault data analysis, geographic positioning, more accurate fault data and the implementation of highly developed delivery of both media and data from field surveyor to engineer, for just in time data review.
Penney says the improved facilities will help The Writemedia Partnership adopt a higher profile in the business community and carry out new product developments and services, leading to job creation opportunities as well.
"Generally, the whole aspect of networking, through being on these programmes, does mean increased visibility of our company, both within the WDA and obviously within other companies on the CTI programme, and that facilitates networking."
The CTI programme is in part advanced by the work of its ambassadors, one of which is High Torque Fastener Systems, an engineering design company based in Swansea.
It made headlines with its internationally patented method to replace conventional nuts and bolts with a revolutionary sheet metal fastening system that provides a simple but effective method for fastening sheet metal components without the need for external fasteners.
The company has achieved ISO 9001 status and gained Investor in People accreditation, and according to Managing Director John Emmett, the CTI award has pride of place alongside these heavyweight accolades.
"Our environment can be quite difficult in which to innovate, and at the same time to fit in with what can be fairly traditional financial institution requirements. As an example, it can be difficult to have a patent seen as an asset, and to raise money against it."
High Torque has been a CTI member since the earliest days of the programme and is involved with the steering group that manages the programme.
"We needed to join forces with as many innovation companies as possible, and the CTI allows us to do that. We’re building the base of the companies that will be creating the new jobs of the future. And there is no other programme that’s like that."
Ultimately, the aim is to build an elite group of the most go-ahead organisations in Wales as exemplars of what can be achieved by innovative business practices. The WDA believes that by joining the scheme an organisation will receive recognition for what it and its workforce are achieving - and from the number of companies joining ranks with fellow adopters, achievers and ambassadors including the likes of 3M and Calsonic Kansei, it appears innovation is the watchword for the future of Welsh business.
Contacts
Rachel Stephens WDATel: 02920 828847
E-mail: rachel.stephens@wda.co.uk
Web: http://www.cti-wales.co.uk
