In a previous blog I suggested that Service Design could become the next Health & Safety. The point I was trying to make is that you need processes, and ultimately a culture, to harness the creativity and innovation within a business in order to be able to implement innovative services. It’s not innovation if you just had an idea, it only really counts if you implemented changes based on that idea.
I came across an interesting article from Business Week magazine from October 2008 in which Mark Jones and Fran Salamionis state that strategies at the frontier of service design need a blend of creativity and discipline. They offer a good 5 step framework for implementing innovation projects successfully.
One key point they make is that innovation is not just a matter of “aha” moments, it needs a process that takes a disciplined approach to identify and execute the most promising ideas.
The article also links to some great work that Ideo did with 1st Source Bank in Indiana. Here is a link directly to the case study.