Summary

IDEAFUND Co., Ltd. used ethnographic methodology to research the innovation capabilities of a major design company in Japan.

Viewpoints

• IDEAFUND discovered the difference between the feelings of the organizers and participants of innovation creation activities, and showed the way to solve it.
• It is a cutting edge example of a client reexamining organizational issues through the results of ethnographic research and leading to actual organizational reform.

Research purpose

The company specialized in design and supervision, and was the best in Japan in those areas. However, it had to develop new areas for the future, so the purpose of this research was to contribute to that.

Research methodology

IDEAFUND tried to extract the real issues, not superficial, of implementing innovation, and gain insight into the hidden issues through ethnography research.

1. We conducted a pre-briefing.
2. Ethnographers conducted in-depth interviews with people (executives, planners, and participants) involved in the innovation creation activities.
3. We analyzed the results of the in-depth interviews, held workshops with the concerned parties, and considered how to rebuild their organization for the future.

Research results

The company was carrying out innovation creation activities by soliciting ideas through internal competitions, assigning budgets to excellent ideas, and having the proposers commercialize them. However, the problem was that those ideas had not yet reached commercial success.

As the results of in-depth interviews, the following cases were confirmed.

• It was difficult for the proposers to secure time to commercialize their idea, as they also had everyday jobs.
• The proposers didn’t have the knowledge of where to consult in order to obtain help from outside experts.
• They were good at creating ideas, but there was a lack of follow-up as the company regarding the skills to connect those ideas to business.

One goal of this project was to understand the various difficulties faced in innovation creation activities. Another goal was to proactively discuss countermeasures within the company.

In discussions with the parties involved, IDEAFUND suggested that it was important to foster an organizational culture that praised those who took on the challenge of commercializing ideas, in addition to those who created ideas.

Subsequent correspondence

Based on the facts confirmed through ethnographic research, the company reexamined the overall picture, strategy, and organization of innovation creation activities. Based on the result of the examination, the company established a new organization to support innovation creation activities.

Contact info:
info@ideafund.co.jp