How the innovation scorecard provides more clarity

Numerous studies have examined the relationship between innovative ability and business success in detail. Both global indices and sector-specific analyses show that companies that are able to act innovatively are more likely to be successful and competitive in the long term.

The ability to innovate can therefore be seen as the basis of any business success. The good thing about skills is that you can continue to develop them further. This is precisely the decision taken by the established German insurance company Barmenia.

Innovation managers have recognized that the only way to remain competitive in a rapidly changing industry is for the organization to stay at the forefront of innovation.

Many insurance companies today face the major challenge of being innovative in order to survive in an extremely competitive market environment. Digitalization, changing market requirements and new market participants require constant adaptation and further development.

For Barmenia's management, this situation was crucial in order to properly understand the strengths and weaknesses of the company's current innovation system. This was to create the starting point for:

• taking strategic steps toward improvement.
• using resources more efficiently.
• developing a clear innovation strategy tailored to the specific needs of the business.

In order to gain a deeper understanding of what the organization needs, the house of innovation model and the innovation scorecard were used. These tools make it much easier to develop an organization's level of innovation maturity sustainably and in the long term.  

Success arises through a holistic approach to innovation management. The analysis of the current situation at Barmenia has clearly identified areas with potential for improvement.

"The innovation scorecard is a great tool that has clearly shown us the level of maturity of innovation at Barmenia. We now know where there is the greatest need for action in order to sustainably improve our capacity for innovation." Heiko Scholz, Head of Marketing at Barmenia Versicherungen. 

The current-status analysis included in-depth interviews with employees from various departments, from management to frontline employees. All of the findings provided valuable insights into existing structures, processes, and the corporate culture with regard to innovation. The evaluation of this information not only identified existing strengths, but also existing challenges in innovation management. To quantify the results, the innovation scorecard was used to evaluate and prioritize the company's capacity for innovation based on specific criteria. This analysis and evaluation created a comprehensive understanding of the company's strengths and weaknesses in innovation management.

The innovation scorecard made it clear to company management and innovation managers what the key factors for innovative strength are:

• Strategy (e.g. linking the innovation strategy with the corporate strategy, clearly defining innovation goals, measuring innovation performance, and dealing with roadmaps, focus topics and trends)
• Processes and methods (e.g. an innovation process that fits the company and is practiced by it, the performance level of idea management, or the speed of implementation of innovation projects)
• Structure (e.g. the ability of organizational members to work in an interdisciplinary manner, and the clarity and transparency of processes and responsibilities)
• Culture (e.g. the level of error culture, the quality of knowledge management, the willingness to take risks, and key motivating factors for the workforce)

Daniel Zapfl and Jannik Böckenholt then analyzed these findings with the house of innovation model in order to develop a proposal for the most effective further development of innovation management for Barmenia Versicherungen. This helped the insurance company to decide on a customized strategy that was tailored to the company's specific situation and challenges.

The analysis has revealed some points that work very well at Barmenia and that should definitely be maintained or promoted. In addition, clear pain points were also identified that point to potential for improvement and the areas in which the major levers in the area of innovation management lie.

With a focus on these pain points – including the positive points – a holistic action plan was developed, which is to be worked through in subsequent projects.

Barmenia's goal is to reach the next level and become an innovation superpower. With the findings from the analysis of the current situation, the scorecard evaluation, and the house of innovation model, the company can now work specifically on increasing its capacity for innovation. Structures, processes, and the corporate culture are being successively professionalized in order to create an environment that increases the maturity of innovation management.

"The combination of the thorough analysis of the current situation, the innovation scorecard and the house of innovation model was extremely helpful, also in creating a shared understanding in the minds of all those involved. This starting point allows Barmenia Versicherungen to sustainably raise its innovative strength to the next level in the long term", explains Martin Ingignoli, Head of the Digitalization Market at Barmenia Versicherungen.

This success story shows how important it is to systematically analyze and improve a company's ability to innovate in order to be successful in a constantly changing business world. Through the targeted use of tools and models, companies can develop customized strategies to increase and expand their level of maturity in the area of innovation.