What's your secret to creating value in your innovation ecosystem?

Innovation ecosystems are networks of actors, resources, and institutions that collaborate and compete to create and capture value from technological innovation. As an innovator, you need to understand how to leverage your ecosystem to generate, share, and apply knowledge, as well as to access markets, customers, and partners. But how do you do that effectively? Here are some tips to help you create value in your innovation ecosystem.

1 Know your role

Your role in the ecosystem depends on your capabilities, goals, and position in the value chain. You may be a leader, a follower, a complementor, or a disruptor. Each role has different implications for your strategy, partnerships, and value proposition. For example, a leader may have more influence and bargaining power, but also more responsibility and risk. A follower may have less control and differentiation, but also less cost and uncertainty. A complementor may have more opportunities and synergies, but also more dependence and coordination. A disruptor may have more creativity and novelty, but also more resistance and competition. Know your role and play it well.

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Dr Abdallah Abukaraki

Professional Trainer | PhD, MBA | PMP, KPI, OKR Certified | TOT Expert | Innovation & Design Thinking Leader | Head of Enterprise Solutions | Strategic Agility Specialist | SCRUM Master | Entrepreneur | Founder & Author
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I do agree to a certain level but creating such an eco system requires cultural adaptation not just role awareness, you need to force the awareness not by only spreading knowledge but by embracing diversity among an organization structure, changing the norms and approaches, breaking roles and constraints. All are responsible, but enforcing is a must so that all can be accountable and have an inner ownership.

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2 Build trust and reciprocity

Trust and reciprocity are essential for effective collaboration and knowledge exchange in the ecosystem. You need to establish and maintain good relationships with your ecosystem partners, based on mutual respect, honesty, and transparency. You also need to balance your self-interest and collective interest, by contributing to the ecosystem's common goals and values, as well as benefiting from its resources and opportunities. You can build trust and reciprocity by communicating clearly and frequently, sharing relevant information and feedback, acknowledging and rewarding contributions, and resolving conflicts constructively.

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Pablo Riveros

Helping Founders, CTOs, Snr Business- Devs expand in Japan, Taiwan or Australia. Founder 🌱 Techpreneur 👩🏻💻Manabu Hubs 🇯🇵Fukuoka Startup Collective 🏢Manabu.dev Greentech AI 🌱⚡️🔌
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In my personal experience as a startup founder in Japan, I have learned that building business relationships is key to success in many Asian countries. This process requires patience, an understanding of cultural differences, and the ability to provide honest and direct feedback in a polite way. As non-Japanese people, we have the opportunity to express ourselves a bit more directly, which customers may appreciate. However, it's important to strike a balance and always put yourself in the other person's shoes in a respectful manner.

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3 Learn and adapt

The innovation ecosystem is dynamic and complex, constantly evolving and changing. You need to be alert and responsive to the emerging trends, challenges, and opportunities in the ecosystem. You need to learn from your own and others' experiences, successes, and failures, and use that knowledge to improve your innovation processes, products, and services. You also need to adapt to the changing needs, preferences, and expectations of your customers and stakeholders, and deliver value that meets or exceeds them. You can learn and adapt by monitoring and evaluating your performance and impact, seeking and applying feedback, experimenting and testing new ideas, and pivoting and scaling when needed.

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4 Leverage diversity and complementarity

The innovation ecosystem is diverse and complementary, composed of actors with different backgrounds, perspectives, skills, and resources. You need to leverage this diversity and complementarity to enhance your innovation potential and outcomes. You need to seek and engage with diverse and complementary partners, who can offer you new insights, capabilities, and solutions, as well as challenge your assumptions and biases. You also need to integrate and align your diverse and complementary resources, activities, and outputs, to create coherent and consistent value propositions for your customers and stakeholders. You can leverage diversity and complementarity by identifying and mapping your ecosystem's assets and gaps, networking and collaborating across boundaries, and co-creating and co-delivering value.

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5 Foster innovation culture and capabilities

The innovation ecosystem is a source and a driver of innovation culture and capabilities. You need to foster a culture and capabilities that support and enable innovation in the ecosystem. You need to cultivate a mindset and attitude that embrace uncertainty, ambiguity, and change, and encourage curiosity, creativity, and experimentation. You also need to develop and apply skills and tools that facilitate and enhance innovation processes, such as problem-solving, design thinking, prototyping, and agile methods. You can foster innovation culture and capabilities by inspiring and empowering your team and partners, providing and accessing training and mentoring, and adopting and adapting best practices and standards.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What's your secret to creating value in your innovation ecosystem?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Know your role

2 Build trust and reciprocity

3 Learn and adapt

4 Leverage diversity and complementarity

5 Foster innovation culture and capabilities

6 Here’s what else to consider

Technological Innovation

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What's your secret to creating value in your innovation ecosystem?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Know your role

2 Build trust and reciprocity

3 Learn and adapt

4 Leverage diversity and complementarity

5 Foster innovation culture and capabilities

6 Here’s what else to consider

Technological Innovation

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