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Innovation is no longer a solo endeavor. The age of open innovation has arrived, where collaboration across industries, disciplines, and borders is key to addressing global challenges and driving progress. In this dynamic landscape, the launch of ISO 56001:2024 represents a monumental step forward for organizations striving to innovate smarter, faster, and more sustainably.

What Is ISO 56001?

ISO 56001 is the latest international standard for innovation management systems. Its goal is to provide a robust framework for organizations to manage innovation systematically, bridging creativity with structured processes. Unlike earlier approaches that often treated innovation as an isolated activity, ISO 56001 emphasizes integration, scalability, and adaptability—key pillars for open innovation.

But what sets ISO 56001 apart is its potential to harmonize collaboration across ecosystems. It recognizes that innovation thrives when ideas, expertise, and resources flow freely between partners. By aligning organizations around common principles and practices, this standard can make open innovation more accessible and impactful.

Innovation Excellence Framework

The Innovation Excellence Framework is a comprehensive system designed to guide organizations in managing their innovation processes. By incorporating internationally recognized standards, it provides a solid foundation for improving the organization’s innovation capabilities and aligning them with long-term goals.

What makes the Innovation Excellence Framework so powerful is its holistic and integrated approach. By incorporating the full ISO 56000 series, it ensures that your innovation efforts are aligned with international best practices, covering everything from strategy development to execution and performance evaluation.

Organizations that adopt this framework are not just improving their innovation processes; they are fostering a culture of continuous improvement, resilience, and strategic collaboration. This positions them to stay ahead of the competition, adapt to emerging trends, and effectively manage innovation in an ever-changing landscape.

In the infographic, the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle is integrated with the Operational-Tactical-Strategic layers to visually communicate the interconnectedness of different ISO standards in the Innovation Excellence Framework. Each element represents a different stage or layer in the innovation management process, helping organizations understand how to implement and evaluate their innovation strategies.

The PDCA cycle is a widely recognized approach for continuous improvement and is central to effective management systems. It involves four stages:

• Plan: Set goals and define processes to achieve them.
• Do: Implement the plan and execute the innovation activities.
• Check: Monitor and measure the outcomes to ensure the objectives are met.
• Act: Adjust processes and strategies based on the feedback to improve future innovation activities.

Each of these stages in the PDCA cycle is color-coded to align with the different ISO standards, making it easier to understand which standard applies to each stage.

The Operational-Tactical-Strategic layers represent different organizational levels at which innovation management is applied:

• Operational Layer: This is where day-to-day activities take place—focused on implementation, execution, and innovation performance at the ground level.
• Tactical Layer: Involves mid-level management, which ensures that innovation initiatives are aligned with broader goals and that innovation processes are optimized for efficiency.
• Strategic Layer: Focuses on long-term innovation strategies, aligning innovation with organizational objectives, vision, and global trends.

These layers align with the PDCA cycle stages, ensuring that innovation management is integrated across all levels of the organization.

Each layer of the PDCA cycle and each stage of the operational, tactical, and strategic levels is represented by a distinct color, which corresponds to specific ISO standards. This color-coding allows viewers to immediately identify which ISO standard is most relevant at each stage or organizational layer. Here’s a breakdown of the colors and the corresponding standards:

• ISO 56000: This standard serves as the foundational element for all innovation management activities, providing essential vocabulary and principles. It is placed at the Strategic level because it guides overall innovation direction.
• ISO/FDIS 56001: Representing the Plan phase of the PDCA cycle, this standard focuses on establishing an Innovation Management System (IMS) and its requirements. It applies at the Strategic and Tactical levels to ensure proper alignment between innovation strategy and operational actions.
• ISO 56002: A complementary standard to ISO 56001, offering practical guidance on implementing an IMS. It supports the Do phase in the PDCA cycle and applies at both the Tactical and Operational layers to guide the execution of innovation processes.
• ISO 56003: This standard covers tools and methods for innovation partnerships, essential for collaboration across all levels of the organization. It is aligned with the Tactical and Operational layers to ensure collaboration within innovation ecosystems.
• ISO/TR 56004: Focuses on Assessing Innovation Performance, which ties into the Check phase. It applies at the Tactical and Strategic levels to evaluate how well innovation is performing and identify areas for improvement.
• ISO 56005: Addresses tools for managing intellectual property during innovation activities. This standard is connected to the Operational layer as intellectual property often plays a central role in day-to-day innovation processes.
• ISO 56006: Provides tools for strategic intelligence management, focusing on gathering and analyzing market and industry data to inform innovation decisions. This standard fits at the Strategic level, guiding long-term innovation planning.
• ISO 56007: Focuses on the management of opportunities and ideas, aligned with the Do phase of the PDCA cycle. It supports the Operational layer by providing tools to generate and assess innovation opportunities.
• ISO 56008: This standard focuses on measuring the operational success of innovation initiatives. It connects with the Check phase in PDCA, ensuring that the Operational layer has the right metrics in place to track innovation progress.
• ISO/TS 56010: This standard provides illustrative examples of how to apply the ISO 56000 series. It serves as a resource for all levels but does not directly correlate to a single stage of the PDCA cycle or a specific layer.

In summary, the Innovation Excellence Framework based on the ISO 56000 standards offers a proven pathway for organizations looking to manage and optimize their innovation efforts. Whether you’re aiming to improve internal processes, collaborate with external partners, or gain access to funding, this framework provides the tools and insights needed for success.

Why ISO 56001 Matters for Open Innovation

Open innovation—the practice of sharing ideas, technologies, and solutions beyond organizational boundaries—has become a cornerstone of progress. Yet, it comes with its own challenges, including managing intellectual property, fostering trust, and aligning diverse stakeholders. ISO 56001 addresses these barriers in several ways:

• A Shared Language: ISO 56001 establishes a common vocabulary and framework for innovation. This simplifies collaboration between companies, research institutions, and startups, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
• Trust Through Structure: Open innovation requires trust, and trust is built on transparency. By providing guidelines for processes like risk management and decision-making, ISO 56001 helps organizations navigate uncertainties collaboratively.
• Scalability and Adaptability: Innovation ecosystems are diverse, with partners ranging from local entrepreneurs to multinational corporations. ISO 56001’s flexible framework accommodates these differences, enabling seamless collaboration across scales.

Real-World Impact

Consider a biotech company partnering with a university to develop sustainable agriculture solutions. With ISO 56001 as their foundation, both parties can align their objectives, streamline their workflows, and manage intellectual property with clarity. The result? Faster breakthroughs and a stronger impact on global food security.

Or take the example of a city government working with tech startups to build smarter infrastructure. ISO 56001 can guide how these diverse entities share data, integrate their innovations, and create scalable solutions that improve urban living.

A Call to Action for Innovators

The release of ISO 56001 couldn’t come at a better time. As the world faces complex challenges—from climate change to public health crises—the need for open, collaborative innovation has never been greater. This standard offers a roadmap for turning collective ideas into actionable solutions.

For innovators, ISO 56001 is more than a set of guidelines; it’s an opportunity to lead. By adopting the standard, you can position yourself as a reliable partner in the global innovation ecosystem, attract funding, and drive meaningful change.

How to Get Started

Whether you’re part of a multinational corporation, a small business, or an academic institution, ISO 56001 offers something for everyone. Start by:

1. Exploring the Standard: Learn about its principles, structure, and how it aligns with your innovation goals.
2. Building Internal Capacity: Train your teams on best practices for innovation management.
3. Engaging in Dialogue: Use ISO 56001 as a bridge to connect with potential partners and collaborators.

ISO 56001 is more than a technical standard—it’s a tool for shaping the future of innovation. By embracing its principles, we can create a world where ideas flow freely, challenges are tackled collaboratively, and progress knows no boundaries. Let’s innovate together.