Establishing an Innovation Hub Framework

Challenge

Bolton Clarke is a not-for-profit provider of independent living services through at-home care, retirement living and residential aged care. They have invested in building an in-house capability providing digital services to their clients.The challenge was to design and operationalise an Innovation Hub Framework for Bolton Clarke that supports their vision of“helping our clients lead a life of fulfilment” through technology.

Approach

Merging inside-out and outside-in perspectives through a human-centred design approach.

The Strategy Group used an insight-led approach to understand key stakeholder/customer needs and co-design a relevant Innovation Hub Frame work, together with a governance model and implementation roadmap.

Human-centred design methodologies were utilised to support the key stages in theInnovation Hub Framework, taking into account customers, stakeholders, their mindset, their care and the need for an effect but light-touch framework.

BoltonClarke are heading on a journey of discovery and mindset shift.  Moving away from traditional approaches to new ways of thinking and doing. This cultural shift is not easy, and The Strategy Group is supporting us with training and tools to embed this cultural change in our 10,000+ employees. In parallel they are preparing our innovation team to stand alone and drive the ship forward. Having already exposed the team to techniques ranging from synthesising data, developing business model canvases through to prototyping and testing hypotheses to validate solutions, they are setting us up to support this cultural change and capitalise on building out future innovative solutions. We have come to rely on The Strategy group to be there as a sounding board and key advisor to this team.

- Sharon McKinnon, Innovation Manager, Bolton Clarke

Outcomes

A thought leadership program that challenged thinking, connected teams and shifted the mindset toward the future.

The deliverables of the project included the creation of the following:

• Innovation Hub Framework: Five key stages were designed that defines the processes from innovation to commercialisation that will support Bolton Clarke in identifying worthwhile initiatives. Underpinning the entire framework are both operational and impact metrics.

• Governance Model: Two governance bodies, a new Innovation Hub committee and the existing Board, will provide oversight of the Innovation Hub and ensure decisions are made to allow innovation to prosper at BoltonClarke.

• Implementation Roadmap: Outlines the steps, procedural content and timeframes that are required to successfully implement and operationalise the Innovation Hub Framework.