Assuming you’re working at a company that fosters an innovation culture, would you say you are given relentless support for your innovative ideas?
Do you get the resources, budget, and time to take your idea to the implementation stage, eventually, commercialization?
Well, it’s exactly what happens at SAP through their SAP Accelerator Program.
Their journey sheds light on the power of ideation techniques and how companies can create a thriving climate for intrapreneurship.
Let’s dive into how they did it and how you can, too.
How Big Companies Use Ideation Techniques to Innovate?
Ever wondered how companies like SAP consistently come up with fresh ideas?
They’re not happy accidents.
It’s about creating a climate for intrapreneurship where employees feel encouraged to think beyond their daily tasks. Let’s take a real-world example.
The SAP Labs Story: From Idea to Startup
In 2017, Hemant Rachh, a product specialist at SAP Labs India, had an idea: an AI-powered platform to convert business leads into sales.
A few colleagues jumped on board, and within months, they had a working concept. Instead of leaving SAP to build a startup, they leveraged SAP’s internal innovation ecosystem, including SAP Inspire and the SAP Accelerator Program.
They entered SAP’s internal startup competition, InnVent, won funding, and later joined SAP.io, the company’s global accelerator.
Fast forward to 2019—Rachh and his team were one of only two teams (out of 500!) to get funded. Their project, Inversation by SAP, became a full-fledged startup, proving that a well-structured ideation program can turn employees into successful intrapreneurs.
What You Can Learn from SAP’s Ideation Techniques
SAP’s success wasn’t random—it followed a process:
- Idea Generation & Capture: Employees pitch raw ideas internally.
- Validation & Refinement: Experts refine ideas based on feasibility and impact.
- Prototyping & Testing: Promising concepts get built and tested.
- Funding & Acceleration: Winning ideas move to full-fledged execution via SAP Startup Accelerator programs.
This structured approach ensures that great ideas don’t get lost in day-to-day operations
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Other Real-World Success Stories: Sony, ITC & Beyond
Sony is another example of a company fostering intrapreneurship. The PlayStation, believe it or not, was born out of a side project by Ken Kutaragi, an engineer at Sony who developed a sound chip for the Super Nintendo. Sony initially dismissed the idea, but Kutaragi pushed forward, and today, PlayStation is a multi-billion-dollar brand. That’s the power of an ideation program that allows employees to innovate.
ITC, one of India’s largest conglomerates, also thrives on intrapreneurship. Its agri-business division transformed rural supply chains by leveraging employee-led innovations. The e-Choupal initiative, which digitized rural farmer networks, emerged from internal brainstorming sessions and now impacts millions of farmers in India.
How to Build an Ideation Program That Works?
If you want your business to foster innovation like SAP Accelerator Program or Sony, here’s what you need to do:
- Encourage Idea Capture: Don’t just wait for ‘eureka’ moments. Set up a system where employees can submit ideas anytime. Platforms like SAP Ideas or InspireIP Idea Assist make this easy.
- Create a Support System: A successful ideation program needs leadership buy-in. Appoint mentors who can guide promising ideas.
- Fund the Best Ideas: Take a page from SAP Startup Accelerator and provide funding for internal innovations.
- Track & Measure Success: Not all ideas will succeed, but every attempt should be a learning experience.
Conclusion: Don’t Just Ideate—Innovate
At the end of the day, ideation techniques are useless unless they lead to real innovation. Whether you’re an employee looking to push boundaries or a business leader trying to build the next big thing, structured ideation is the way to go. And if companies like SAP, Sony, and ITC can do it, so can you!
Want to see how top businesses manage their innovation pipelines? Check out our list of the best idea management software that can help bring your ideas to life!
