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James P. Andrew
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January
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2007
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© The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. 2007. All rights reserved.
Executive Summary 6
Recommendations 15
Survey Methodology 18
Beyond theInnovation
Measuring Boom 2007
Note to the Reader
Massimo Busetti Kevin Waddell Acknowledgments
BCG Milan BCG Warsaw We would like to thank the 377 execu
+39 0 2 65 59 91 +48 22 820 36 00 tives who responded to BCG’s 2007
busetti.massimo@bcg.com waddell.kevin@bcg.com Senior Executive Innovation Metrics
Survey. We would also like to thank
Sebastian Ehrensberger the entire BCG team that supports
BCG Düsseldorf Asia-Pacific our innovation activities, with par
+49 2 11 30 11 30 ticular thanks to James Stark. Finally,
ehrensberger.sebastian@bcg.com Mary Barlow we would like to acknowledge the
BCG Melbourne editorial and production assistance of
Lars Fæste +61 3 9656 2100 Barry Adler, Gary Callahan, Kim Fried
BCG Helsinki barlow.mary@bcg.com man, Gina Goldstein, Gerry Hill, and
+358 9 228 661 Sara Strassenreiter.
faeste.lars@bcg.com Arindam Bhattacharya
BCG New Delhi James P. Andrew
Mark Freedman +91 124 459 7000 Senior Partner and Managing Director
BCG Paris bhattacharya.arindam@bcg.com
+33 1 40 17 10 10 Harold L. Sirkin
freedman.mark@bcg.com Patrick Forth Senior Partner and Managing Director
BCG Sydney
Knut Haanæs +61 2 9323 5600 Knut Haanæs
BCG Oslo forth.patrick@bcg.com Partner and Managing Director
+47 23 10 20 00
haanaes.knut@bcg.com Sam Karita David C. Michael
BCG Tokyo Senior Partner and Managing Director
Per Hallius +81 3 5211 0300
BCG Stockholm karita.osamu@bcg.com
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hallius.per@bcg.com David C. Michael
BCG Beijing
Andy Maguire +86 10 8527 9000
BCG London michael.david@bcg.com
+44 207 753 5353
maguire.andy@bcg.com Collins Qian
BCG Shanghai
Andreas Maurer +86 21 6375 8618
BCG Düsseldorf qian.collins@bcg.com
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maurer.andreas@bcg.com Hirotaka Yabuki
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C
ompanies spend billions of dollars percent of respondents said that their company
a year on innovation. Yet a critical employs.
part of the equation is often missing:
proper measurement. Few compa • Few companies consistently tie employee incen
nies measure their innovation efforts tives to their innovation metrics. Only 28 percent
as carefully as they measure other aspects of their of respondents said that their company links the
business; some companies barely attempt to meas- two consistently; 24 percent said their company
ure innovation at all. The potential cost of this doesn’t link them at all.
shortcoming is sizable.
Measuring Innovation
The State of Play
I
nnovation is a top strategic priority—and uct launch and postlaunch support) that compa
a target of ever-increasing investment—for nies are measuring, how they’re doing it, and why.
the majority of companies, as our compan We also provide some ideas from our experience
ion report, Innovation 2007, confirmed. Yet and research on how companies can improve their
most companies are failing to keep pace in measurement practices.
a critical part of the equation: metrics and meas
urement. Few companies rigorously track their
innovation efforts from start to finish, despite the
How Rigorously Are Companies
fact that the majority recognize the importance of Measuring Innovation?
doing so. And among companies that do attempt
to measure innovation care
fully and comprehensively, few Exhibit 1. Less Than Half of Respondents Innovation has many compo
are confident they’re doing it as Are Satisfied with Their Return nents that need to be measured.
well as they need to. on Innovation Spending They can be grouped into three
categories: inputs, or resources,
Are you satisfied with the financial return
Companies would do well to on your investments in innovation? such as people and money; proc-
make measurement a higher esses, which act on and trans
priority. Poor measurement Percentage of respondents form the inputs; and outputs, or
practices translate into bad or 100 end results, which include both
incomplete information, wast cash returns (and, ultimately, re
ed spending, and, ultimately, a 80 turns for shareholders) and indi
46
lower return on investment in rect benefits, such as a stronger
innovation—and the majority 60 brand and acquired knowledge
of companies are already less that can be applied to other of
than satisfied with that return, 26
ferings and purposes. The key
40
as Innovation 2007 revealed. components in all three catego
(See Exhibit 1.) ries can and should be measured
20
28
regularly and thoroughly.
Below we look at the current
state of play of innovation meas 0 But that’s not what most compa
urement—the parts of the in Yes No Not sure nies do. Indeed, although nearly
novation-to-cash process (from three in four respondents to our
Source: BCG 2007 Senior Executive Innovation Survey.
idea generation through prod survey said they believe that in
Beyond theInnovation
Measuring Boom 2007
novation should be tracked every bit as rigorously from that industry said they were satisfied. And it’s
as their company’s core operations, less than half not that executives believe that measuring more
said that their company does so. (See Exhibit 2.) rigorously might somehow be counterproduc
This is evidenced most clearly in the small num tive—only 34 percent of respondents said they felt
ber of metrics most companies use. (See Exhibit that increasing the number of metrics might stifle
3.) Fully 60 percent of respondents said that their innovation. (See Exhibit 5.) Clearly something isn’t
company uses five or fewer metrics to track the adding up.
sum total of their innovation efforts—well short of
the number necessary to do a comprehensive job.
(The notable exception to this rule is companies in
What Gets Measured Most?
the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and health care
industries, nearly a third of which, according to our
respondents, use between six and ten metrics.) When companies do measure, what are they meas
uring? By category, outputs receive the most atten
This widespread laxity with regard to measure tion; nearly 80 percent of respondents said that
ment is striking given that few executives—only they track outputs regularly. Inputs and processes
37 percent of respondents—are satisfied with their are measured less universally but still by a majority
company’s measurement practices. (See Exhibit of companies—71 percent of respondents said they
4.) This is especially the case among financial ser track the former, and 61 percent said they follow
vices executives—only 29 percent of respondents the latter. (See Exhibit 6.)
Should innovation initiatives be held to Are innovation initiatives held to the same
the same standard of measurement rigor standard of measurement rigor as
as your company’s core businesses? your company’s core businesses?
47
44
60
40
40
24
20
20
9
5
0 0
Yes No Not sure Yes No Not sure
Exhibit 3. The Majority of Companies Exhibit 4. Few Companies Are Satisfied
Use Five or Fewer Metrics to Measure with Their Innovation-Measurement
Innovation Practices
Approximately how many innovation metrics Are you satisfied with your company’s
does your company regularly use? innovation-measurement practices?
60
60 60
49
40 40 37
23
20 16 20
14
1
0 0
0–5 6–10 11 or more Not sure Yes No Not sure
Source: BCG 2007 Senior Executive Innovation Metrics Survey. Source: BCG 2007 Senior Executive Innovation Metrics Survey.
Do you feel that by increasing the number My company uses metrics to assess
of innovation metrics, a company risks these components of innovation
stifling breakthrough innovation?
Percentage of respondents
Percentage of respondents 100
80
79
80
71
60
61
60
45
40
34 40
21
20 20
0
0
Yes No Not sure Innovation Innovation Innovation
inputs processes outputs
Source: BCG 2007 Senior Executive Innovation Metrics Survey. Source: BCG 2007 Senior Executive Innovation Metrics Survey.
Which Metrics Are Most 1. We asked a group of 2,468 executives a similar question
(“How does your company measure its success with innova
Commonly Used? tion?”), and gave them a somewhat different list of metrics
to choose from, in our 2007 Senior Executive Innovation
Survey. The three most popular choices were customer satis
faction, overall revenue growth, and the percentage of sales
When we asked executives to choose the metrics from new products or services. (See Innovation 2007: A BCG
that their company regularly uses, the most com Senior Management Survey, BCG report, 2007.)
Exhibit 7. Profitability, Time to Market, and Idea Generation and Selection Are the Most
Widely Tracked Components of Innovation
Percentage of respondents
100
82
80
62 61
60 56
51
45
42
40
20
0
Profitability Time to Idea generation Overall health R&D effectiveness Life cycle Time to
market and selection of the and efficiency performance volume
innovation
portfolio
10
Which metrics do companies view as indispens “A good feedback mechanism for gauging whether
able? When we asked respondents to pick the ones our business efforts are balanced between today’s
they’d use if they were limited to a total of three and revenue earners and tomorrow’s bread earners.”
to justify their choices, we received a wide range of
responses. The most common choice was revenue “Revenue is a great measure of whether we’re
realized from offerings launched in the past three choosing high-impact ideas.”
years. Also popular were projected versus actual
performance, total funds invested in growth proj “Ultimately, innovation is about creating growth
ects, and allocation of investments across projects. and market share, so the top line matters.”
(See Exhibit 9, page 12.) The following quotations
from respondents exemplify the reasons given for “Three years is a reasonable time frame in which
their choices. to start judging the performance of an innovation
initiative.”
Revenue realized from offerings launched in
the past three years Projected versus actual performance
“Allows us to compare different projects within the “Return versus plan is key for shareholder com-
company and determine the required capital for munication and for internal-performance meas-
similar future projects.” urement.”
Average development 65
time per project
Revenue realized from
offerings launched in 64
the past three years
Allocation of invest- 64
ments across projects
Number of projects
that meet 62
planned targets
Cannibalization of
existing product sales 36
by new offerings
Percentage 32
of ideas funded
Number of projects
killed or tabled 31
at each milestone
0 20 40 60 80
Percentage of respondents
Source: BCG 2007 Senior Executive Innovation Metrics Survey.
Projected versus 15
actual performance
Allocation of invest-
13
ments across projects
Average development 11
time per project
Percentage
6
of ideas funded
Number of projects
killed or tabled 6
at each milestone
Cannibalization of
existing product sales 4
by new offerings
0 10 20 30
Percentage of respondents
Source: BCG 2007 Senior Executive Innovation Metrics Survey.
12
Allocation of investments across projects
Which Metrics Have the Most
“Ensures that we are consciously balancing our Influence Internally?
investment dollars—rather than just letting it
happen.” Given the priority of revenue in companies’ meas
urement practices, it’s not surprising that revenue-
“Given the size of my company, we need to have focused metrics have the most impact on employ
sustainable growth in both traditional and innova ees. (See Exhibit 10.) Indeed, three of the top four
tive products. A strategic balance is healthy.” most influential metrics—revenue growth (identi
fied by 56 percent of respondents), the percentage
“Clearly demonstrates how much money we are of sales from new products (35 percent), and new-
investing in the future versus the present.” product sales (28 percent)—are top-line related.
The return on innovation spending, by contrast,
“We need to keep our eye on the big picture—and has very limited impact, with only 15 percent of
make sure we aren’t shortchanging growth or ef respondents saying it swayed opinions or changed
ficiency.” behaviors.
Exhibit 10. Revenue Growth Has the Greatest Influence on the Thinking and Behavior
of Employees
Revenue growth 56
Customer satisfaction 40
Percentage of sales
35
from new products
New-product sales 28
Cost savings 24
Time to market 23
Number of new 22
products or ideas
Gross margin 21
Projected versus 21
actual performance
Customer 20
adoption rate
Return on 15
innovation spending
Other 7
0 20 40 60
Percentage of respondents
Source: BCG 2007 Senior Executive Innovation Metrics Survey.
Exhibit 11. Few Companies Consistently Tie Incentives and Rewards to Innovation Metrics
Does your company tie incentives and rewards (formal and informal,
monetary and nonmonetary) to its innovation metrics?
Percentage of respondents
100
80
60
40
48
20
28
24
0
Yes, consistently across projects Sometimes, No, not at all
inconsistently across projects
14
Recommendations
B
etter measurement practices will particular strategy and operational agenda, as well
yield more, better, and more timely as capture key aspects of risk. The following are
information, which can translate into some sample metrics for each factor.
a significantly higher return on inno
vation spending. A key part of mov Start-up costs
ing your company’s measurement program in the
right direction, and the one we’ll touch on here, is • The number of full-time staff involved
making sure that you measure what needs to be
measured. • Operating expenses
Note that you don’t need to track every single as • Capital expenditures
pect of innovation at your organization. Doing so
would be both impractical and expensive. And you Speed
don’t need to track every aspect with equal rigor—
some will clearly be more important than others, • Actual time to market
depending on your company’s particular innova
tion objectives and strategy. • Time to key checkpoints
One of the best ways to think about what does and • Actual versus planned full-time-employee hours
doesn’t need to be measured is through the lens
of the cash curve. (See Exhibit 12, page 16.) The Scale
cash curve is a depiction of the cumulative cash in
vestments and returns (both expected and actual) • Actual versus planned volume produced
for an innovation over time, from idea generation
through to the point when the product or service • Actual versus planned product availability
is removed from the market.2 The curve makes ex
plicit four factors that affect the success of an in • Actual versus planned first-year sales (by chan
novation and its ability to generate a return. Those nel, segment, and region)
factors are start-up costs, or prelaunch investment;
speed, or time to market; scale, or time to volume; 2. For a fuller discussion of the value and application of
and support costs, or postlaunch investment. A the cash curve, see our companion report, Innovation 2007.
See also James P. Andrew and Harold L. Sirkin, Payback:
proper measurement program will cover all four Reaping the Rewards of Innovation (Boston: Harvard Business
factors to the degree dictated by your company’s School Press, 2007).
Beyond theInnovation
Measuring Boom 2007 15
• Actual versus planned distribution Finding the right number of metrics to use is criti
cal. Companies that use too few are unable to ad
• Actual versus planned timing of ad campaigns equately monitor their innovation efforts. But us
ing too many is not advisable either, since time,
Support costs effort, and resources go into the tracking of each
one, and not all metrics will prove worthwhile on a
• Cannibalization of existing products in the cost-benefit analysis. Our experience suggests that
portfolio the ideal number, across all the elements of in
novation, is somewhere between 8 and 12. Which
• Marketing and promotional activities ones you choose is, of course, up to you. There is
no one-size-fits-all formula; the aim is to strike a
• Pricing actions balance among the different metrics that suits the
unique strategy, objectives, and needs of your com
• Key staff devoted to the project pany and gives you all the information you need in
order to make informed decisions.
• Product maintenance and service costs
The key is to start to more actively measure your
Viewing your measurement efforts through the lens company’s innovation efforts. Think it through,
of the cash curve, in combination with the frame pick what seems to be the right suite of metrics,
work of inputs, processes, and outputs touched on put them in place, and begin to track them over
earlier, will enable your company to develop meas time. Only by measuring and managing your ef
urement systems that capture the data executives forts will you reap the rewards of innovation.
need in order to manage the innovation process
more profitably. (See Exhibit 13.)
Exhibit 12. The Cash Curve Provides a Visual Framework for Thinking About Measurement
Speed Scale
(time to (time to
market) volume)
Cumulative Time
cash
Start-up costs Support costs
(prelaunch (postlaunch
investment) investment)
Launch
Source: James P. Andrew and Harold L. Sirkin, Payback: Reaping the Rewards of Innovation (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2007).
16
Exhibit 13. A Carefully Chosen Suite of Metrics Will Cover All the Key Aspects of Innovation
18
For Further Reading
This report is a product of BCG’s Innovation 2007: A BCG Senior “Spurring Innovation Productivity”
extensive work and research on in Management Survey Opportunities for Action in Industrial
A report by The Boston Consulting Group, Goods, November 2005
novation and the innovation-to-cash July 2007
process. A sample of related publica “Innovating for Cash”
tions includes the following: Payback: Reaping the Rewards James P. Andrew and Harold L. Sirkin
of Innovation Harvard Business Review, September 2003
James P. Andrew and Harold L. Sirkin
(Boston: Harvard Business School Press,
2007)
To receive future publications in electronic form about this topic or others, please visit our subscription Web site at bcg.com/subscribe.
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