Technological change, societal demands, hyper-competition, and the digital transformation of the economy have increased the pressure upon companies to shift from incremental innovation to disruptive and strategic innovation: Today it is all about disrupting or being disrupted.
Cisco exemplifies a company who continues to disrupt its marketplace. In 2015, Cisco kicked-off its first and unique company-wide Innovate Everywhere Challenge. The goal was to drive global disruptive thinking, capture game-changing innovation opportunities from Cisco employees, help them grow and enhance employee experience, empowerment, and collaboration across all functions. Along the lines of "Team up, Disrupt, and Innovate", Cisco established the Innovate Everywhere Challenge as a vehicle to shape its future growth.
Supported by ITONICS collaborative innovation platform, the Innovate Everywhere Challenge is now a best practice for innovation management at Cisco.
Who: All Cisco employees
What: Team up and submit venture ideas that are categorized by market, technology, and business models to the innovation platform ITONICS Enterprise
Who: 30 semi-finalists
What: Selection of 30 semi-finalists by 120 expert judges after a preselection through employee token investment
Who: Six finalists
What: Looking for internal executive sponsors and live pitching the ventures before a panel of internal and external industry leaders regarding the feasibility, viability, and desirability of the ventures
