Key Capabilties for mitigating Competency Trap

Excerpt from the meeting at BQF Innovation Unit to discuss issues of Competency Traps

The session was led by Richard Granger of Arthur D Little. He presented a comprehensive review of the topic and then facilitated a workshop where delegates assessed their organisational competence in 7 key areas. Competency traps are skills, attributes and things we are proud of, that constrain our thinking. They break down into a Vision trap, a Routinisation trap and Technology traps. Richard advised that the best way to combat these hazards is to open the organisation up to external stimuli. This led into a discussion of many aspects of open innovation and we reviewed what P&G, Rolls-Royce and Philips Research were doing in these areas.

Seven key management capabilities were identified:

1. Innovation Sourcing Strategy
2. Ideas Management
3. Business Intelligence
4. Relationship Management
5. Project Management
6. Competence Management
7. Innovation Culture


By ~ Paul Sloane