Carl Fudge and Joaquín Roca gives 10 good tips.

1. Start by making the "box" bigger, rather than trying to think outside of it

The first thing you need to do is choose the right people for your team. The best way to do this is to ensure that your team members are able to complete all phases of the project.

Typically, an innovation project consists of three phases: the creative, the analytical and the development phase. With this in mind, it is obvious that it is not enough to have people who are able to "think outside the box". A better strategy is therefore to make a bigger box: Choose the team members so that different skills, networks and personalities are represented.

2. Select your team based on WHAT they know and WHO they know

Every innovation team should have members who have good networks, so that they can quickly find answers to questions or obtain resources that can help the team further in the process. Access to a good network provides both insight into wider knowledge and can also help support the team.

Therefore, say the two authors, the quality of the team members' networks should be a weighty selection criterion.

You can read more about the importance of the team's network and their ability to move "outside" the team here

3. Choose one leader and give him/her the freedom to lead

Experiments with management duos or even trios have not been successful. Unlike a team, a single leader is able to take full ownership of the vision and make the final decisions. It keeps the process going and makes it faster. In an innovation process, it is often better to push the process forward, even with incomplete information, than to slow it down because you are waiting for data.

However, it is interesting to note that although it is important to have one leader, it should also be possible for other team members to take on the leadership role when they have the relevant expertise in relation to what is being worked on.

4. Create a team that can find – and fill – gaps in the market

It's not just about getting a good idea. For an innovative product to be successful, there must be people willing to pay for it. To identify such needs, Fudge and Roca recommend an ethnographer. An ethnographer observes consumer behavior and thus gains knowledge about unsatisfied needs. Need which typically means innovation opportunities.

Ethnographers' work in interviewing, observing and identifying consumer needs means that the consumers' needs become the starting point of the project.

5. Use people who tell good stories

The ability to communicate the new business idea is almost as important as the quality of the idea. Regardless of whether you present the idea to the boss, colleagues or a potential investor, it is vital that they understand the concept and share your enthusiasm for the idea. A storyteller can help you with this.

Storytellers can describe problems and solutions in a way that simultaneously creates fascination and animates action. Commitment and action is what you need for the team's idea to progress from concept to finished product.

6. Understand the difference between good and bad conflict

There is a difference between conflicts. In an innovative team, it is important that the right kind of conflict is given space, otherwise you will neither benefit from the full potential of your team members nor the benefit that a good (constructive) discussion can bring.

In order to achieve constructive debate, one must ensure that the focus is on the task and not on individuals. Constructive conflict is e.g. when the members challenge each other's assumptions and hypotheses in order to arrive at a better answer.

Remember, however, that even this kind of conflict can be overcome if you constantly challenge other people's positions. This leads to a personal conflict and should be stopped as soon as possible. Instead, you should encourage constructive conflicts.

7. Supplement with an external provocateur

Sometimes, no matter how good your team is, sending in an outsider can help. He/she can act as a resource for new knowledge and inspire the organization to consider new and bold ideas. The person can also act as a kind of "moment of irritation" - not because he or she has to be annoying - but the personality and experiences must contrast with the team's, in a way that the mere presence of this "irritant" gives the team an energy boost.

8. Remember to set goals and measure progress

There are three things that are important in relation to the innovation team's goals:

1. Create a vision together for what the team wants to achieve. The fact that the team has helped to set the goal reduces conflicts and gives a higher degree of commitment and responsibility.
2. Return to the goals periodically. Acts as a confirmation of your common purpose.
3. Don't set financial goals, but ask a question you want answered. For example: Does this idea work or does it not work? Figuring out what isn't working is also a way to measure progress.

9. Think like an entrepreneur

Among entrepreneurs, you find a particularly high level of motivation and focus. To recreate this in your team, you need to nurture this entrepreneurial mindset. In some cases, you can do this by turning on motivational factors such as reward and risk. If this is not possible, Fudge and Roca recommend that you ask your team members to sign an "entrepreneurial contract" in which they commit to the project and/or company.

10. Jump in with both feet

For a team to be successful, the team members must have the opportunity to give their full attention to the project. If they are distracted by other tasks, it is difficult to be whole hearted and the risk of failure increases.

As long as companies try to find new ways to grow, there is a place for the innovative teams. Companies that spend time, at the start of a project, to put together, lead and motivate the team, have a greater chance of success than those that simply "do as usual".