“The driving factors are mainly the feedbacks of our customers”: J. Schuster (Development unit, Daimler, automotive company, DE).

The organisation should set two main responsibilities in relation to the Innovation management system:

• responsibilities for the specific innovation projects;
• responsibilities for the general innovation management.

Depending on the size and structure of the organisation, innovation management responsibilities can be assigned to a structured unit, a team, or a single person of the organization (if appropriate even part-time).

The general innovation management responsibilities should include:

• effective and efficient innovation management, according to the recommendations of the standard,
• development of the operational planning,
• initiating and leading the innovation process,
• assigning the innovation project responsibilities for each project and when necessary, employing external experts for specific tasks or projects in case there is no appropriate internal expertise,
• coordination across innovation projects,
• reporting to top management about progress and performance.

The competence profile of the innovation manager can be downloaded by clicking on this link: http://www.innovationdevelopment.eu.

The innovation project responsibilities should be assigned to every innovation project, to a team, or a person of the organisation on the basis of skills and capabilities.

The innovation project responsibilities should include, at least:

• undertaking the innovation project assigned and its objectives;
• using the innovation tools as necessary in the project;
• reporting to the innovation management personnel about the progress of the project.

We need to concentrate on the interactions of the following areas:

• resources (human resources, machines, equipment, financial resources)
• competences (their assessment, education, training, continuous development, improvement, mentoring)
• awareness (motivation, assimilation with the goals of the organization)
• communication (external, internal)
• documented information (handling documentation according to the IMS)
• strategic human resources
• Intellectual property and knowledge management.