#Strategy
#Systemic Change
BMW Group- Innovation Blueprint
Year
2024
Timeline
10 weeks
Client
Responsibilities
Project Planning and Coordination, Client Communication, Vision Alignment, Resource Allocation, Facilitating Team Collaboration, Facilitation of Research & Ideation Sessions, Risk Management, Documentation and Handover
Role
Project Manager
* The SCADpro team with the client from the BMW IT Tech office in Greenville, South Carolina.
* The BMW Crowd Innovation Platform as a part of their Open Innovation format, to stay ahead of the curve and help shape the future of mobility.
About
This project aimed to create a comprehensive innovation strategy for the BMW Group operations in America, focusing on fostering collaboration across departments and maximising the impact of innovation; also aligning this with the company's brand values and supporting the rapid adoption of emerging technologies within the automotive sector.
In the face of rapid technological advancement and shifting industry landscapes, service design and its methodologies are helping organisations look inward to remain competitive—not just by adopting new tools, but by also cultivating the capabilities of their people.
Challenge
The client's challenge was to enhance its existing innovation processes amidst rapid technological advancements in the automotive industry, particularly in the sectors of electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and Artificial Intelligence.
The company needed to create an innovation strategy that not only supported internal collaboration but also facilitated cross-functional and external partnerships. This required addressing the traditional silos within the organization, improving communication and idea-sharing, and fostering an environment where innovative ideas could thrive. The project also sought to align BMW’s core values with the evolving demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and establish a more agile and effective innovation ecosystem.
* The above figure represents a Blue Ocean Strategy Canvas comparing different innovation labs based on their key working features relevant to internal innovation capability building; revealing opportunities for differentiation and helping identify underutilised approaches that BMW can leverage.
Approach
The idea was to combine strategic foresight with service design methods to uncover how innovation truly flows within BMW’s internal ecosystem. This enabled to collaboratively define what an innovation-forward organization could look like - from structure and incentives to digital tools and decision-making flows- resulting in an actionable blueprint deeply informed by the people it was designed for.
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The process began with extensive secondary research to understand BMW’s brand values and innovation ecosystem. This involved exploring BMW's commitment to transparency, openness, trust, and responsibility, key principles that would guide the innovation strategy.
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Primary research was then conducted through interviews with internal stakeholders across various departments, gaining valuable insights into current communication barriers, innovation practices, and areas for improvement.
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Ideation workshops followed, focusing on collaborative problem-solving and visual explorations. The next step was to develop a blueprint that defined key strategies for fostering innovation, with a special emphasis on creating a connected ecosystem within BMW’s departments. It also included recommendations for new tools, spaces, and practices that would enhance collaboration and support BMW’s long-term goals.
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A significant aspect of the approach was the use of stakeholder maps and innovation journey visualisations to understand the flow of ideas and identify bottlenecks within BMW's innovation processes. This comprehensive mapping of relationships and workflows helped identify opportunities for streamlining collaboration and improving the overall innovation strategy.
* The above image showcases the identified intra-preneurial archetypes in the organisation; the advocate (green), the creator (blue), and the change-maker (red). This was pivotal in designing the innovation ecosystem tailored for individuals of the organisation.
Outcome
The main deliverable of the project was the creation of a detailed Innovation Strategy Blueprint that provided BMW with actionable insights to enhance their innovation processes, including a roadmap for implementing the strategies and fostering an innovation-driven culture across all levels of the organization.
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However, the true essence of the blueprint lies in its ability to enable the systemic transformation of BMW’s internal innovation culture. This includes the shift from siloed, undocumented efforts to a transparent, measurable innovation pipeline; a consistent way to measure engagement levels, track idea progression, or evaluate the outcomes of innovation initiatives across departments, and the cultivation of "intrapreneurship" and internal leadership.
* Stakeholder Map overlaid on Alexander Manu’s Disruption Matrix - based on their openness to behaviour change and capacity to generate new value; serving as a tool to guide targeted engagement and change management for innovation.
* The final deliverables cannot be shared due to a non-disclosure agreement, and the nature of the project since its internal and requires confidentiality.
Learning
BMW's IT Tech office at Greenville serves as a strategic catalyst for advancing the company's digital transformation and innovation agenda. Their core role is to identify, experiment with, and scale emerging technologies that can create tangible value across manufacturing, logistics, IT, and business operations.
Positioned near BMW’s largest production facility in Spartanburg; more than just technologists, the team operates at the intersection of strategy, execution, and culture—building prototypes, developing minimum viable products, and collaborating across departments to ensure that innovation is practical, impactful, and aligned with real business needs. They manage internal innovation pipelines, facilitate idea generation and evaluation, and implement systems that make innovation measurable and repeatable.
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The project thus helped design the use of technology to serve the team better and enhance their experience.
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The research also highlighted the need for a more agile approach to innovation, where rapid iteration and adaptability are key to success.
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Additionally, it demonstrates that successful innovation strategies need to be closely aligned with organisational values, ensuring that they resonate with both internal and external stakeholders.
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Innovation within large, technically advanced organisations isn’t usually limited by a lack of ideas—but by the absence of structure, visibility, and shared ownership. The proposal for the BMW Group team (Americas) was to nurture innovation and "intrapreneurs", the change-makers within the organisation, through systems that empower employees, recognise contributions, and make progress visible.
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