Innovation Coaches

Using innovation coaches to enable virtual development teams
Using innovation coaches to enable virtual development teams
Stakeholders: 
Large Company
University
Objective of approach: 
  • Increase productivity of virtual development teams
  • Improve the process of collaboration in virtual teams
  • Identify weaknesses in virtual collaboration and compile solutions

Through involving innovation coaches into virtual teams in product development those teams are supported in conducting virtual meetings, using methods of product development and in coping with social problems. Innovation coaches do not work on content but enable virtual teams to tap their full potential. To do this innovation coaches moderate virtual meetings, give specific feedback on project progress and review the process of collaboration regularly. The degree of involvement of an innovation coach can vary depending from project type, project progress and the needs of team members.

USP: 
  • Separation of project work and process work to continuously improve virtual collaboration
Resources: 
  • Team members
  • Innovation coaches
  • Appropriate media (incl. PC, collaboration software / media)
Success factors: 
  • Team members should provide feedback to the coach regularly
  • Provide supervision for the coach in the sense of "coach the coach"
Barriers: 
  • Acceptance of the role of the innovation coach by the team members
  • Innovation coaches must understand what the project team is working on (at least to a certain degree)
Contact information: 

IPEK - Institute of product engineering, Kaiserstrasse 10, 76131 Karlsruhe Germany

Workflow: 
Published