Efficient Innovation with the 5C Process5C process

Taking into account conventional innovation methods, a direct link from the current business of the corporation with high traction towards innovative, new business is often not established. This is because innovation processes usually deal with either the customer (pull) or the company (push) side. Differentiating from such innovation processes, the 5C process stands out in combining both customer fit and traction to enable efficient innovation for corporations through processual ambidexterity. To achieve this, the 5C process is broken down in five steps: Configuration, Customisation, Compilation, Construction and Conversion. During the Configuration, innovation potentials are derived by combining emerging market/customer opportunities with existing core business strengths. Customisation marks the identification and validation of customer pain points within a selected potential. On this basis, new inspirations for ideas are gathered through scouting during the Compilation. Subsequently, in the Construction, multidimensional ideation is applied to create innovative ideas and concepts that are innovative ‘inside-the-box’ and hence, as close to the core business as possible and as disruptive as necessary. Finally, the Conversion deals with the transition from an implementable innovation concept to its implementation and commercialization as a successful innovation.