What we do
We help organisations, and the people inside them, build innovation capability to the level their ambition actually needs. Good enough at the right maturity is better than chasing perfection.
Two products sit at the centre of our work - one for your organisation, one for your people - joined by a single method and supported by expert consultancy.
The right level of innovation competence for your context
One product describes how mature your organisation's innovation needs to be. The other describes what your people need to be able to do. Each is anchored to an international standard, and they are designed to be used together.
Innovation Zones 1–5
Five Zones describe how mature an organisation's innovation management is - from Ad‑hoc to Optimising - and what 'sufficient' looks like for your ambition, risk appetite and resources. A low Zone is not a failure; the real risk is aiming at the wrong one.
You choose the Zone that is enough. We help you get there, and stay there.
- A target Zone your leadership team owns, with the reasons for stopping there.
- An honest assessment of where you are today against that target.
- A roadmap of the minimum changes needed, with owners, milestones and simple measures.
Mapped clause by clause to ISO 56001:2024, the international requirements standard for innovation management. An organisation operating at Zone 4 meets around 95% of it.
F!Sk®
F!Sk® is our framework for innovation skills and competence. Its latest version has 52 competences in four groups - Leadership & Direction, Delivery & Support, Results & Improvement, Culture & Context - each at five levels, from Contribute through Assist, Facilitate and Lead to Inspire.
Innovation is a competence, not a trait. It can be described, assessed and developed.
- An individual report: strengths, stretch areas and a focused development list.
- A team view of capability against what your target Zone requires.
- A microlearning library - one short module for each competence.
F!Sk® was validated by Ulster University in 2020 as the first model of its kind. Its latest version is cross‑referenced to all 44 competences of ISO/DIS 56011, the draft international standard for innovation management competence, whose working group our Managing Partner convenes.
One plan, not two
Each Zone names the jobs that have to be done at that level, and the minimum competence needed by whoever owns each job. At Zone 2, someone must be able to facilitate. At Zone 3, someone must lead. At Zone 4, audit and portfolio competences appear.
So your organisation's roadmap and your people's development plan are the same plan - and capability building is tied to the maturity you are actually aiming for, not to generic training.
Four groups of competence, five levels of proficiency
Proficiency is assigned by responsibility and autonomy, not by job title - so two people with the same title can need very different things, and a small organisation can hold a high level in one person.
Leadership & Direction
The strategic skills required to accomplish innovation goals.
Delivery & Support
The "engine room of innovation": finding opportunities, generating ideas, validating concepts and developing solutions.
Results & Improvement
The skills needed to demonstrate the positive impact innovation is having on the organisation.
Culture & Context
The skills that ensure the organisation has a culture supportive of successful innovation.
- 1ContributeTakes part in innovation activities when asked.
- 2AssistSupports the people who run innovation activities.
- 3FacilitateHas the skills and confidence to run the organisation's tactical innovation activities.
- 4LeadAccountable for innovation decisions, objectives and resources.
- 5InspireThe figurehead who secures buy-in and carries overall responsibility for innovation.
Understand. Assess. Design.
Every engagement follows the same three steps. What changes is the depth: a short conversation and a light checklist at Zone 1, a full ISO 56001 clause-level assessment and co-designed roadmap at the higher zones.
Executive overview and target zone
We start by helping leadership understand the five innovation maturity zones and decide what good enough looks like over the next 3–5 years. For organisations at Zone 1, this step is a short, focused conversation that sets a simple, realistic picture of what ‘good enough’ looks like.
- Short overview of the ISO‑aligned maturity framework, with examples of organisations at each zone.
- Discussion of strategy, risk appetite, culture and resource constraints.
- Facilitated decision on a realistic target zone - for example, Zone 2 Coordinated or Zone 3 Structured - with a brief written rationale.
This step turns abstract ISO standards and best‑practice guidance into a concrete, shared ambition.
ISO‑aligned diagnostic
Next, we assess your current position against criteria aligned to the ISO 56000 suite of standards and your chosen target zone.
- A light screening to place you in a maturity band and confirm whether the target zone is realistic - often all that’s needed for Zone 1, with deeper surveys reserved for Zones 2–5.
- A more detailed survey, scaled to the depth needed, covering context, leadership, planning, support, operations, performance and improvement, directly mapped to ISO 56001 clauses 4–10.
- Workshops to rate key elements - strategy, culture, processes, partners, risk, learning - across Zones 1–5, followed by a clear gap analysis that highlights both system and skills needs.
You get a structured picture of where you are strong, where you are light, and which system, culture and competency gaps actually matter for your chosen zone.
Roadmap and implementation support
Finally, we translate those gaps into a practical roadmap and provide support so your organisation can adopt a fit‑for‑purpose innovation approach and skills model.
- Co‑designed workstreams grouped around context and strategy, culture and people, processes and innovation portfolio, and measurement and learning.
- A time‑bound action plan with owners, milestones and simple indicators - focused on the minimum set of changes needed to operate confidently at your target zone (for Zone 1 this may be a small set of quick, low‑overhead actions).
- Integration with existing governance, budgeting and performance cycles, plus options for coaching, innovation skills development and periodic reassessment.
Expert consultancy, in the format you need
Most relationships start with a conversation, a session or a workshop. Everything here stands alone, and everything here can also be a module inside a Zone engagement.
A way in
Awareness sessions, creative ideation workshops, innovation strategy workshops, leadership masterclasses, keynotes and decision facilitation - to build a shared language and secure buy‑in before any system work begins.
Support when you ask for it
Mentoring and coaching for innovation leads, tactical interventions on live projects, and add‑on pieces around a Zone engagement - with the aim of leaving your people more self‑reliant, not more dependent.
Programmes for networks
The same products delivered to many organisations at once, on behalf of an agency, funder or sector body - with a roadmap for each organisation and reportable outcomes for the sponsor.
FOR AGENCIES AND FUNDERS
Innovation that actually sticks
Most innovation programmes fail because they're treated as one-off events. We build the capability, culture, and systems to make innovation sustainable - part of how your organisation breathes. Because the depth of work matches your maturity, Zone 1 interventions are deliberately light and ‘just enough’, while higher zones add more structure, measurement and governance.
By combining strategy, innovation skills development and accountability, our clients don't just generate ideas - they execute on them in ways that deliver measurable outcomes.
Strategy-led
Every engagement starts with understanding your goals, your risks, your appetite for change and what ‘good enough’ innovation maturity looks like for you.
People-powered
We build internal champions who lead transformation from within, using F!Sk® to develop the competences your target Zone needs - and reducing dependency on external consultants.
Results-focused
Demonstrating success makes innovation sustainable. We set clear accountability, define innovation KPIs and measure what matters at each maturity zone.
Innovation Pulse Check
Not sure where to start? The Innovation Pulse Check is a free 20-question self-assessment that gives you an indicative view of where your organisation sits on our Innovation Maturity Model, and what to focus on next.
It takes about 8–10 minutes. When you're done, we'll email you a personalised report with your results and practical next steps tailored to your current maturity zone.
Take the Innovation Pulse CheckNote: The Innovation Pulse Check is currently in BETA testing. As an early adopter, if you spot any issues please let us know — we appreciate your feedback.
20 questions, ~10 minutes
A short but carefully designed assessment covering five key themes of innovation maturity, using slider-based questions that reflect the nuance of real organisations.
Personalised report by email
Your results are analysed against our Innovation Maturity Model and you'll receive a tailored report highlighting your zone, your strengths and where to focus next.
Practical, actionable insight
The report isn't just a score - it tells you what your current zone means and gives you concrete steps to move forward, whether you're just starting or already well structured.