XPE Blog: Get to know the ISO of innovation

A certificate that gives more results and objectivity in all companies in the market.

Innovation is one of the factors that permeate today’s society. Faced with a context of major technological transformations, companies need to adapt to this reality to keep the business thriving in an attractive and profitable way. That is why investment in ISO 56002 has been growing and has been required in the search for professionals.

This certification guideline concerns innovation management. And, today, innovation is a watchword. However, when we talk about this term, it does not mean only taking new actions, different from the company’s current strategies, or even taking some risks to stand out.

In other words, the idea is to understand how to balance novelty with the organization’s concept, in a way that offers value to customers. In this article you will understand what ISO 56002 is, its characteristics, relevance, and how to get this certification. Check it out!

What is ISO 56002?

ISO 56002 is a standard of guidelines that focuses on the development of an innovation management system. It is part of the international standard of the Innovation Management System launched in 2019, with the aim of presenting suggestions for actions to build new strategies for companies to provide not only novelties in inventions, but also value in these projects.

Its origin comes from the publication of ISO (International Organization for Standardization), an international non-governmental organization founded in 1947 in Geneva, Switzerland. Today it is one of the most essential standards in the corporate market, especially after the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, where it was necessary to adapt processes and work. As a result, in a little more than a year after its launch, the norm has already been adopted by more than 150 companies around the world – four in Brazil alone. Therefore, ISO 56002 offers solutions to innovate without compromising the quality result.

ISO 56002 formatting

Its formatting originated from the ISO organization, which was founded in 1947, in order to help rebuild companies devastated by World War II, and is based on the principles of isonomy (which in Greek means equality).

Currently, it has more than 22,000 technical standards, of which more than 180 are management system standards that aim to establish worldwide standards for business management, ISO 56002 being one of them. Thus, ISO, in general, has been consolidated as one of the most important international references in relation to standardization and business management models.

Over the years, several have been created, such as ISO 56000, which is the standard that determines vocabularies and fundamentals. But ISO 56002 is the standard that provides guidelines for implementing the management system and is the only one that can be certified via a conformity certificate.

In addition, it is important to note that ISO 56002 is the result of previously evaluated research and standards. Although not all ISO created have been published, the standards have been widely sought after by companies of various sizes and segments in the search for better innovation management.

ISO Principles of Innovation

As already mentioned, this standard has been gaining increasing importance, especially in a context of pandemic and major global transformations. As its main goal is to create culture and processes to generate innovation in companies of all sizes and segments through the implementation of the standard, it is based on some pillars of execution. As such, they are:

• Strategic direction
• Leadership focused on the future (visionary)
• Collaborative culture
• Adaptability and resilience
• Uncertainty management
• Insight management
• Value creation
• Process approach or management

Furthermore, the number 2 in its terminology indicates that it is a standard of guidelines and not requirements, i.e. it shows the way forward, but there is no single standard solution to follow.

How does the certification process work?

Its certification enables implementation in different market sectors, from a single department to the company as a whole. Therefore, to accomplish this step it is necessary to follow these steps

1º Do an assessment, which is what evaluates what is the level of adherence of a company in relation to the pillars of the standard. After this, the implementation process begins, which takes from four to eight months, depending on the level of complexity and maturity of the company in relation to the theme.

2º In the implementation it is necessary to have technical knowledge, about innovation and about ISO norms.

3º After certification, every 12 months, the company must go through a recertification audit, where all the normative aspects will be analyzed again in order to map gaps, non-conformities, and possible opportunities for improvement. Then the certificate is constantly renewed.

Thus, the ISO 56002 certification is simpler, in the formal aspect, than the other standards.

ISO 56002 in Brazil

To date, many companies have already adopted this ISO 56002 certification. The first was MZF4, a nylon transformation industry located in the capital city of São Paulo, and then CSI Locações, an equipment leasing company in Fortaleza, Ceará.

Others were PALAS, which decided to try out this management model in its own processes, Atento, one of the largest employers in Brazil, a multinational contact center company, Stefanini, one of the largest technology companies in Brazil, and Messer Gases. In this sense, the trend is that in the coming months more companies will join this certification.

Benefits of ISO 56002

The advantages of investing in ISO 56002 are great. Besides being more strategic and giving results, it also allows you to

• Increase the ability to manage uncertainty
• Provide growth, revenue, profitability, and competitiveness to the company
• Better reduction of costs and waste
• Increase productivity and resource efficiency
• Have greater sustainability and resilience
• Bring about greater satisfaction from users, customers, citizens, and other stakeholders
• Achieve a sustained renewal of the portfolio of offerings
• Bring engaged and empowered people into the organization
• Have greater ability to attract partners, collaborators, and funding
• Improve the organization’s enhanced reputation and valuation
• Turning ideas into concrete results

Conclusion

Therefore, the concept of innovation is increasingly present in society, especially when it comes to the corporate market. Investing in ISO 56002 certification brings advantages to companies and, for this reason, many are preparing themselves and implementing these changes. After all, with so many benefits, some Brazilian organizations have already started, but the trend is that this market will only grow.

Published in XP Educação blog on October 17th, 2022:
blog.xpeducacao.com.br/iso-56002