The following is an excerpt from a new paper of ours published in IAM Magazine…
The capacity to make better decisions faster than competitors is the pinnacle of strategic IP performance advantages. This is true at all levels of competition, from individual attorneys in a courtroom to the creative teams of entire multi-billion dollar enterprises. Proficient and rapid decision-making can be the difference-maker when all else appears to favor the opposition.
In our observations of the world’s most innovative companies, Think IP Strategy has identified five levels of strategic IP performance that promote rapid, proficient decision-making. Each level builds upon the others. Mastery of a lower level appears to be necessary to master a higher level. Those enterprises that master all five levels tend to be top strategic IP performers. The five levels are:
- Strategic IP Potential – Capacity of an enterprise to create or acquire IP of merit
- Strategic IP Position – Organization and development of the IP portfolio, including its content, scope, geographic coverage, time and timing, and risk profile
- Strategic IP Operations – Selective investment and use of IP resources framed by enterprise focus, resource economy, freedom of action/operation, risk mitigation, speed, and simplicity
- Strategic IP Advantage – Deliberate use of IP to shape markets
- Strategic IP Pace – Command of the initiative through proficient, rapid, decision-making…
We would welcome having you read the rest. Here’s the catch to the model. An organization does not necessarily need to be performing at level 4 or 5 to be at the right level for the enterprise’s situation, depending upon the nature of the competitive field. In other industries, performance at a level 4 is needed even to be in the game. Please see the rest of the paper at Intellectual Asset Management July/August 2012.