Innovation Way is a company specialized in disseminating knowledge related to the ISO 56000 series of standards. They transform the content of these standards into practical and playful tools used by consultants, innovation teams, and universities around the world. Representatives of Innovation Way have been involved in the standardization work of ISO TC 279, which is responsible for developing ISO 56000 Series standards, since the committee was set up, both as experts and in leadership positions.

Creating Awareness with a Serious Game

L’Année de l’Innovateur® (The Innovator’s Year) game is designed to immerse participants in a simulated environment where they work as a team to carry out an innovation project within a fictional organisation. By alternating application of theoretical knowledge, game-based simulations and team interaction, participants acquire the understanding needed for developing innovative projects. In 3 hours, the game simulates a year of developing an innovation project : twelve rounds, one per month, from January to December. In each round, the team has limited resources to invest in actions (exploring, investigating, prototyping, experimenting, improving capabilities or engaging a partner) in order to reduce uncertainty and shape a Concept tailored to a Target. At the end of the year, the team’s score depends on the ability of the developed Concept to meet the preferences of the targeted audience, weighted by the organisation’s development and deployment capabilities.

Beyond the methodological insights, the game also allows participants to experience what it means to innovate in a context of uncertainty with limited resources. It also enables them to understand the full iteration cycle (explore, investigate, prototype, experiment), to identify the role of organisational capabilities and to measure their impact on value creation.

Key learnings

The recipient of this certificate has learned:

• distinguishing between the concepts of opportunity, idea and concept, and to situate the management of opportunities and ideas within the overall innovation process,
• that innovation involves acting in a context of uncertainty with limited resources, and that the scarcity of resources necessitates prioritising actions,
• that uncertainty cannot be eliminated: it is reduced through action and/or accepted through decision-making,
• distinguishing between four complementary types of action essential to innovation management: exploring, investigating, prototyping and experimenting,
• that curiosity is a skill that can be developed and that serendipity can be cultivated,
• transforming insights into key knowledge,
• the importance of bringing concepts to life at an early stage through prototyping and testing them against reality through experimentation,
• that a well-targeted concept creates more value than a mere accumulation of features,
• that organisational capabilities (curiosity, technical expertise, marketing expertise, innovation management, development, deployment) determine the scope of what is possible,
• that the ecosystem and partnerships act as catalysts for acceleration, without replacing internal capabilities,
• that value is only fully realised upon deployment,
• and that the ISO 56007:2023 standard – Managing Opportunities and Ideas, which inspired L’Année de l’Innovateur® – is a tool for exploring these learnings in greater depth.

How to obtain this certificate IM | Aware

The certificate was issued on the basis of:

• participation in one or more workshops based on the game ‘L’Année de l’Innovateur®’ (a one-year simulation of an innovation project in a context of uncertainty),
• actual completion of a simulation of the development of an innovative project over one year, documented in a dedicated notebook,
• participation in the end-of-game debrief, facilitated with the support of a certified IM | Awareness Facilitator, highlighting the key lessons from the game.

L’Année de l’Innovateur® is a game published by Innovation Way, company specialized in tools and methods for innovation consulting. Representatives of Innovation Way have been involved in the standardization work of ISO TC 279, which is responsible for developing ISO 56000 Series standards, since the committee was set up, both as experts and in leadership positions.

Innovation Way guarantees the skills of facilitators through a rigorous certification process. This process ensures that facilitators have acquired the necessary skills to guide participants through the discovery of IMS using L’Année de l’Innovateur® game in an effective and professional manner.

The IM | Awareness Facilitator certification process includes:

• training in facilitation techniques for L’Année de l’Innovateur®,
• a detailed presentation of the links between L’Année de l’Innovateur® game and the ISO 56007 standard,
• assessments to check understanding and application of acquired knowledge,
• the provision of facilitation materials,
• support for keeping facilitators’ skills up to date.

More information on Innovation Way tools and certificates.

ESCO classification

This certificate uses the European Commission's ESCO classification. The skills developed as part of this training and attested by this certificate are aligned with several of the skills identified in the ESCO (European Skills, Competences, Qualifications and Occupations) European reference framework. This correspondence facilitates the recognition of prior learning at European level and reinforces the transferability of skills in the field of innovation.