So, what do effective leaders need to DO about IP strategy?
1 – communicate the importance of IP within the organisation and the importance of using it strategically;
2 – delegate to an appropriate person the ultimate responsibility for all things IP within the organisation and hold them accountable (call them what you will, CIPO, whatever, just have the role defined and accountable);
3 – champion a continued process of reviewing and iterating use of IP to leverage business and corporate goals.
Anything else?
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Duncan: This may be inherent in the 3 steps you listed, but for clarity I wanted to mention this–prior to DOING anything about IP strategy, the leader needs to take stock of where they are today and where they want to be at various stages in the future. It may be obvious to mention this, but you would be surprised how many people don’t do this as a first step before engaging on a comprehensive IP strategy plan.
Great, thanks Jackie
Do they need to do that before no. 2 (above) or in concert with the nominated person?
Duncan: My bias is that the highest levels of the organization must have an overarching understanding of starting point and desired ending point prior to engaging in any action, including hiring the person charged with implementing the IP strategy program. An analogy is going on a guided trip through the wilderness. You wouldn’t (and couldn’t) hire a guide until you had a general idea of where you were starting from, where you wanted to end up generally and-perhaps most importantly– how much time you had to complete the journey. The guide may handle all the details, but your broad outline of strategy will inform your hiring of the guide and your instructions to her for completing your strategic plan.
Aha – thanks Jackie
So you’re saying that different types of CIPO’s (for want of a better expression) will fit different strategic plans. I can certainly see what you mean.
I suspect that there is a bit of a circular problem here. I’m not sure that the CEO is going to always know what’s even possible from an IP perspective without help and (when the organisation is large enough to have a CIPO), then I think the CIPO should be involved in this process as well.
Respect for the IP of others needs to be driven from the top.
Thanks Victor, and welcome back