Innovation Management
Let’s hear your ideas!
All of us can contribute ideas to help KWS create solutions. Whether the ideas relate to an everyday challenge or a vision for the future – our Innovation Management team is ready to put them into action together with you.
Within three-and-a-half weeks, 94 ideas had been submitted to our new KWS Ideation Station platform on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI). Among them: a practical suggestion for how artificial intelligence (AI) could help minimize food waste in the canteen. One proposed using AI-driven biological modelling to optimize crop resilience, increase yields and reduce environmental impact. Another explored how AI could help deliver the perfect seed by combining trial results, environmental data and user-specific goals into a simple, integrated tool. The ideas came from the heart of our company, and everyone was able to chip in between May and June. And no one is left to fend for themselves if their idea is selected – because that is where our four-member Innovation Management team steps up to the plate.
It emerged from the Digital Innovation Accelerator (DIA), which began its work on identifying digital ideas for KWS back in 2017. Last year, DIA became part of our new Group Strategy unit and, as part of that, changed not only its name but also its approach. Mark Dudgeon, the team leader, terms the new approach “Innovation Management as a Service”: Instead of an innovation accelerator working pretty much in isolation, the Innovation Management team now wants to empower employees and departments directly to identify potential for improvement and leverage it with support. “As a team, we’ve moved from experimenting to enabling innovation,” says Mark.
Three services
As part of that, Innovation Management offers three services that are interconnected but can be used independently of each other: joint Idea Generation, Idea Evaluation and Idea Validation.
Ideas can be generated using the KWS Ideation Station platform, for example, as was the case with the ideation campaign on artificial intelligence. It can involve the entire company or just individual departments. For smaller groups of up to 15 people, Innovation Management prefers to use workshops to help find ideas – whether big, small or unconventional – using tried-and-tested methods.
The next step is to evaluate the ideas. “The first filter is always whether they’re aligned with the goals of our Strategic Planning 2035,” says Mark. The team then uses a rating scale that has proven itself in large companies: Is there really a need for a solution? Is it financially and technically feasible? And is it worthwhile for KWS?
Once this hurdle has been cleared, it is time for validation. Innovation Management now helps to develop experiments, gather feedback from practice, collect data and gain insights to make an informed decision. Mark assumes that most of the solutions will be based on digital technologies – but not exclusively. For example, they might also involve comparing different treatment methods for fields or different techniques for taking soil samples.
Innovation for all
Despite all the support the Innovation Management team offers on the journey from an idea to a solution, the team depends on the willingness of employees. “We want to establish innovation ambassadors in all departments.” says Mark. “Because innovation doesn’t belong to one team – it belongs to all of us.”
The KWS leadership team is committed to building a culture where innovation thrives at every level. Through Innovation Management, we’re putting that commitment into action by providing the structure, tools and support that empower every employee to share their ideas, shape solutions and help build the future of KWS together. |
© KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA 2025
