Over the past decades innovation cycles have reached scale faster and faster. New business ideas and platforms emerge daily. While we integrate today’s solutions in our CRM system, HR practices, value-chain management or strategy approaches, novel applications are launched that might redefine the business environment and disrupt these practices again. If we like it or not, rebuilding the ship in stormy waters while moving into unchartered territory is a continuous task.
 
Staying at the forefront of innovation is vital, and mere knowledge or insight is not enough. The value of (digital) innovation is only realized when it gets integrated in the very fabric of the organization. Either as part of a formal construct such as a process, a piece of infrastructure or asset, or an informal one like a business model, a strategic alliance or a cultural manifestation. Designing and implementing this integration takes time. In Internet time, not staying ahead often means falling behind.
 
If you are a leader, we would like to hear how you keep your organization alert to future changes that may have disruptive effects on your business and/or operating model. Questions that come to mind are:

• How do you stay abreast of emerging trends and innovations, especially in the field of social technologies? What processes or routines help you monitoring weak signals and experiment with new technologies and devices as they appear on the market?
   
• Share with us examples where you experienced benefits by being an early adopter from novel social technologies solutions?
   
• What strategies do you have in place to deal with the upcoming disruptive force of ubiquitous connectivity (“Internet of Everything”)? How can you capitalize on the opportunities that come with it?
   

From a more conceptual perspective we’d be interested in discussing questions such as:

• What role can traditional knowledge centers (universities, research centers, consultancies) play to support an organization's efforts to monitor and embrace new developments?
   
• Many organizations allocate the “analyst” function to intelligence units within the strategy department, or they create internal “think tanks” that deal with the future. Is this a viable strategy?
   
• What mechanisms are best suited to expose the organization to external innovation dynamics?
   
• In context like social technologies, where the pace of disruptive innovation is so high, should companies strive for "first mover" advantage or is "fast followship" more effective over time?

These are only examples, designed to inspire contributions. Let’s start the conversation!