Peer to Peer Magazine

16 Projects are often conceptualized and mapped out but then stall and perhaps even die on the vine due to lack of agreement over who is paying for it. Should it come out of the IT budget? The department budget of the practice area benefiting most from the project? Or if multiple departments will use the new solutions, perhaps the cost should be allocated more broadly throughout the firm? Some firms with executive leadership and other resources dedicated to innovation might also have a budget for firmwide innovation initiatives. Others allocate for each project on a case-by-case basis. Regardless of how the costs are covered, determining budgets should be part of the upfront strategic planning process. This provides clarity and sets expectations from the start to alleviate conflicts that may come up later. Firm Culture As with any number of things, the firm's culture plays an important part in its innovation strate. Law firms experience both internal and external pressures that are driving the need for new, modern solutions. Most firms understand the need to prioritize innovation, and many pursue some degree of effort around it. However, if the firm doesn't actively promote and support change and innovation, those efforts often fall short. An innovative culture must start at the top and be emphasized throughout the firm. This includes leading by example, which means executives embracing modern tools and technologies that improve efficiency or client service. It also means supporting efforts around training to ensure employees are adequately prepared to actively use new tools and encouraging idea generation from all areas of the firm. Creating an innovation program is a good idea for most firms, regardless of size or current structure. In an increasingly competitive legal market, firms must find new ways to improve their internal processes and business operations, as well as new solutions that improve client service delivery. By securing the right leadership and developing a formal strate and budgeting process, complications can be minimized, and projects have the best chance of being completed and successfully integrated into the firm's workflow. ILTA Leadership Effective follow-through on an innovation plan requires leadership. Projects often affect more than one practice area or department, and multiple projects must be prioritized because few firms have the resources to work on several large initiatives simultaneously. Challenges arise from communication breakdowns and from varying expectations among those vying for their priorities to be met or whose resources are being used. Bridging those gaps takes leadership. Strong leaders can bring people together, even those with competing interests. They help promote open communication and collaboration, encouraging the different groups to work together. This is especially important when a firm is introducing new and innovative tools and technologies, because in addition to developing solutions they must be implemented. Successful integration of new systems or processes is dependent on users embracing the change, and that is more likely to happen among people who feel included in the process. Regardless of the internal structure in place, whether innovation efforts are being led by a centralized resource or by a team representing various practice areas, strong leadership is essential. There must be clear accountability to increase the chances of any initiative being successfully completed. Budgets Part of innovation leadership also involves managing budgets, which requires discipline. But even before getting to that stage, firms may fall short in their efforts to be innovative by not having defined budgets to support their strate. Strong leaders can bring people together, even those with competing interests. They help promote open communication and collaboration, encouraging the different groups to work together.

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