Increasing Agility and Innovation with a Center of Excellence

This guide discusses the establishment and benefits of a customer-centric center of excellence (COE) in organizations, particularly larger enterprises that struggle with agility and innovation. It outlines the challenges faced by these organizations, especially in adapting to rapid market changes and consumer behavior shifts, as highlighted during the recent pandemic. The document emphasizes the importance of breaking down silos within organizations to foster collaboration and innovation. It details four prerequisites for creating a successful COE: understanding customer needs holistically, developing cost-effective strategies, ensuring agility in execution, and responding quickly to changes. The guide also presents the advantages of a COE, such as leveraging existing employee knowledge, accelerating innovation, and enhancing organizational knowledge-sharing. Additionally, it addresses potential challenges in establishing a COE and the benefits of engaging external partners to enhance its effectiveness. Overall, the guide serves as a practical framework for organizations seeking to improve their innovation capabilities and responsiveness to market disruptions.