Getting Fit to Innovate: TUI

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Getting Fit to Innovate TUIs InnOlympics Dr
Graham Miller Dr Caroline Scarles University of
Surrey, UK
No. 1 for Tourism StudiesThe Guardian, 2004,
2005 and 2006
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The Process of Innovating

• Generate ideas
• Capture ideas
• Evaluate ideas
• Implement ideas
• TUI InnOlympics Case study
• Lessons learned

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Generate ideas

• Diversity of sources of information
• Employees
• Size of organisation
• Extent of networks/partnerships
• Customers
• Research and development
• Public/ local residents
• Role of leadership
• Role of rewards
• Strategic position

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• Capture ideas
• Facilitate internal/external workshops
• Software options - IBMs Innovation Jam
• Evaluate ideas
• Risk of applying conventional risk assessment
  measures
• How to measure the innovative?
• Budget for failure/portfolio of risk
• Implement ideas
• Pilot schemes

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TUI-AG

• Worlds largest tour operator
• An innovative company
• 14bn turnover p.a.
• 3,300 travel agencies
• 100 aircraft, 300 hotels, 165,000 beds in 30
  countries

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Aims of the programme

• New products services
• In a highly competitive environment such as
  tourism a lot of emphasis is placed on offering
  new products and services to enable a company to
  raise itself above the rest of the market

• New marketing sales approaches
• Addressing existing as well as new customer
  groups becomes increasingly important to ride the
  wave of success with the right winds

Process improvement efficiency Money is lying
on the streets waiting to be picked up. Sometimes
just small changes can have a huge impact not
only financially but also for achieving a lasting
benefit for customers
New business opportunities The success of
low-cost airlines and internet sales shows that
even in established sectors such as the tourism
industry there is always room for introducing
innovative ideas, which hit the bull's eye
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Process
Award
Business Plan
Concept
Idea

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

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Lessons learned

• Need for more narrow focus to innovation
• Need for more external sources of information
• Value of partnerships and networks
• Need to overcome poor employment context
• Awards work, but money divides
• Support from top management vital
• Need to evaluate innovation in an innovative
  manner
• Tax breaks for service sector innovation
  processes
• Value of dedicated team of innovation experts