Leading Water Utility Innovation

Innovation management is the business practice of curating and commercializing ideas as critical assets. An increasing number of water and wastewater utilities are engaging innovation management to navigate the water sector’s current and emerging challenges. Utility innovation leaders are defining new behavioral norms and engaging a broad range of stakeholders to launch sustainable innovation programs. Two key stakeholder groups that provide quick win opportunities and long-term program sustainability include utility employees and supply chain partners. This session explores global survey results of utility innovation programs as well as specific case studies in effectively engaging these stakeholder groups. This work demonstrates that innovation management through collaborative partnerships can equip utilities to meet a wide array of challenges and be a powerful catalyst for change in utility organizations.