The term innovation is often used interchangeably with technology. But innovation is not the technology itself, it is the underlying change in the way you perform certain tasks or processes. Innovation is fundamentally about evaluating what you are doing, why you are doing it and whether it can be done differently or, perhaps not at all.

Some of the common innovation drivers for in-house teams are an increase in workload, cost constraints, or even a more complex landscape. However, by stepping back and reevaluating our work methods—be it through technology or other enhancements—we can often get ahead of these challenges. Innovation can also be an important opportunity for the law department to demonstrate alignment with the business and highlight their value by producing data around their contributions and insights to support better decisions.

We also innovate to drive broader change in the industry and to be the 'control tower' that guides more efficient practices. Innovation can also be an important lever to attract talent as more and more highly-qualified candidates are seeking opportunities to be innovation champions and to do things differently.

So how do you encourage and prioritize ideas?

Keep a backlog of ideas. With your insights into the function and the law department's work, you'll likely have a clear view of potential initiatives or projects, however, it’s also important to engage in conversations with your internal clients and stakeholders to understand their objectives and priorities. By connecting in this way, you will also get a better view of which projects within your idea list might deliver on those business priorities, and/or which new items should be added to the backlog.

Encourage ideas far and wide. While some teams succeed with a structured approach to soliciting ideas, others thrive by welcoming suggestions from across the business, embracing a variety of perspectives. This has worked well to foster an inclusive approach and encourage engagement from people who are keen to get involved and may bring in fresh or different perspectives. Once you have accumulated a list of potential ideas, it is key to assess and prioritize looking at quick wins while also examining the benefit of the more complex programs that will drive significant change.

Top considerations when looking at technology

• Start with your business strategy. Understand where you are headed as an organization and, therefore, your priorities as a legal team. This can also be helpful as you prioritize projects.
• Optimize your existing processes. It’s essential that you streamline existing workflows before bringing in technology, otherwise you may simply be automating a bad process.
• Look at potential solutions. Understand the available options that will specifically address your unique needs. It can also be helpful to run a pilot project with key success metrics.
• Don’t lose sight of the importance of managing change. You will need to be sure everyone impacted by the change understands the reason behind the efforts.
• Monitor and adjust as needed. It’s important to keep track of how your new tools and processes are performing and, if it’s not working, move on.
• Look at what might be already available. It can also be helpful to understand whether there are existing solutions within your organization that can be redeployed in a different way to solve the problem(s) you’ve identified.
• Have a good relationship with your technology vendor. Your tech vendor will know how to get the best out of the tool or system. It’s also a good strategy to engage in a regular dialogue with your vendor to ensure that your tech is future-proof and that it is meeting your expectations.