6: ACHIEVING RESPONSIBLE INNOVATION AND OPTIMIZING ON PERFORMANCE

Highlighting the importance of responsibility within innovation strategies is one thing, proving that it offers a competitive advantage in terms of creating value is another. Yet, the latter is a crucial argument in convincing companies to adopt such an approach. It is in itself relatively easy to justify a position of responsibility in an innovation context, just as it is to justify a position of sustainable development in an economic or organizational context. There is no opposition, nor are there opponents, nothing in fact can really harm such a project. Moreover, in light of the current context, everyone has their own speech prepared on the subject. Who is not responsible nowadays, if only through a couple of lines included into the annual activities report? What company do not have, even a snippet of facts on sustainable development in their presentation brochures? It has become an essential, if not expected, part of corporate communication. In the present day and age, we need to be responsible. Willingly or not, a company must have a responsible discourse ready. Ever since the recent financial crisis, everything has gained a responsible “coating.” Advertisements are over-flowing with the term: “responsible” credit offers, “responsible” cars, nuclear energy has now become “responsible,” yoghurts are “responsible,” and so on. The message has been clearly received and understood by communication bodies: we must be responsible…