Blog
6 MINS
Introduction
ISO 56001 aims to provide a shared framework for structuring an innovation management system. Is this good news? Yes, as long as it is seen as an opportunity to professionalise innovation practices rather than a constraint that dampens organisational momentum.
Published by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 56001 belongs to a broader family of standards dedicated to innovation. It represents a significant milestone.
For the first time, a certifiable international standard explicitly focuses on innovation, placing it on the same level as quality or environmental management.
Yet structuring innovation without constraining it remains a delicate exercise, particularly in fast evolving environments.
At Yumana, we view ISO 56001 as a lever for transformation, provided it is grounded in operational reality. That means acknowledging organisational constraints, cultural specificities, and existing practices. Above all, it means assessing innovation maturity before taking action.
What does this standard truly encompass? Does it enable value creation or does it risk introducing rigidity? And most importantly, how can organisations adopt it without falling into a purely compliance driven approach?
A standard for innovation: Understanding ISO 56001
What is ISO 56001?
ISO 56001 defines the requirements for establishing, maintaining, and continuously improving an innovation management system.
It does not prescribe how to innovate, nor does it specify which projects to pursue. Instead, it addresses a different level of complexity. It focuses on the organisational conditions that allow innovation to endure over time, generate value, and remain aligned with the organisation’s strategic priorities.
Adoption of ISO 56001 is voluntary. No organisation is required to comply. However, because it is certifiable, it introduces formal, auditable, and documented requirements.
ISO 56001 and ISO 56002: What is the difference?
ISO 56001 builds on earlier work, most notably ISO 56002, which offered guidance on innovation management.
The distinction is clear:
- ISO 56002 provides a non-certifiable reference framework with a pedagogical purpose.
- ISO 56001 is an international standard with formal requirements and the option of certification.
In essence, ISO 56001 translates a set of principles into a structured management system.
What does the ISO 56001 innovation management system rely on?
ISO 56001 follows a well-established ISO logic. It is based on a systemic approach structured around seven interconnected pillars.
These include analysing:
- The organisational context
- The leadership and top management commitment
- The alignment between innovation and strategy
- The management of resources, the skills and tools
- Structuring innovation processes
- Evaluating performance
- Driving continuous improvement
Why adopt ISO 56001?
When used appropriately, ISO 56001 can bring several benefits. It helps clarify roles and responsibilities related to innovation, reduces dependence on individuals, establishes explicit governance, makes the links between innovation, strategy and performance more visible, and embeds learning mechanisms over time.
In many organisations, innovation still relies on fragmented initiatives. ISO 56001 offers a reference framework to structure what already exists without starting from scratch.
It acts as a diagnostic lens, revealing what is clear, what remains implicit, what is missing, and what is redundant. This perspective should be seen as an opportunity rather than a constraint.
One of the standard’s most valuable contributions is that it brings innovation back to the strategic level.
It forces organisations to address questions that are often overlooked.
- Why do we innovate?
- Across which time horizons?
- With which trade-offs?
- And for what type of value creation?
This alignment effort is often more transformative than the certification itself. A clear framework provides reassurance. When well designed, it gives teams, managers, and project leaders greater visibility. It brings greater consistency to decision making and clarifies the rules of engagement.
What are the tangible benefits of ISO 56001 certification?
When treated as a living framework, ISO 56001 can support value creation in concrete ways.
It can improve the organisation’s ability to turn ideas into outcomes, enhance prioritisation of initiatives, strengthen continuity in innovation efforts, secure innovation investments, and demonstrate impact to governance bodies.
By structuring evaluation and learning, the standard also helps organisations better absorb change, refine their practices, and capitalise on what proves effective.
What are the challenges and limitations of ISO 56001?
The primary risk lies in the bureaucratisation of innovation. Excessive formalism, poorly designed indicators, and rigid procedures can slow innovation down rather than enable it.
While the standard places strong emphasis on evaluation, it does not explain how to evaluate effectively. Without a nuanced understanding of innovation maturity, organisational context, and real usage, evaluation can quickly become a box ticking exercise with little added value.
How can ISO 56001 be implemented effectively?
The most common pitfall is to approach ISO 56001 as a compliance objective. In such cases, the standard becomes a collection of documents, processes, and indicators disconnected from operational reality.
The most robust approaches take a different path. They use the standard as a design guide rather than an immediate end goal.
This is the approach adopted by the Colas Group, which structured its innovation methodology using the principles of the standard before considering any certification process.
Implementing ISO 56001 does not mean adding another layer of process. It means making existing practices visible, whether related to ideation, collaborative innovation, or intrapreneurship.
The standard provides a coherent framework to ensure these elements work together instead of operating in silos.
In practice, ISO 56001 certification follows a process similar to other ISO standards.
It involves:
- defining the scope of the innovation management system
- formalising roles and responsibilities
- deploying practices across the organisation
- measuring and evaluating system performance
- embedding continuous improvement
- and undergoing an audit by an accredited body.
At a glance
An organisation can be ISO 56001 certified without having fundamentally transformed its ability to innovate. Conversely, an organisation can be highly mature in innovation without any formal certification. Certification is ultimately a signal. It cannot replace culture, leadership commitment, or execution capability.
Does ISO 56001 truly enable innovation?
What Yumana observes in practice
After more than twenty years of supporting organisations across sectors and geographies, one conclusion stands out.
In principle, ISO 56001 makes sense. It provides a common language, a structured framework, and a shared reference point for innovation initiatives that are often fragmented.
Its real value lies in the questions it raises. Questions related to governance, strategic alignment, steering mechanisms, resource allocation, and continuity. When these topics remain implicit, innovation efforts become fragile and overly dependent on a few individuals or isolated programs.
However, the standard does not offer ready made operational answers. It does not explain how to arbitrate an innovation portfolio, how to sustain team engagement over time, or how to adapt the framework to operational realities.
This is both its main limitation and its greatest strength. ISO 56001 is not a turnkey solution. It is a framework that must be interpreted.
Organisations that derive the most value from it are those that use it as a structuring reference, not as an end in itself.
Assess to transform: The real issue behind the standard
When combined with a robust assessment approach, ISO 56001 often becomes a turning point. The true catalyst for change is not the standard itself, but the organisation’s ability to objectively assess its innovation maturity.
Without this step, there is a high risk of imposing a normative framework on a reality that is not yet fully understood.
A well conducted assessment, on the other hand, makes it possible to clearly identify where the organisation stands. What already works, what remains aspirational, what is missing, and what should be prioritised.
The central question then becomes one of readiness.
Readiness to further structure innovation. Readiness to formalise practices. Readiness to engage a collective. Readiness, or not, to move towards certification. Assessment turns an abstract standard into a concrete decision making tool.
This is the philosophy behind the maturity assessment offered by Yumana. It is not a scoring exercise or a definitive verdict. It is a way to step back, gain perspective, and inform strategic decisions.
ISO 56001 is neither a silver bullet nor an end in itself. At Yumana, we advocate a different approach. Using the standard as a living framework.
A tool for alignment that reconnects innovation with strategy and organisational priorities. A lever for engagement that brings clarity to teams and makes expectations explicit. A guiding thread that structures innovation efforts without constraining them.
Innovation cannot thrive in a vacuum, nor can it flourish under excessive rigidity. It requires an evolving framework that adapts to the organisation’s structure, culture, and maturity level.
Under these conditions, the standard becomes genuinely useful. Not as a checklist to complete, but as a catalyst for reflection and transformation in service of meaningful, value creating innovation.
In Brief
ISO 56001 will not transform innovation on its own. But it can serve as a powerful catalyst to evolve practices, better align teams, and move away from low impact innovation efforts.
At Yumana, we do not believe in ticking boxes. We believe in living innovation. If this standard helps lay the foundations, it is assessment that will determine whether you are truly ready to build.
If this article has raised questions, that is often a sign that the topic is timely.
Speaking with a Yumanist means taking the time to confront a normative framework with your operational reality, identify where you have room to manoeuvre, and clarify what deserves to be structured now and what can wait.
CEO & Co-Founder
