#6 Organizational structures in ISO 56001 audits

As ISO 56001, the international standard for Innovation Management Systems, gains traction globally, many organizations re-evaluate how they structure their innovation activities. Why? Because radical innovations don’t thrive in traditional operational environments.

This poses a unique challenge for internal and certification auditors: How do you assess whether an organization’s structure supports the type of innovations it aims for, whether radical or incremental? Does it enable creativity, protect resources, and encourage experimentation? Or does it squeeze innovation efforts into legacy systems built for exploitation, not exploration?

• Review alignment between the organizational structure and the innovation objectives. For example, is there a dedicated space for radical innovation?
• Assess resource protection, ensuring daily operations don’t drain innovation teams.
• Examine leadership fit. Ask yourself if the leadership style suits your innovation ambition.

Auditing ISO 56001 is about evaluating whether the organization’s structure truly enables innovation activities, not just accommodating them.

Organizational structures is one of eight critical themes auditors must be aware of and master when auditing ISO 56001.