To achieve its vision (Alma Media: The winning team in newspaper and online media) and to secure its business continuity in the long term, Alma Media needs to continuously renew itself as well as its products and services. Innovation and renewal form an important cornerstone in Alma Media's strategy and part of every employee's workday.
  

Objectives and outlines

 
Alma Media focuses on innovation and the renewal capabilities of its organisation. These are also tools to achieve the Group's strategic objectives.
 
Innovation at Alma Media follows two streams:
 
1) Developing present products and services, as well as keeping present customers; organic growth
2) Developing new businesses and obtaining new customers, especially in the online business
 

Nurturing a corporate culture supportive of renewal

 
When management methods and working methods, as well as the operating culture, are renewed, innovation can be supported at the same time. In practice, this can take forms such as:
 

• Management development; developing managerial skills, particularly in matters relating to renewal
• Intensifying group-wide interaction and exchange of ideas
• Encouraging personnel participation, inspiring ideas and renewal
• Improving the capabilities to analyse weak signals.

The company's renewal capabilities are regularly measured, for example by the renewal index calculated as part of employee satisfaction surveys and in connection with the managers' 360 assessments.
 

Investments in product and service development and acquisitions

 
Thanks to its solid financial position, Alma Media is well prepared to invest in product development and new business. R&D efforts are allocated mostly to product and service development, always driven by a strong commercial interest.
 
Renewal is also supported through acquisitions. Alma Media looks to buy innovative companies supporting or expanding the operations of its business units thereby opening up new development opportunities.
 

Tools and channels that support innovation

 
The right tools and channels support innovation. They enable the evolution of emerging ideas into genuine innovation and profitable business.
 
Alma Media wants to engage all its personnel to create new ideas. The group-wide initiative system Helmi is one example of the tools enabling all employees to participate. Customers and partners are also invited to participate in innovation activities when possible. Alma Media has a group-level innovation group whose job is to activate and develop innovating within the group.