To take advantage of a White Space opportunity, several steps should be taken:
Identify White Space
White Space Innovation areas should be defined based on what customers value. These can be needs of existing customers in existing markets that are going unmet, needs in markets where an organization does not currently have customers, or needs that will arise when a not-yet-existing market emerges. An organization might become aware that it is time to endeavor into White Space when they encounter a customer need that requires key resource investment or the creation of a new profit model.
Venture into White Space
Once the need has been identified, organizational stakeholders must brainstorm potential ways to meet customer needs, how the creation of this new product or service adds value to the organization, what resources (e.g., employees, technology etc.) need to be invested, how can they expend resources in a sustainable way and how they can employ rules and norms to connect the new business model to the one currently in place. After brainstorming, it is critical to have a clear plan in place for implementing the innovation, ideally starting with a pilot.
Implement Innovation Plan
Before carrying out the plan, it is advisable to invest resources on a small scale to test hypotheses about different assumptions that are critical to the plan. When a viable test of the prediction has been run and the fundament assumption about the White Space has support, it is more likely that the full plan will be successful. Once the full plan is laid out, determine if the process can be refined and create metrics for tracking success. Determine if there is a way for the new opportunity to be integrated into the current business model or if it must remain a separate entity to ensure its success.




