MOMs, unlike Mavericks, can be developed, both in terms of skills and credibility. However potential MOMs are likely to perform better as a MOM if they are Mavericks as well, and show some proclivities for this role. Typical tools MOMs use for the various central role elements shown in the above MOM Advocacy and Tasks figure are:

To Justify the Innovation:
1. “Use” maps showing Business Growth Rate vs. Strategic Use by the Corporation
2. “Value” maps showing Relative Cost vs. Relative Performance
3. Tracking Technology and Market Trends via Hype Cycle charts
4. Management by walking around
5. Pre-sell decision meetings
6. Concept testing with consumers
7. Refine innovation concept to “cute”

To Find Relevance To-The-Core
1. Technology Road maps
2. Strategic Planning charts of “Fit vs. Reward”, “Risk vs. Reward” and “Capability vs. Reward”
3. Technology Life-cycle maps
4. Business Life-cycle maps
5. List of pain points to organization
6. Identification of weaknesses in-the-Core

To Resolve Conflicts:
1. Dashboard control charts for all organizational functions
2. Competitor story boards
3. Trust Formula = Authentic Communication * Competence / Risk
4. Trust = Intimacy * Number of Times Communicated / Risk
5. Mediation to create a new solution
6. Deal-making based on Quid-pro-quo
7. Take responsibility, adsorb conflict, take hits
8. Change Venue
9. Separate antagonists

To Manage Risks:
1. Stage-Gate charts for Technology, New Business Development and IP projects
2. EVA/NPV by product
3. Market Growth Rate vs. percent market share of largest competitor
4. Spreading risk via broad support
5. Spreading risk via portfolio of projects vs. one big project
6. Enhanced communication via reviews
7. Enhanced communication via metrics
8. Save money for rainy day (separate pot)
9. Physical separation of skunkworks
10. Dispel myth “We don’t have the money”

It is the role for senior executives to develop MOM networks. The management research of McGrath et. al., suggests that the challenge of innovation management for the established firms is, in some respects, greater than the analogous challenge for start-ups. This is because established firms have to not only create an attractive value proposition for the customer, companies with established revenue streams also have to create a “firm worth” to effectively compete within the existing business for corporate resources. This internal competition does not exist for startups. The soft MOM systems, to varying degrees, cultivate common ground between these competing large-company organizational interests. The more divisions a corporation has and the more different stakeholders it has, the bigger the MOM role in commercializing successful next-generation and breakthrough innovations.