To mark Exago’s 11th anniversary, we have put together pieces of wisdom from our clients, innovation managers, to truly bring innovation together. This is lesson 9.
Back to basics: Why are we doing this, really?
Behind, they have left the familiar territory of ‘quality’, that delivered almost guaranteed (yet limited) improvements. Ahead, ‘innovation’ offers an exciting journey, where you can’t see the end from the beginning. But this demands a leap of faith. And, as we know, matters requiring faith tend to stay at the door of the boardroom.
How would it work out for you?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but the formula works by unleashing people’s hidden potential to deliver tangible outcomes. There is nothing magical about it. It is born out of learning, experimentation, practise and sustained effort – as most problem solving is.
Innovation executives, unite!
We know that innovation is the cornerstone of any corporate growth imperative. But the innovation industry apparently needs a return to sanity: we need results. It’s time to discard obsolete models. This is where our ‘intervention’ steps in.
It Works! The ‘Results Equation’
We are moved by goals. The resolve to reach the finish line pushes us forward: at work, in life. Why then do we keep idea management initiatives alive when it’s not clear what results they deliver (if any)? And how often have we yearned for a formula that definitely makes it all happen?
Ready to play the innovation game?
More than ever, companies need to engage their employees to assure long-term viability. Yet, overwhelmed with information, people’s attention spans have become shorter and shorter. Their willingness to contribute to lateral activities has shrunk, particularly if these are boring or create anxiety. And innovation is often no fun…or can it be?
TIP: Lacking business relevance – or why there are no sheep in the Artic
We have already explained that innovation is everybody’s work. The problem is that it is also nobody’s work. In an ideal world, innovation would be each manager’s and each business unit’s responsibility. That’s not the reality we live in.
What role is left to managers today?
Even today, Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Little Tramp’ feeding a giant machine on an accelerating assembly line remains the classic image of a savage and industrialised world. Modern Times exposed the obsession of early twentieth century Taylorists and ‘scientific managers’ with achieving maximum efficiency in the […]