🍻 Innovation Hang Over
We have all experienced the euphoric excitement of innovation sprints, the explosion of ideas and flurry of work output. The offsite workshop fun, brimming sketch pads and post it note wallpaper. All rounded up with the happy, slappy pat on the back party as the first milestone is achieved.
It’s GREAT isn’t it!
However, the burning question is, ‘how do you maintain this amazing energy and create a sustainable pipeline of innovation?’
The Bloodline
Innovation really is the future life blood of any organisation. Without a sustainable pipeline of innovation, organisations are destined to wither and die.
Maintaining that drumbeat and momentum needs focussed and sustained attention.
Organisations struggle to innovate not least due to the daily demands of operational routine. Staff motivation, cost controls, customer satisfaction and a relentless focus on creating stakeholder value. Key staff becoming overwhelmed by daily chores that can wait no longer and as time and focus gets swallowed up, the flames of innovation burn ever dimmer.
In reality, avoiding the innovation hangover is incredibly difficult.
Innovation needs genuine commitment, beyond lip service. The fundamentals for success are a realistic resource allocation, and a willingness to support the strategy from the top down.
Recent events have indeed showcased how innovation can flourish despite incredible constraints. The big question is though, “How can we learn the lessons from such adversity without the pace and burnout that came with that pressure?”
To place it in the heart and soul of everything the business does?
Outside Help
Call them what you want, consultants, specialists, a lending hand, they all have one thing in common. An unwavering focus to the task at hand. Consultancies are there for the sole purpose of delivering non-stop attention to the goal. They are protected from the corporate antibodies and internal political distractions, and bring impartiality, energy, and enthusiasm to address the challenges.
The ‘consultant’ is always on it without being draw in! Without the distractions of the day job. Innovation is the day job.
Perspective
Outside specialists bring objectivity and a fresh perspective. Trying to resolve problems from within the environment that created them can be a battle, no less so than in the larger organisations who are often driven by the momentum of legacy and bloated with bureaucracy. Consultancies and the smaller specialist agencies however, must be swift, agile, lean and nimble, knowing they grow only by their success.
Rapid change demands innovation keeps pace. Exposure to multiple sectors brings a healthy cross-fertilisation of process and methodology and one that can be leveraged by dedicated innovation specialists. Today’s markets are dynamic and relentless. Indeed, the pandemic serves to highlight how swiftly change can take place when there is little choice.
Those businesses that found it difficult to pivot struggled badly, and without doubt more will follow unless they make provisions to realign their culture and nurture their teams.
Why change a winning formula?
Whilst business leaders appreciate the impact and pace of technology, what often holds back change is fear. The risk of the unknown. As human beings we tend to be risk-averse, to seek out the status quo. If what you do is good enough, where is the incentive to strive for GREAT?
As creatures of habit, most of us prefer to turn up and do what we have become comfortable doing. Right up to point when we recognise the wave of change has just engulfed or surpassed us. Now on the back foot the reality is that there simply may not be the time or money to play catch-up.
‘The Kodak moment’ – Failing to respond fast enough to digital.
Innovation is elusive.
Even if good ideas are abundant, are they a good ideas for your organisation? Often overlooked in the quest to find the ‘Big One’, is the compound impact small incremental gains can have. Rarely does success come from a single genius mind. For sure ideas come from individuals but innovation needs a team. A well aligned and motivated team. The product of a well-planned culture change program, steered by a robust process to modify behaviours and embed new habits.
A process that recognises the balance of inspiration versus perspiration. A process that’s been disseminated throughout the organisation to the point it just becomes the way you do things round here.
Given the complexity and alien nature of human-centred design thinking to their day job, it’s understandable why organisations turn to specialist consultancies, placing the onus on them.
Why Outsource?
Consultancies should not pretend to know the answers to all your problems. What the good ones do know however, is how to surface and prioritise the ones that will help move the needle? Help cultivate dormant creativity and through coaching, prepare people for the future landscape of work.
The exposure to such a diversity of challenges means innovation consultants are constantly learning and are able to bring people the confidence and tools they need to rekindle their creative sides and surface inspired ideas – whether they consider themselves creative or not. When looking to create the future, bringing the outside in can really help focus your vision.
Why work with Smallfry?
Whether it’s a problem to solve, a new project to develop or the embryo of new innovation we harness the power of Human Centred Design tools to understand the desires and drivers of your customer’s needs. To first explore the potential and then craft the design and strategy to make it commercially real.
Design doesn’t distinguish between the digital and three-dimensional space and neither do we. Whether you are looking for straight forward design, full strategy support or perhaps even a whole new way of thinking, we can help. As a strategy led Design Innovation Company, we work with start-up disruptors through to Fortune 500 companies who need a collaborative steer. Helping you to exploit more market share, realign your vision and strategy or give your brand identity a boost.
People are our passion
Contact Kelly on +44 (0) 247 654 5678 or drop an email to start a conversation about innovation and strategy to design@smallfry.com
