How can you use multiple perspectives to innovate in Business?

Some ideas and perspectives could offer a welcome alternative which you would not have considered before. Together we achieve so much more and helps us to become more efficient.

Imagine you are in a house and you are looking out the window. You can only see as far as the frame of the window allows you to. Other people in the house are looking out their own windows and seeing only what their windows allow them to see. Now imagine something is happening outside and you only have 60 seconds to respond. You can choose to run around the house looking out from every window, but that will likely take you longer than 60 seconds. Or you can choose to call everyone to meet in the center and share what they saw from their window - everyone will understand the full picture at once and quickly! That's the value of diversity.

The more diverse the team is, the more different perspectives and valuable contributions you'll receive. It not only helps to see things differently and in unexpected ways, but it's also great to come up with entirely unexpected conclusions that can set a new strategical direction.

My additional insight for entrepreneurs and leaders is not treating diversity as a quota to meet. Make it part of your company's core values. Shift your hiring process from seeking a "Cultural Fit" to a "Cultural Add." This approach helps you find candidates with unique values and perspectives, enriching your team's problem-solving capabilities.

Government and large Public facing entities must have diversity amongst their employees to better understand customer needs and requirements. This should be embraced as an opportunity for continuous improvement and learning. Diversity builds strength in knowledge which results in purposeful outcomes.

Curiosity is the foundation of every great idea you can potentially transform into product-market success. Without accepting products on the real market by real buying customers, we can't talk about any kind of innovation because if it fails - there is no problem-solution or even product-market fit for that kind of product or service at a particular moment.

Empathy is a cornerstone for innovation. It's not just about identifying a problem, but understanding the emotional and psychological dimensions of that problem. This nuanced understanding can be a catalyst for truly disruptive solutions. However, it's crucial to balance empathy with analytical rigor. Emotional insights must be validated with data and market research to ensure that the innovative solutions are not just well-intentioned but also viable and scalable. This blend of empathy and analytics creates a holistic approach to innovation, ensuring that solutions are both human-centered and market-ready.

Dear entrepreneurs and leaders, empathy is more than a buzzword; it's a business necessity. Use tools like customer journey mapping to understand your customer base's needs and pain points deeply. This empathetic approach ensures that you design solutions that are genuinely helpful to your target market.

Innovation itself is developing a solution for humanbeings problems and desires to be used by humans. This bring us into H2H (Human to Human) business model and means if it is all about humans you have to empathy with them to understand them.

How to practice empathy as a business innovation designer. Put yourself in the shoes of your users, and find out - What is their current state? - What is the future state they are trying to achieve? - What are the jobs-to-be-done needed to achieve it? - What problems do they encounter to complete the steps? Your empathy level Lvl 1: I understand it by reading/watching/listening Lvl 2: I tried it before Lvl 3: I am living it right now

Here is a practical tip for entrepreneurs and leaders: Break the mold using unconventional creative thinking tools. Consider hosting "Worst Possible Idea" sessions to challenge traditional thinking patterns. This method can help you identify assumptions and inspire truly innovative solutions by focusing on what not to do.

Use different techniques for ideation. Never ever brainstorm staring at the blank post-its, especially in groups. - Worst idea - Brainswarming - JTBD + trends These are just some ideation techniques that can be used.

A stupidly simple trick is to reverse, alter or detail the meaning of the sentence you just heard, but bits by bits and then reassemble. Take the example of the CEO saying "we want to be the best car manufacturer", you could challenge the term "best" and ask whether that is measure by a client-survey (why not reversing it as an employee survey?), a number of car produced or sold ? The sales amount or profit ? Also, you could propose something else than a car or something else than a manufacturer. At the end of the day, you might come up with the revised mission "we strive to be the partner of choice in the mobility ecosystem" which sounds very "digital transformation". But really you've just exercised your most natural skill : conversation.

Creative thinking tools serve as invaluable assets in the innovation process. They not only help in idea generation but also in refining and stress-testing those ideas. What's often overlooked is the importance of context; the effectiveness of these tools can vary depending on the industry, the team's dynamics, and the problem at hand. For instance, a SWOT analysis might be excellent for strategic positioning but less effective for disruptive innovation. Similarly, six thinking hats can be a fantastic tool for decision-making but may not be as useful for initial brainstorming. Therefore, it's crucial to have a diverse toolkit and the acumen to know when to deploy each tool for maximum impact.

Creative thinking tools are like my secret sauce. They help me cook up ideas and then taste-test them systematically, making sure they're seasoned just right. You've got your brainstorming sessions, mind-mapping adventures, and the down-to-earth design thinking approach. These are the practical tools that I've found super handy, whether I'm flying solo or teaming up with others, to whip up some remarkable innovations in my business journey.

The only real feedback you can seek is by launching your idea through a product or service as soon as possible with minimum investment costs on the real market. The real buying customers are the only ones who will give you valuable feedback so you can learn from them. Test and listen carefully to the market!

Many theories put “feedback” at the end of a production cycle to enable iteration for improvements, which creates a misconception that feedback only happens to the “things” being made once it reaches a certain state. Many practitioners failed to register that innovation is not about following a templated process or using toolkits. It’s contextual. It’s driven by care, attention, and the impulse to optimise (of a human, or humans). And the process of optimisation comes from not just putting the product or service in the market, but putting *yourself* (the maker, the team) in the market so that you hear the echoes of the market from your competitors, collaborators, customers, colleagues, and yourself.

Create a culture where 'Feedback is a Gift.' This mindset encourages team members to share constructive criticism openly, without fear of retribution. Such an environment is vital for iterative improvement and fostering innovation.

A growth mindset is pivotal in leveraging feedback and collaboration for innovation. However, it's also crucial to establish a 'psychological safety net' within the team. When team members feel safe to express their ideas without fear of ridicule or judgment, the quality of feedback improves, and collaboration becomes more effective. This safety net fosters an environment where diverse perspectives can be heard and integrated, thereby enriching the innovation process. It's not just about being open to feedback but creating an ecosystem where feedback is candid, constructive, and aimed at collective growth. This nuanced approach minimizes conflict and maximizes the potential for groundbreaking solutions.

Without feedback your ideas and products can be seen 'perfect' by yourself but are you confident on that? In businnes innovation your target should not be to produce or create 'perfect' ideas or products, your target should be 'the journey of perfection' for your ideas and products. This can be done just and only with feedback and collabration with your entire related stakeholders. Otherwise you can find yourself in a dream.

I recommend that in conflicts, bring in a neutral third-party mediator. This individual can help keep discussions focused and impartial, ensuring all voices are heard. It's a methodical way to resolve conflicts while preserving team cohesion and morale.

Innovation = change management. Change can be difficult and disruptive. It's natural for people to have different opinions and perspectives on new ideas. When these differences are not managed effectively, they can lead to conflict. Here are some tips on how to resolve conflicts constructively as a business innovator and facilitator: - Identify the source of the conflict. - Create a safe space for open and honest dialogue. - Listen actively to all sides of the conflict. - Focus on the common ground. - Be willing to compromise. - Document the agreement.

Innovation itself is a conflict with existing situation. So as Innovator, your mindset must wellcome the conflicts as opportunity. If you still have conflicts, try to innovate a new approach to it

I encourage creating a team agreement before the real work begins. It could proactively help avoid some conflicts while supporting team culture. Some tips: A) The dominant personality shouldn’t be presumed to be right all of the time and allowed to ‘run’ things. B) The person usually making negative comments shouldn’t be made to feel as if they’re counterproductive as they can also shine a light on things like hidden issues and/or why a solution won’t work. C) Get rid of biases or use them to the team’s advantage somehow. D) Be willing to compromise as the team is there for the project; not an ego. E) Finally, if the person with the highest title isn’t the lead, then they’re a team member. Titles don’t overrule equality.

Dealing with conflicts is an essentially skill in having critical conversations. Build rapport by focusing on mutual goals and stay positive. Innovation is about being able to see what others don't, and that includes paths to better conversations.

Innovation culture is not only the state of the mindset, but it is also needed for any environment to succeed. Failure should be accepted as a regular thing because if we're not failing, we won't succeed.

Fostering a culture that genuinely celebrates and rewards diversity and innovation can help companies improve their performance. Every team member, stakeholder, and even customers should be valued by recognizing their contributions. Implementing incentive programs and offering tangible rewards for innovative ideas can demonstrate the team's commitment to this culture, making the workplace secure and supportive, where ideas can flow freely. Above all, focus on fostering a profound sense of belonging and community within the team and among stakeholders. This deeply ingrained commitment will drive genuine and convincing change in day-to-day operations, ultimately propelling the company toward success.

Effective business innovation necessitates a collaborative approach between senior management and field teams. Ensuring a culture that celebrates and rewards both individual and collective achievements is pivotal in fostering organic evolution and growth in innovation

At the time when the scope and speed of change of human and business activities are having profound negative impacts on our environment, society and ecosystems, there are new dimensions of innovation that are opening to us.