Innovation Frontrunner of the Month: Christian Lundén, Strawberry

Innovation Frontrunner of the Month?is an initiative by NoA Consulting, where we ask some of the most progressive Nordic business innovation leaders about their view on key success factors, pitfalls and what inspires them in their innovation endeavours. This month we put the spotlight on?Christian Lundén, VP Strategic Growth at Strawberry.

Could you give us an example of an innovation that you are proud of?

Innovation has always been a big part of our DNA, and Strawberry has a long history of new innovations and "world firsts." We were the first hotel in the world to introduce mobile keys for our hotel rooms, and we were also the first to offer a digital guest journey with mobile check-in/out. This is now becoming the standard in the entire industry. This year, we took things a step further by partnering with Apple to introduce hotel room keys in the Apple Wallet. This gives our guests a great option for checking in if there's a long line at the front desk.

"I meet and work with a lot of startups because they often have new ways of thinking, which helps me see patterns and trends on what's coming next."

In addition to technology, we also offer service innovations like our Hotellk?nslan? concept, which brings the nice hotel feeling to our guests' own homes. Instead of just a regular home cleaning service, we also bring our big pillows, crisp blankets, fluffy towels, Rituals soaps, bathrobes, and more to turn your own home into a really nice hotel room. This is part of how we like to let our members experience more and show that we're not just a travel destination, but also want to be a bigger part of their everyday lives.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I'm always curious about what's going on around me and how things I like in life could also be a part of the experience for our guests. Because what our guests experience in their everyday lives, they'll also be part of their expectations when interacting with us and visit our hotels and restaurants.

"Working with people from outside your industry can give you new and interesting perspectives. "

I meet and work with a lot of startups because they often have new ways of thinking, which helps me see patterns and trends on what's coming next. But I also work a lot with universities and scientists because that's how I really get into the starting point of new innovations. It's a very inspiring way to learn new things, and we as a bigger company can then become the bridge from the lab to the real users.

"Don't try to make things perfect from the start. Focus on getting something out there and iterate on it over time."

Both smart colleagues and guests are of course great sources for inspiration, and make my job interesting and fun every day. After all, the main reason I do what I do today is because I want to make life better for our guests and staff.

Apart from the above, I read a lot of articles, blogs, listen to podcasts, and meet lots of interesting people.

What are three concrete success factors for “winning at innovation” inside a company?

Most important is to always stay curious, and that the company culture encourages exploration of new ideas. Innovation is not something you can be sure of exactly how it will turn out, and sometimes ideas won't fly. We even have a corporate award every year at our big event for 3500 employees for “Fuck up of the year”. It's important to be able to celebrate failure because it shows that we like to push people to think outside the box and be bold. I like Lego's guiding principles for intrapreneurship:

1. Some people will hate your project. Accept it.
2. Only break rules you understand.
3. Build a tribe.
4. Write love letters.
5. Make people shine.

My own would be:

1. Have a clear vision. What are you trying to achieve?
2. Be passionate. Believe in what you're doing and why you're doing it.
3. Be brave. Take risks and don't be afraid to fail.
4. Be collaborative. Work with others and share ideas.
5. Be persistent. Don't give up on your dreams.)

What are the most common pitfalls in innovation work?

• Innovation is team work - not involving other internal stakeholders in the company can backfire the process further down the line.
• Be clear on what and why you do it (KPI’s) - If the expectations on the outcome are not clear it could easily become confusing when assessing the results. Is the objective mainly revenue, branding, adding more members, sustainability…or something else?
• Do things small scale to prove ideas - If the project takes too long, costs too much money or resources before it can be evaluated it can cause frustration and often it will not even be possible to start the project.
• Don't try to make things perfect from the start - Focus on getting something out there and iterate on it over time. The product will never be exactly as you imagined it. Don't let that stop you from launching.

When in an innovation journey can external support add value, as you see it?

Getting help from the outside almost always makes things better. Working with people from outside your industry can give you new and interesting perspectives. The best products and services are often created by a combination of experts and users. In our case, it's really important to get feedback from our guests. That's why we've had a group of members called The Guest Lab for many years, where we test new things and get their feedback.

What is top of mind in your innovation headspace right now? Anything you can share?

Now that we're changing from Nordic Choice Hotels to Strawberry, our goal is to become more relevant to more people more often. We're looking into new ways to be a part of our guests' everyday lives. Today, people in the Nordics stay in hotels an average of 1.3 days per year. That means we have over 360 more days to stay in touch with them!

Of course, we're also looking into AI, like everyone else. But we're also focused on how we can help our guests become more sustainable in many different ways.

Previous Innovation Frontrunners

September 2023: Alex Macleod, Design Director Digital Products, Electrolux

August 2023: Henrik Jacobson, Head of Business Development, Max

June 2023: Ariella Rotstein Gille, Co-lead, ICAx

May 2023: Claus Berthou Madsen, VP Prototyping, Telia Company

Dear reader, do you have suggestions for other Nordic innovation professionals we should pay attention to? Nominate in the comments field or reach out to?Petter Hanberger

30 years of scientific research proves that mastering innovation is the second-most critical capability for bottom-line growth - beaten only by market orientation. And yet, in too many corporations, innovation gets stuck in limbo and fails to produce real results.

At NoA Consulting, we offer concrete tools that help businesses across the Nordics avoid innovation traps, get ideas out of the lab and into the real world, and dramatically increase chances of innovation success.?Learn more.