Igniting Corporate Innovation

“But why do you want to build an amusement park? They’re so dirty!” Walt Disney’s wife, on his idea for Disneyland. For those born after 1955, it is difficult to imagine a world without Disneyland in it. But for people born before that year, it was just as difficult to imagine a world with Disneyland in it. That is, except for Walt.

That’s the blessing and the curse of being an innovator. Whether it’s a new technology or simply a new way of doing business, we (innovators) see the result clear as day but many of those around us do not. History records the same story. Disney. Apple. Nike. Netflix. AirBNB. Edison. Ford. Lucas. Dyson. Musk.

So it is today in the modern corporation. Know this; it will be transformed in the 2020's and everything you do inside it will change. People. Practices. Projects. Revenue. Recruiting. Research. Sales. Strategy. Systems. Disruption is at hand. The question you should be asking? How do you as a corporate leader surface an approach to lead the world in that disruption?

So what is a good approach? Very tactical. Seed the ground with a real band of innovators that delivers disruption on a small scale right inside the firm. Earth-shattering scale? No. Meaningful impact? Absolutely. A program all its own with a band of experts that executes a series of projects that leads to results, recognition, returns and revenue. Dare I say it; Start an Innovation Program!

We stand at the brink of a new age that will gain escape velocity in the 2020's (what I've been calling the Digital Decade). The technology currently converging is mind-boggling: AI, IoT, extended reality, autonomy, blockchain, voice, 5G.... the list goes on and on. How will corporations have a chance of understanding, implementing, and most importantly, connecting the digital thread that weaves these technologies together? How will they effectively compete? Your Innovation Program puts you squarely in the path of those questions with compelling answers.

Herein lies the opportunity for your firm. You need experts that deliver on these technology promises, experts that don’t just leverage technology the way it’s always been leveraged, following the status quo. Oh no. You need real experts, a team, a team of innovators that understands not just how technology is built now, but where it’s going, how it will best be leveraged to take advantage of the digital disruption now gaining momentum.

With an Innovation Program, your company will develop market momentum with better products and you’ll increase your effectiveness at implementing technologies at the front of the emerging digital economy that naturally leads to an expansion, not only in the number of products but in the impact of those products.

What’s the vision that will drive your Innovation Program? Well, what's the essence of innovation? The short answer is; the ability to discover the future and act on it before it happens. All behaviors, all business models, all patterns and processes are grounded in paradigms. But change is constant and those paradigms are always in flux. The ability to innovate requires real knowledge of the past, clear awareness of the present and a sense of the current forces in play that shape the future, forces in business, design, engineering and culture that empower you to see those future paradigms, first with blurry lines, but then, through experiments, through diligent and energetic execution, through knowledge and research, with clear and striking clarity.

Business because that fuels your existence. Customers engage with your firm for a myriad of reasons; meet needs, cut costs, create products or services, reduce friction, deliver solutions, beat the competition. Understanding the intrinsics of the physical and digital economy is foundational to delivering value.

Design because branding, sales and product development are all built on the foundation of design. Design is where the business engages the customer, it surfaces the technology. Witness the world’s greatest companies; Apple, Netflix, Tesla, Spotify, Uber, AirBnB, Nike, Starbucks, Dyson; they’re all built and thrive on great design.

Engineering because design without function is pointless, because sizzle without service doesn’t deliver real value, the value of problem solving for which you’ll be well known, because weaving digital technologies together requires engineering ingenuity that transcends the known and uncovers the future, delivers on that future.

Culture because to be truly transformative, to be truly innovative, to ensure your work enables disruption, innovation needs to be part of your DNA, it needs to be second nature so that your work inspires vision that recognizes paradigmatic constraints and discovers the future and brings that future into the present. Now.

Through these pillars, your program can foster innovation as a cultural imperative in everything that your firm does; innovation will become second nature, part of your identity, part of your DNA; innovation will be your competitive differentiator.

Your program should… develop emerging technology expertise, create innovation IP, birth new practices, produce thought leadership, offer startup consulting, become adept with impactful services and APIs, lead and deliver innovation projects, target specific sectors that are hotbeds for innovation, manage a lab environment, infuse your people with innovation bonafides and lead key partnerships that foster new technologies.

Time to get moving. The 20's are fast approaching!