strategic design & innovation

The Innovation Imperative in Turbulent Times

culture & capability design insight shared value & ecosystems

When I launched my consulting business some five years ago, this same image and headline was front and centre on the home page. It couldn't be more relevant today so, after a site wide update, it lives on here.

Innovation is something that leading companies like Amazon practice every day, when they are winning in the marketplace, rather than a thought they have only when their top and or bottom line are under threat. There can be no doubt that we are living in volatile, uncertain and turbulent times right now:

  • the prevailing business ideologies of the last century are being called into question
  • consumers, stakeholders and societies at large expect more from the organisations that serve them
  • and we're in the early stages of the fourth industrial revolution, let alone the worst global pandemic in a century.

Organisations are facing even greater disruption than that wrought by the first wave of digital technologies but also with extraordinary opportunities to transform existing - or design entirely new - business models, product offerings, customer experiences and ventures.

There is little 'business as usual' in times of turbulence. 'Transformation as usual' is the new normal. It's a journey with milestones, but without end-point, towards your 'north star'. And the speed with which you must progress along that journey is only being accelerated by the current global pandemic.

does your organisation have the innovation capability to prospser through turbulent times

Incremental thinking and improvements to your current business will not be sufficient through times of turbulence. Only those organisations that develop a systemic approach to continuous innovation will continue to prosper.

Your organisation probably has a goal to be more innovative. But what does that really mean? It's not solely about generating ideas. It doesn't stop product development.

Innovation is the entire process through which products, services and experiences that were not previously imagined, and which create value for both consumers and society, and the organisation, are designed and delivered.

Innovation requires the involvement of multi-disciplinary teams and a blend of art and science; of creative design craft and business savvy; and an astute understanding of customers and markets.

Over the last twenty years, design-led and evidence-based methodologies have developed rapidly to overcome the shortcomings of purely analytical approaches, and deal with the increasing complexity of the interconnected systems within which organisations operate.

With a disciplined approach, you can significantly de-risk the entire innovation process and significantly increase your chances of success.

Research consistently proves that organisations with higher level innovation capabilities outperform their peers and that having the systemic capacity to innovate is the only path to sustainable growth and ongoing prosperity.

The challenges presented by today's business context and the exponential rate of change can seem overwhelming. But there's no time like the present to get started on securing your future. If your team doesn't have the innovation capability to prosper through turbulent times, help is at hand



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