When we talk aboutinnovation, we often deduce that it necessarily involves the development of new services/products and/or new markets. The following matrix is often used to illustrate the choices available to us:
Yet there are many ways in which a company can innovate, many of which go far beyond what is described above. Indeed, innovation exists in many forms, and can be implemented in different processes or stages of a company’s business plan.
What if we broadened the way we think about innovation? What if we thought outside the box?
Discover 5 ways to integrate and embody innovation from within your company:
An innovative creative process
Rethink your creative process by inviting employees from all walks of life to participate. It’s by combining the minds of different profiles of individuals that you can maximize the chances of success of your brainstorming or creative sessions.
Whether you’re developing business with a new target or creating a new product line, confronting your ideas in a ” Brainstorming ” is always an interesting creative exercise. However, you need to know how to structure your ideas and sequence the parts to get the most out of them. To do this, you can use various platforms such as Miro , which creates visual charts to facilitate brainstorming and collaboration.In addition, the teams at Slack, the famous professional instant messenger, are the specialists in ” Brain Netting “a form of remote group brainstorming, with the idea channel always open (especially when teams are spread over several time zones).
An innovative decision-making process
You’ve hired the right people, and now it’s time to trust them to make the best decisions possible. Whether it’s a decision with major repercussions – a pivot, the development of a new product, a major investment, the acquisition of new facilities – or one of lesser importance – Where’s the next happy hour? Which coffee supplier to choose? – your employees have their say, and it’s the responsibility of the leaders of innovative companies to reflect on and implement decision-making processes that reflect their company.
An innovative hiring process
Your hiring process should reflect your corporate values and culture. If you define your company as an innovator, then the hiring process should be representative of yourinnovative spirit.
An innovative hiring process can mean: using social networks to recruit, creating a dedicated application for job offers, publishing a promotional video that showcases collaborators and employees, or picking up candidates directly in the field.
A good way to challenge the traditional rules of recruitment is to start the transformation by getting feedback from your employees and new recruits.
An innovative team
Ifinnovation is the heart of your business, then your employees are the vessels that fuel it! Make sure you surround yourself with like-minded individuals who think outside the box. At a time when good resources are scarce and in short supply, make sure you place your favorite candidates in positions that suit them, even if these positions have to be created from scratch to meet their needs.
The company Basecamp is known for its innovative spirit, and in fact has set up anoriginal hiring process that focuses on very specific elements.
Innovative collaborations
As the African saying goes, alone you go faster, but together you go further! Collaborate with like-minded players on projects that will move things forward. Think about teaming up with partners who complement you in terms of size, resources, mentality, markets covered, etc.
To better understand, let’s take the example of Jnuine and Total Energy. What does Total have to do with a mobile application for creating photo albums? At first glance, none… But in reality, the project approach can be very complementary.
So the energy group needed to rethink its collaborative innovation platform. So they teamed up with Jnuine, who had already set up this platform for their customers. The idea was to enable Total employees to think about new ways of operating the internal platform, while being guided by an outsider with experience and a fresh perspective.
Open innovation is a good example of innovative collaboration. By combining the strengths of the startup with those of the large enterprise, the projects created within the framework of this type of collaboration are as avant-garde as they are effective, fueled by considerable resources on all fronts.
In fact, MT Lab’s mission is to contribute to the co-development of projects between the startups it supports and its 12 major partners.
Another good example is Lego, which is now recognized for its open innovation projects. It constantly includes its consumers in its creative process. In fact, several programs, such as Mindstorms and Lego Factory, have resulted in the design of new products thanks to user participation.
Tips and tricks to facilitate innovation in all areas of your business:
- Listen to your customers, your employees, your partners, your current, past and future collaborators. They hold the keys to your success, past and future.
- Observez. Vous pouvez également rester à l’affût des tendances et de ce qui se fait dans différentes industries, qu’elles soient dans la vôtre ou dans un autre domaine. Une veille stratégique vous assure de saisir les nouvelles opportunités et innovations et de rester à jour par rapport à la concurrence.
- Be empathetic. Anticipate your customers’ needs with design thinking, a practice that uses collective intelligence to find innovative solutions. By putting yourself in the customer’s shoes, you’ll be able to identify their needs, get away from your preconceived ideas and come up with an innovative solution!
The MT Lab offers personalized support programs, a hub for collaboration and, above all, a thriving community where new ideas are born and brought to life.
Let your innovative solution shine!
