"You can't teach an old dog new tricks". My own experience of rehoming a dog last year has taught me that you absolutely can. If the rewards are right.
I've worked in innovation and digital transformation for more than 25 years (we just called it something different back then) - and I’ve found that a key reason business leaders don’t put innovation up-front and central to their plans is because they’re concerned that they’ve left it too late.
Perhaps the business is just too traditional; they're set in the way they’ve always done things; or their processes are seen as tried, tested, and not to be interfered with.
But time after time I've seen long-established businesses transform how they work and streamline their processes - saving time, money, and resources – simply by taking a pause and using simple approaches to think differently about the challenges and opportunities they face.
If a business has been around the block a few times, what can they do to foster a culture that supports innovation and change, when their culture is already... well, let’s say firmly set in its ways?
Be creative. Even established businesses can cultivate an environment for innovation to flourish by encouraging creativity and experimentation. Leaders must create an environment that allows calculated risks, encourages exploration, and most importantly, where employees feel empowered and safe to put forward ideas and new approaches to solving problems. Cross-functional collaboration and the allocation of even a small amount of resource can fuel creativity and drive innovation. If you don’t want to always get what you’ve always got, then seek out ways to try something new.
Embrace new tech. Innovation is often linked to technological advancement. Whilst just one approach to innovation, it is a key one, so look to embrace emerging technologies and leverage them as you look to transform operations, products, and services. Emerging, exciting technologies like AI can unlock new opportunities for efficiency, productivity, and customer engagement.
Invest in Learning. Environments where learning is valued, and personal development is a priority, tend to do well at innovation. Invest in continuous learning and development of the workforce in innovation and creativity. Providing employees with access to training, workshops, and mentoring gives them exposure to industry trends, teaches new skills, and increases the generation of fresh ideas that drive innovation across the business. That's a win-win.
Focus on customers. Start to develop a deep understanding of customer needs and preferences by adopting a customer-centric approach. Seek feedback from customers, undertake market research, and analyse customer data to unearth valuable insights that will inform and drive the development of novel solutions. Solutions that will resonate with the target audience, and that will truly address their needs.
Be agile and adapt. Agility and adaptability are essential mindsets for driving innovation. Embrace agile methodologies and adaptive practices that enable quick response to changing market conditions and evolving customer demands. By breaking down silos, streamlining decision-making processes, and embracing a culture of continuous improvement, organisations can stay ahead of the competition.
Remember that innovation isn't exclusive to start-ups and those with expensive R&D programmes. All businesses have the potential to drive meaningful change that will make it easier to stay ahead of the curve.
Creating a culture that supports creativity, embraces emerging technologies, invests in continuous learning, prioritises the customer, and adopts agile practices, will allow any business to unlock new opportunities and secure their position for years to come. All by learning a few new tricks.
Charlie Tuxworth is MD at innovation consultancy Celsio Group and chair of Innovate Island.
