FEATURE: JO NORTH
Your high-performing innovators are the ones most likely to come up with the game-changers that will make the real difference to your business.
It’s important too to keep your eye on the future, because today’s solutions are not likely to be as effective for tomorrow’s challenges. I don’t know a single leader in the UK rail industry, however, who is satisfied with staying within the mediocrity zone. Most organisations can and want do better, and innovation is the way to begin the change.
Innovation at work can and should be part of the day job for UK rail businesses, the way we get things done. One of Walt Disney’s most famous quotes is: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Sometimes I think UK rail dreams and then gives up too quickly! Disney is a highly commercial enterprise, combining artistic flair with technology and a customer- experience culture that permeates the entire business. Disney has a large, cross-functional team of ‘imagineers’ whose job it is to create new concepts to keep people coming back. I think that ‘imagineers’ in our industry are few and far between. We rely on ticketing developments and new marketing campaigns to interact with our customers and do not think anywhere near creatively enough about the whole customer experience. If Disney (or Carlsberg!) were to do passenger rail in the UK, what would it look like? Probably very different from how it does today!
We don’t all have to go offsite to a country house, build rafts and do blue sky stuff to be creative. That’s fun (sometimes) and works really well if done for relevant things, but why not work smarter and design your business so that every single meeting, one-to-one, ad hoc chat and training event is designed to optimise innovation efficiently and effectively? When this is done really well, you will find that people quite often become creative without realising it.
The interesting thing is that when I’ve asked Board colleagues in many of the organisations that I’ve worked in what the successful ingredients are for us to generate, as leaders,
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an innovative climate, they can all tell me. Their views align with the research - the key elements to get right in your organisation if you want people to be innovative are:
• A sense of commitment to the goals of your organisation.
• Freedom to make decisions and show initiative.
• Idea time.
• The right level of stress – not too little and not too much – to perform.
• Healthy debate. • Lack of unhealthy politics and conflict. • Support for ideas. • Playfulness. • Appropriate risk-taking.
• Idea proliferation – lots of ideas mean higher numbers of usable ones!
• Dynamism – decisions are made and acted on swiftly.
If you’d like to know more about these and how to measure your own organisation’s innovation climate, the website
www.dolphinindex.org is a great resource.
thought and question if the innovation talent in your business has not been fully considered and planned.
Customers also have a wealth of insight that can help you innovate. Some leading contemporary brands are co-creating products with their customers as part of day-to-day business. For example; NikeiD is an online facility which allows customers to design their own trainers from a multitude of colourways for soles, logos, laces and embroidered slogans. How can your business co-create with your customers?
As well as creating a terrific innovation climate in your business and spotting and developing your talent, you need a clear innovation process. If you don’t have one, it’s time to get one! Essentially you need a way of capturing, funneling and filtering all the ideas that your people propose. Even when ideas do not deliver in the way that you hope, if you manage your process effectively you will still get the benefits of learning and progress in your organisation.
As a leader in your business, you have the opportunity to start your own innovation
RESOURCE SKILLS IDEAS COMPETENCE SUPPORT CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT COMMERCIALISATION OPERATIONAL PLANNING EXECUTION BENEFITS
INCREASED MARGINS
LEARNING NEW REVENUE SOURCES
NEW
By creating the right climate, you are also providing a healthy environment in which your most talented innovators will thrive. Can you name your high-performing innovators? Where do they appear in your business’ talent matrix and succession plans? How are you planning to develop them? Successful innovation does not happen unless people have really great ideas. Your high-performing innovators are the ones most likely to come up with the game- changers that will make the real difference to your business. Please do give this some
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revolution. When you connect with colleagues leading other rail businesses, vertically and horizontally throughout the supply chain, and genuinely co-create with your customers, you will progress from being a delivery-focused leader to one who also transforms and innovates. Here at the Big Bang Partnership, we have a talented team of innovation experts who are ready with advice, tools, techniques, training, workshops and moral support to enable you to succeed. Do call or email – we will be delighted to hear from you.
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