TECHTALK
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W
HILE ‘BLUE SKY THINKING’ or ‘thinking outside the box’ may have become clichés, there are plenty of new ways to generate ideas and
inspire staff. And, as the travel industry becomes more reliant on technology, new management techniques and practices are starting to take a hold.
The inspiration stems largely from start- up culture, but also the need to explore new products and ideas at a faster pace. As well as giving staff and, in particular, developers time to explore their own ideas, new “flattened” management structures are permeating travel businesses, empowering staff at all levels. At Fraedom, for example, chief information officer Simon Raymer says there are no managers. “Inside our technology centres we run a completely flat structure which we have termed the ‘Fraedom Practice Model’. This operates under a model of no managers or hierarchical structure, just practices which are centres of knowledge excellence and sharing ideas.” Raymer also likens the way the company creates new ideas to that of a ‘science experiment’ and will soon launch ‘Concept Fraedom’. “It’s based on the supercar industry, where they encourage the development of concept cars as an avenue for creative flare and, in some cases, with no desire ever to put them into production,” Raymer explains. At TMC Click Travel, dedicated research days are allocated to staff. But Matthew Steer, head of product and engineering, believes a company-wide culture of empowerment will truly inspire staff. “The main thing we do to germinate ideas is having a culture where every person knows their contribution is welcome and needed,” he says.
LEVELLING THE PLAYING FIELD Borrowing practices from start-ups and tech firms is key. The motor industry also has some useful business practices that can be applicable, with many Silicon Valley firms inspired by Toyota’s ‘lean management’ methodology. A ‘scrum’ is one such method, which, according to the Scrum Alliance – the organisation behind it – helps teams deliver products in short cycles, enabling
22 BBT September/October 2016
What’s the big idea?
How new business practices can break down barriers and boost creativity
fast feedback, continual improvement, and rapid adaptation to change. For Mark Chillingworth, founder of Icon
Business Media, the practice is levelling. “Everyone is equal and it breaks down silos,” he says. “All tech firms grew up like that; they work in that agile methodology. In the UK, there’s a tendency for companies to follow financial services and retail, but the technology sector is the one we should be looking to. ”
Another rapid-fire tactic is the ‘hackathon’, where developers are brought together to solve a challenge, build a working product within a day or two with the added incentive of winning a prize. Travel technology firm Sabre organises hackathons every year – its 2015 event saw 400 employees submit 126 hack ideas from nine countries, while a Destination Hack event in London last year saw 39 creations from 150 participants from 12 countries.
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