Innovation is execution or it is not innovation. Whatever cool idea that it is not implemented and demostrates a positive impact in the business, it is not innovation, it is a chat over a coffee. Execution is not barrier-free, though. If you feel like pushing against a brick wall, here you are some tips that may help to overcome the stoppers and move forward. [...]
Innovation in centennial companies Innovate or die
Becoming a unicorn (company valuation above 1 billion USD) as soon as possible is the greatest achievement for an start up. And indeed it is. However, there is another rare phenomenon that deserves celebration as well and it is not named after any mythological animal: being a centennial company. Behind centennial companies, there is a story of resilience and change embracement. They have reinvented themselves many times to stay relevant. [...]
Innovation Silos The importance of the right organisational model to innovate
During my career, I have moved back and forth between innovation and business units. When I joined back to the innovation team, my colleagues in the business unit, said: “Hey, that’s so cool! You are going to innovate!”. Leaving aside the very romantic idea my colleague had of what working in an innovation team is, what worries me more about this statement is that it illustrates the barrier between the “official innovators” and the rest of the company. This barrier has been created by the organisational model itself, tagging a concrete area of the company as #innovation. [...]