Innovation is an essential part of a company that continues to move forward. The form this can take can vary, from using new technologies to developing new products to creating more efficient processes and workflows. CEOs face the measure of potential growth and risk to the good of the business. What's new, what's next, what's on the horizon? Competition is everywhere and companies that stand still can fall behind. An example: Jeffrey Brown, CEO of Ally Financial, was featured in an article by Susie Gharib for Fortune, in which he described the “constant pressure” for innovation. “Your brand, your business will be dead in five years, ten years,” he said. “That's a strong statement, but I think it has to do with how quickly technology is changing businesses, and I think our customers today are demanding it. »Here's a look at how CEOs can approach business innovation. Impact Awareness Although the word innovation can conjure up images of geniuses in a lab or mathematicians scribbling equations on glass, it can be a consistent element in all kinds of endeavors. Theodore Henderson details some of the fundamentals in a story for Forbes, noting that innovation "doesn't have to be the next Google or Microsoft with massive PR behind it." “…In the business world, for an innovative idea to be useful, it must be replicable without being too expensive and it must meet a particular need,” he writes. “Innovation is achieved by providing something original and is often seen as producing efficiency, leading to an idea that significantly affects society at large. »Make it part of the culture If innovation is truly important to a company, management will ensure that it is emphasized from day one for every employee. Deliver a consistent message so it's never far from employees' minds. As Ira Kalb writes for Business Insider, “...Managers need to ensure that all employees know that innovation is a job requirement. »“

It should be integrated into the fabric of the company and give it pride of place in job descriptions, procedures and performance reviews,” he notes. “Innovation should be defined to include incremental and breakthrough improvements. »Kalb quotes Toyota's Katsuaki Watanabe, as presented in a Harvard Business Review article: “There is no genius in our company. We just do what we think is right, trying every day to improve every little bit. But when 70 years of very small improvements accumulate, they become a revolution. Observe Good ideas can come at unexpected times. Having a mindset to seek inspiration can help identify those ideas and help them grow. Marcelo Claure, CEO of Sprint Corporation, spoke about it in an interview with Alexa von Tobel for Inc.com. He emphasized the need “to constantly observe the world around you, in business and in life, through the lens of your customer”. “Always look for ways to do things better, stay ahead and differentiate yourself in your industry, and make your customers' lives better and more productive,” he said. "No matter where you are in your day, whether you're in the office interacting with colleagues or buying coffee, soak it all up and ask yourself if this is an  Greece Phone Number List opportunity for to learn ? How should I apply these learnings to my business? »Challenge traditional thinking A long-established company may naturally take a different path to innovation than a start-up or technology company. Big operations can mean more voices, more processes, more layers, and that can translate to slower movement. Gary Beckstrand examines old legacy businesses in a story for Entrepreneur, saying that "some are so entrenched in things they've already mastered that they fail to change and adapt." “These companies, which have established themselves as a market leader over decades of solid experience, can get caught up in this scenario in which they are so profitable in what they have always known that they are neglecting to stay. inventive,” he writes. "In other words, they feel comfortable and leave the innovation to emerging startups." Although these companies are doing well financially, Beckstrand writes that they can struggle to generate and implement new ideas. “It is time to put the brakes on this thinking,” he explains. “Older companies need to be committed to creating disruption within their organization, with a growth mindset that extends beyond next year's revenue. »Communication and cooperation If innovation is to be a priority, a company must establish a keen sense of communication. Good ideas can come at any level, from CEO down. The ability to brainstorm and exchange concepts can help a business open new doors. In a story for Inc.com,

Greg Satell writes about the need for teamwork. “Today, even in very technical fields, there is a strong tendency towards teams rather than solo work, and these teams are getting bigger, the work they do is more interdisciplinary and is done at larger distances than in the past," he says. “The truth is that the primary task of humans today is increasingly to work with other humans to design tasks for machines. Obviously, this means that we have to spend a lot more time and effort communicating with others than sitting alone at our desk. Collaboration with external sources can also be helpful. As Faisal Hoque points out in a story for Fast Company: “No organization holds all the cards to develop new innovations. Collaboration with external groups (complementary companies, universities, government agencies, and think tanks) often brings new perspectives and ideas to the innovation process. Facing failure It is unrealistic to adopt an unacceptable approach to failure in a company that emphasizes innovation. There will likely be stumbles in the name of progress. As Kalb writes for Business Insider, "innovative companies recognize that failure is an important step in the process of success." “They understand that with each failure, the company takes a step closer to success,” he explains. “In this way, failure receives a positive value. For example, if a successful product brings in $1 billion in sales and it takes 9 failures to achieve each success, each step in the process (including the 9 failures) can be said to earn the company $100 million. dollars in additional revenue, which is positive. way of looking at failure.