Winning with innovation

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IN this article, I will take a whistle trip on the strategy of creativity, innovation and enhanced capability. Innovation is a very reliable antidote to the prevalent rapid pace of change and competition that is making it extremely difficult for organisations to authentically differentiate themselves.

In distilling my experience as business leader and value-delivering entrepreneur, I will start with the quotations of two illustrious Nigerians. Dr Ola Brown, founder of Flying Doctors of Nigeria and Odunayo Eweniyi, co-creator of the popular PiggyVest Nigeria. Dr. Brown defined success in business as ‘a passion to create a better society, live a life that you can look back on and be truly proud of.’ Odunayo challenged fellow Nigerians to “aim very high, work very hard and care very deeply.” May I also add the advice of Nike Ogunlesi, the Creative Director of Ruff ‘n’ Tumble, an indigenous clothing manufacturing company. She pointed out that in order to achieve “positive results” that are sustainable, business leaders must “lead with positive energy.”

Many Nigerians will find it very difficult to believe that some years ago, Nigeria was training literarily all the Insurance professionals in Africa. Mutual Benefits, a Nigerian company, not too long ago was adjudged the Most Innovative Insurance Company in Africa and the Rwandan Insurance Market invited colleagues (from Mutual Benefits) to come over and share their knowledge on how the company was using its home-grown and differentiating retail strategy to drive value innovation in an “evolving” economy.

Innovation, a priority strategy for businesses that want their successes to be sustainable, aligns overall everyday business choices with innovation efforts. Innovation drivers include being more aggressive with core products or services and aspiring (deliberately and continuously for breakout phenomenal growth. The organisation can also “adapt” the core and keep growing it and making sustainable profit from it. We can also transform the core through the value innovation model and make it deliver more differentiating benefits that are at the same time, affordable to customers. An innovation strategic choice may also be an expansion to the non-core and thereby, diversify existing portfolios. We may also decide to ride on the new wave of “what is trending”. To be maximally rewarding, innovation must happen at the scale of the entire organisation. The entre workforce must be involved and all systems (man and material) must drive the efforts in their day-to-day work. There must be clarity for accountability and leadership must repeatedly communicate innovation efforts and diligently work on feedbacks.

Creativity and Innovation, an all-embracing team activity with the right tools reinforcing the processes, drives sustainable and ever improving organic beneficial value growth. It is the winning formula that revs-up organisation’s strategy, goals, structure, systems and culture. Innovation enables businesses to leverage what they do best by revitalising their strengths and fully-engaging team activities. We strategically, maximise “what works for us”. Differentiating strengths, capabilities as well as “curiosity empathy” are effectively deployed to win and do so, in a sustainable manner.

A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan in their book ‘The Game-Changer’, noted that the dynamics of innovation should be “everyone’s business” in an organisation; from the board of directors, other leaders and entire workforce. Innovation strategy galvanises organisation’s all-round values, products and services, technology, business models, supply chains, ideas and concepts, allocation of resources and finance. Since it is an on-going process, metrics on market and financial results must be regularly factored in.

I love to define creativity and customised innovation, as acceleration of change in business by using what you do best to create additional opportunities and sustained profitability. Organisation’s value-delivering activities must be new and fresh. We must regularly unleash creativity with the organisation’s collective brain. New ideas and new strategies should drive our businesses. It is the culture of smart organisations to listen to customers and when you do so, you open the creativity space and thereby impact productivity with innovation.

Steve Burns in his analytical article on “innovation and the entrepreneurial leader”, noted that “it is not enough to start a business but the leader must cultivate the mindset of being relevant in terms of far-reaching benefits to customers. Business leaders must be trailblazers in terms of core principles and practices.” Vibrant dreams, according to Steve, will only come to fruition as a result of the unyielding drive for excellence. Innovation and creativity are critical success factors and will definitely keep pushing us to the pinnacle of value-adding activities.

We can only adapt to change with agility, if we maximally utilise the mechanism of creativity and innovation. It is the only sure way (and with dedicated, committed and highly motivated teams, to cope with market trends, emerging technologies and regularly evolving customer preferences.

We need a very deep understanding of the customer as the essential foundation of creative and innovative efforts. We must therefore, diligently and always, “unlock insights to customer attitudes, beliefs, behaviours, habits and practices that deliver delightful engagement, benefits and usage experience” (Lafely and Charan).

Let me conclude with the business leaders “practical role” in innovation dynamics, according to an article published in the United States edition of inc.com (authored by Mansueto Ventures LLC). The leader must not be “the boss” but “a mentor, a facilitator, a humble and trusted guide, someone the team (or teams) genuinely respects”. The article pointed out that the leader must delegate effectively if he wants to foster high trust, high risk taking and high creativity. He must also be “passionately curious”- He must drive exploration, learning and all-round progress. He must also successfully sparkle the ideal psychologically safe workplace, challenge existing knowledge, explore new ideas and possibilities.

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