Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things. — Theodore Levitt
Creativity is the hallmark for building a culture of innovation. No creativity no innovation. Just creativity is not enough. Creativity has to be consistently practiced over time to foster. Every organization wants to be creative and keep innovating. Organizations that are leading the pack in the industry and are able to sustain it are the ones who are constantly innovating.
Such innovations are culturally created and structurally sustained. The innovation organizations are doing are not restricted to the products or services offerings but to every aspects of doing their business. There is innovation to the business models. Airbnb was an innovation to the business models in the hotel industry. Uber was an innovation to the transportation industry. General Motors didn’t do in the automobile industry but Tesla did it with its electrical mobility. Netflix was an innovation to the entertainment industry.
There is innovation to the organization development. Of course there is innovation to the various processes and systems they are operating. Automation, Robots, AI/ML is innovations to various business processes and systems. The question organizations are asking how to build a culture of innovation.
Is there a framework which can work for them?
There cannot be a one-size fit for all types of organizations. Hence, it needs a flexible framework that can be customized to the nature of the organization and be organically adaptable to fast changing business environment. A framework that can work according to the specific requirements of the organization – MAP Index framework does exactly to meet the need of organization.
Innovation is not a one off exercise. We do it once and then forget about the work out. It cannot be operated in a plug and play mode. There is a structural change that is needed. The essence of innovation is premised on a fundamental change in the working and a major shift in the mindset of management.
Here, it is important to be noted that renovation that we do to our working is not same as innovation. In fact they have completely different connotations. Renovation is all about repair and restoration. Innovation is all about doing something new and having the factor of novelty. We simply cannot imitate someone’s best business model and make it ours the best. We simply cannot take other’s best business processes and make it ours. We simply cannot make other’s culture ours. In order to innovate we have to create.
There is no other way we can be an innovative organization just by buying, borrowing, copying or imitating others. It is a work of towering commitment and it needs management to put every ounce of efforts for the cause. The cause to experiment things, do things differently, take risk, appreciate failure, explore new things, give people the physical freedom and mental space to think differently and do different things. These things appear so simple but it is a whole complex body of working. Not easy to comprehend by all as it needs heightened perception at work and put such things in proper perspective.
Management may well aspire to be an innovative company. In actuality, creating one is a hard nut to crack and needs heightened level of commitment to the cause of building innovation. Every organization has certain business goals to be met and this is something that happens on an ongoing basis. Goals may change and shift but organizations are designed to meet business goals. If they keep failing in their basic duty then they will not survive in the business of doing business in the long run.
Innovation is not about survival but about striving. Standing out and stating the stand organization is taking to be the leader and lead the pack of business they are operating. At the fundamental level organizations have to practice things they are doing well and get into the bracket of being the best. Also, identifying areas where things are not happening to their expectations and it is affecting their business operation.
- What needs to be done to correct it?
- How it can be made better?
- What changes needs to be incorporated?
There are many such questions organization should ask and work hard to get to the bottom of such problems and find a solution. The solution may not be the best but it can be made better with regular practice. It is the practice of making smaller improvements constantly. Once identified the problem and developed the solution, the organization needs to keep working on it.
No organization can get to the best possible solution in the first go or by making few such attempts. It needs concerted effort and a persistency to perform at one’s best. The process of continuous improvement is mandatory requirement to create a culture of innovation.
The idea of innovation cannot be force fitted or embedded into people’s minds. The minding as a concept has to be worked out and it has to be worked with due diligence and determination. There has to be a structure and the structuring has to be done systematically over a prolonged period of time. It needs seeding of such fertile ideas. It needs nurturing of such progressive thoughts. It needs sufficient care and compassion for the people. It needs so much more than what meet our eyes; we cannot take things simply on the face value as innovation is fundamentally intrinsic in value, and cannot be judged by the face value.
MAP Index framework works in identifying various practices across different functions of the organization. Once identified the framework works in assessing and improving on the performance of such practices. There are many things that need to be put in proper place to make a practice become a good or a best practice. Unless those things are measured and monitored we cannot establish practice of improvements.
Hence, MAP Index framework has a well-defined measurement and monitoring mechanism to capture the current state of practice and state the progress the practice is making with changes. The changes in the methods, tools, and techniques to the competency needed to make all such different things work in tandem. Just having the best method for a practice will not deliver the best results and make it to the best practice. Just having the best tool for a practice will not deliver the best results and make it the best practice. Every such thing needs to be worked out in a very scrupulous and intelligent manner.
Once we have a whole gamut of such good or best practices are being worked out across departments and functions. The organization is then well poised to experience the culture of innovation. A holistic working for improvement and improvisation sets the foundation for building innovation. The framework to work for continuous improvement and striving for innovation is needed to get the breakthroughs in business.
The business breakthrough is achieved when organization is nurturing a culture of creation. The business breakthrough is possible when the organization is working for getting into the bottom of the problems and solving them with creativity. The business breakthrough is possible when organizations are practicing and practicing with passion and professionalism.
Organization is a complex body of work. The challenging question that keeps haunting us is how to make such complex thing simple to work. It doesn’t have a simple answer. The answer lies in working in a scientific and systematic manner to cultivate creativity and create a culture of innovation.
MAP Index framework is essentially designed to work on such things. It is to make a healthy atmosphere and holistic working that fosters continuous innovation for the organization.
MAP Index’s ultimate aim is to build an organization of innovation. It is an organization where creativity is set as the nature of everyday working. It is an organization where problem solving is systematically and meticulously done. It is an organization where practice is given the full focus to transform and perform. It is an organization where different types of thinking is cultivated and fostered with creative formation.
MAP Index framework works with design thinking to system thinking.
MAP Index framework works with first principle thinking to second order thinking.
MAP Index framework works with concepts like thinking hats to thinking maps to put the organization wide thinking in an elevated orbit to perceive and experience things in an altogether different plane. The perspective changes and innovation is about managing different perspectives while taking new perspective and changing existing perspectives.
