Welcome Theis Barenkopf Dinesen to this episode were we go deep into the topic “Innovation as business growth enabler”
This is a more experimental episode were we left my standard questions and focus on Theis experience as a innovation facilitator and his experience from many industries, studies and jobs.
The structure of the interview looks as following:
1) Who is Theis:
- Educational background: Digital Design, Design Future, Business Administration
- Professional background: As an employee, consultant, startup/personal business owner and innovation facilitator
- His overall approach to innovation in a business context
2) What is innovation - in a business context
- Ideas are like horses - you need many to before you can choose the fastest
- It is more risky not to be innovative and take chances, than it is not doing it
Innovation/ideation:
- Is not a one-man-band, it’s a collaborating ensemble
- Is not a luxury, it's a necessity because the world is changing and customers are unholy bastards
- Is not confined to products and services, it can happen in many areas, from processes, costumer service to logistics, payment and customers experience
- Is a sliding scale, from super shallow (paint you product in a new colour) to infinitely deep (intergalactic space travel)
- Needs to have boundaries the same way as the rest of the organisation (regard it on equal terms with other organisational efforts)
- Needs to be a constant, not a one day event
3) Innovation as a strategic business development tool
- The innovative environment: Organisational innovation enabling as one of the key competences of top management
- Stop just talking about:
- A zero fail culture - live it
- Tearing down silos - allow them to overflow
- Being agile and change ready - and then hire next quarter accountants
- Cases on strategic briefs
- LEGO: "A brick centred for girls age 6 to 12"
- Newspaper from burning money to be profitable again
- Trophy games: "Make more money (without spending more)”
4) Innovation as a employee development tool
- As a collaborator: Innovation needs to happen in an open and sharing environment with many competences present, being the perfect environment to make cross-organisational collaboration happen
- As a change-maker: Many people are afraid of change and will thus resist it. But bringing new product/services to the market and thus continue to be a relevant company is understandable for everybody, and changes happening because of that, are easier accepted throughout the whole organisation
- As a personnel developer: When employees get to show new sides of themselves, they feel better and you as an employer get to realise more of their value
- As an overall growth enabler: Be able to see and realise new opportunities
5 primary takeaways:
- An idea is just an idea - work you ass off on “THE Idea!”
- Innovation is about SHARING - NOT Protecting
- Let yourself be inspired from other areas than you core competence ground (art, business, departments, children…)
- Don’t shy away from aiming for the stars - you can always compromise later
- Don’t draw rockets - build rails
Reach out to Theis Barenkopf Dinesen:
Company Idea & daughters www.idda.dk
LinkedIn
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