En Innova360 we “A holistic look at corporate innovation”. To understand the root and the reason for this slogan is that we want to delve into this concept.
To understand the concept of "Holistic Innovation" The word “holistic” must first be understood. Defining it is an interesting matter and not without controversy, from a generic point of view, this word comes from holism and is a trend that analyzes events from the point of view of the multiple interactions that characterize them. In other words, holism is concerned with the interactions and complexities of the parts that make up a phenomenon while still considering it a whole, and in which that whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Recently, this concept has become popular in the context of medicine and alternative healing techniques, which considers the human being as a conjunction of different planes (spiritual, mental, emotional, energetic and material), which should not be treated separately and in the same way. which all infer in the development and functioning of others, being equally important.
The business world is not far from this definition, it has structures and processes, vision, culture, a business strategy, employees, technology and at the same time is inserted in a changing community and environment that will constantly challenge it to remain competitive. For those companies that seek to create a change of direction in their strategy or in their way of doing things towards a culture of innovation, it is essential that they do so with a focus holistic, that adapts to the capacities and needs of each organization and in which the company is perceived as a whole.
An organization's ability to successfully integrate these key elements will determine the long-term success of its ability to build a strong corporate innovation culture and, ultimately, to survive or outperform its competition.
HOLISTIC: "OF THE WHOLE OR THAT CONSIDERS SOMETHING AS A WHOLE".
In this integration will come into play:
- The creation of a culture and environment conducive to the creation of new solutions and the management of change.
- The governance and processes inherent to the management and execution of ideas.
- Fluid communication within the organization that encourages co-creation.
- A long-term perspective that allows us to focus our vision on the generation of high-impact value and not necessarily on immediate, short-term results with limited impact.
- Leadership styles of key executives within the organization that foster a culture of acceptance when 'failing'
This without neglecting the company's relationship with the innovation environment, which offers innovative solutions to the challenges set by the company and work spaces that encourage creativity and innovation.
Only with this integrating vision will it be possible to produce changes that are deep enough to lead to an “inside out” transformation, reaching all areas of the organization to achieve a true culture of corporate innovation. This requires an intrinsic change in the way of seeing things, starting with the senior managers in charge of making decisions and their leadership styles. However, it is essential to start from the root, identifying what is the engine that drives the change.
There has been a great controversy regarding the 'right mix' between the level of radical, incremental and transformational Innovation that must be achieved within organizations. This is where the fact that companies do not give themselves enough time to identify their problems or challenges comes into question, in other words: “what is the deeper purpose that drives them to innovate”.
The biggest challenge for companies is not knowing what their real challenges are. This starts from its capacity for self-analysis or from the same members that compose it. Let us take as an example “design thinking, a method so widespread in innovation management processes. The main axis of this is empathy; being able to visualize the problem of a client/user putting ourselves in their place and thus managing to identify the shortcomings or deficiencies in the satisfaction of their needs in order to create solutions to it. However, if on a personal level we do not know how to develop empathy and we lack the ability to self-analyse ourselves or the organization as a whole and its relationship with the surrounding environment, then we will start from a wrong conception.
In this same context, it is easy to describe a linear process of innovation management, starting from the determination of a challenge, continuing with the generation and identification of ideas that solve it, and then giving rise to prototypes and their subsequent implementation in the company. However, little is described about all the big decisions required in each of these facets to bring the projects to completion and implementation in the company, and how these will impact the different areas within the organization so that they can be successful. Each One of these brings with it a need for self-analysis and organizational impact that goes far beyond the mere management of ideas or projects.
This in many cases is what has led some corporations to start their innovation management practices in the field of “open innovation”, trying to work directly with start-ups unsuccessfully or without generating high-impact results. This is due to the lack of internal muscle, without having previously developed an internal culture for the management of this type of project or that promotes the integration of this type of solutions into the organization.
It is for this reason that Innova360 seeks to help companies in their transformation processes towards the creation of a culture of innovation from a holistic perspective, understanding that it is the only path that will lead to the generation of internal innovation practices that are sustainable over time. and with the impact and transcendence that it deserves within the organization.
