The subject is trending, but for a good reason. Currently, being innovative is a constant necessity to stay competitive in such a fierce market. But those who think that innovation is just about working with new technologies and futuristic ideas are mistaken. It is mainly about implementing good ideas that add value to the business in the form of a product, service, or improvement.
Innovation within a company occurs through actions and strategies that must be ingrained and spread by employees. That’s why adding innovation to the organizational culture is so important. It allows cost reduction, method improvement, and creating solutions that optimize existing techniques.
For this, some pillars are essential and ensure success in the innovation journey. “Even a company that is not inherently innovative can implement pillars to transform its processes, create opportunities, and find solutions that enhance existing tools,” explains André Medina, Innovation Manager at Andrade Gutierrez.
Based on his innovation experience, Medina selected 4 pillars for companies to start the innovation process. Check them out:
1 – Define your objective
Talking about innovation can be very broad; therefore, it is important to define an objective. Map out your company’s challenges, align innovation with the strategy, and then seek solutions that meet your needs.
By defining the objective, attention is focused on it, and ideas emerge more easily. Therefore, the application of a strategy and the implementation of new processes will be facilitated. Gradually, it will be possible to meet other objectives and expand innovation to all areas.
2 – Invest in knowledge
When implementing a new culture, knowledge is essential for the successful performance of strategies and solutions. It strengthens strategies and empowers people to execute innovative methodologies.
This is possible through training and daily actions that awaken a new collective mindset. In this way, organizational innovation and collaboration among employees are encouraged to foster new ideas.
Once established, knowledge on the subject can serve as a foundation for the further steps of innovation.
3 – Create Connections
To expand horizons and go beyond your own market, the company needs to create connections, including with solutions that are not within its niche but which can somehow contribute to innovating its sector. All learning can be applied, so it’s worth doing benchmarking, relationship meetings, and participating in events on the subject.
“At Andrade Gutierrez, we implemented the Vetor AG in 2018, an open innovation program, which is already the largest in the engineering and construction sector, and since then we have made over 1500 connections with startups. These connections have allowed us to accelerate processes both inside and outside construction sites, not only related to engineering but also to HR, sustainability, and technology,” says Medina.
4 – Involve Your Team
For innovation to be part of the company’s culture, it must extend from leaders to employees. By including everyone, innovation spreads, stimulating ideas in various sectors. Practically, the initiative needs to be integrated into the company’s overall operation.
“One of the strategies we implement is to include all employees present at the Pitch Day of Vetor AG, a moment when the startups selected in the cycle present their solutions. This way, everyone participates in the choice of solutions that will be implemented in the construction company and we involve everyone in the innovation process,” says the Innovation manager.
