Time for innovation
One pandemic, the Plague of Justinian, helped to bring down an empire (the Byzantine), because of inappropriate responses. Another pandemic, the Black Death, created a society (Europe) that dominated the world for hundreds of years by triggering innovation, pulling millions of people out of poverty and boosting literacy.
The current COVID-19 pandemic poses a critical challenge for many corporations. Innovation Leaders in those corporations have the capabilities and mindset to make a difference: they are experts in addressing the most pressing issues their corporation faces.
As always, it’s important for Innovation Leaders to align with their Leadership what specific issues should be focused on. This will also avoid duplication, because many groups in the company are addressing COVID-19 related challenges.
Innovation Leaders have developed unique experience. This is the moment to build on these. A few potential examples:
- Based on their proficiency in rapid prototyping, Innovation Leaders could (remotely) support innovators that want to experiment with COVID-19 related issues. Example: help patients that are in quarantine gather information about the corporations medicines and securing access to them.
- Based on established strong networks*, Innovation Leaders could quickly identify, communicate and scale best practices about how each country or unit innovatively addressed business continuation. Example: engaging with customers/doctors, who have now new priorities, without in-person contacts.
- Based on their ability to manage a portfolio of short and long term initiatives, Innovation Leaders could encourage innovators who want to experiment with long term innovations for the “post-COVID-19-time. Example: experiment in countries that are “first-out” (China?).
*An analogy: I’m sure Innovation Leaders in governments are connecting with colleagues in other countries/governments and quickly gather examples of how others have identified and created innovative solutions to address COVID-19 related problems. Solutions may include:
- stopping the spread by locking down cities (China)
- rapid, massive testing through drive-through settings (Korea)
- protecting the most vulnerable through elderly-only grocery shopping hours (Australia)
- increasing production of ventilators by asking car manufacturers to switch production lines (UK)
- increasing bed capacity by using the army to build emergency hospitals (China) or engaging Navy hospital ships (US), etc.
As Plato said:
“Necessity is the mother of invention.”
So, as Innovation Leader, I would align with the leadership on a specific problem statement and then use my expertise, capabilities and networks to identify, support and scale innovations from across the corporation and/or beyond.
More about this topic: COVID-19 Will Fuel the Next Wave of Innovation by Hamza Mudassir
Any other thoughts?
More of my blogs on innovation within corporations: Wim Vandenhouweele
