Module 1
February 27, 2019Please excuse the late assignment update – did not notice my contribution was never posted until now.
Having worked in an extremely tech-driven company it was hard to penetrate the invisible barrier to innovation when not being part of the tech division. The company produced electric vehicles, and working within the sales and marketing department was a challenge due to the very narrow room we had for innovation within our team – as all R&D resources and support was put into tech development.
Anyone working within sales probably know it is a role much based on personal character, in order to close deals and be successful in negotiation. Therefore, in my company the flow of ideas to develop within the work roles where seriously kept individualistic.
The opportunities of innovation given to us were very narrow, yet there was indeed room for my department to extend our innovative side. With focus on sales channels and innovation, typically we would start with a briefing meeting, generally talking about the challenges we had faced the past month, and how to grow stronger going forward. During the meeting we would coach each other, within the sales team, and discuss how the “innovation methods” where accepted from our customers. The meeting would then be wrapped up in an idea brainstorming session, discussion how we could innovate and forward with new strategies.
As the sales team I was part of was fairly dis-attached from the rest of the company, our process of idea implementation would be extremely fast in comparison to other departments of the company. We could funnel down the ideas, mainly sources from open innovation, and use them in action basically the very same day. Sometimes I would hit a rock as to implementing new ideas in my day to day work role, but it would be a very learning process.
It was very useful to see how such quick rounds of innovation could succeed with different individuals. As we live in rapidly changing times, I think the utmost challenge society will be facing the everchanging – and quick – market threats. As new innovations hit the society it takes seconds for someone else to copy your innovative idea and do a straight replica in their own setting. Maybe this means innovations will be funneled down to and individual level, as it did in the company I worked for, as I think innovation will have face a much faster implementation period within the next five years.