The current situation has abruptly confronted us with unprecedented challenges. Governments, companies, and individuals are faced with the almost daily need to reinvent their routines and devise new ways of working, caring, and managing. In scenarios like these, where the course of events changes rapidly, innovation is urgent.
There are many concepts of innovation, but in short, we can say that innovation is simply problem-solving. Disruptive innovations do exist, but most of the innovations we experience every day are those that improve on what's already done.
Challenges arise, and we can respond to them if we view every day as "Day One," if we view our goals as connected to our purpose, and if we have an open and innovative mind.
From a business perspective, we mustn't forget that companies are made up of people, and they are the ones who build the organizational culture, who create and consolidate the way things are done. It is this culture that will guide which management tools to use in each case.
If people don't have an innovative mindset, how can an innovative company exist? And how can we encourage them to think innovatively? This is why leaders are crucial in fostering this mindset within teams. We understand the leader as someone with an innovative mindset, who encourages the creative process, and embraces innovation.
The company, in turn, needs to ask itself: do we accept the risk of innovation? Do we understand and allow for potential errors in this process? Do we create the conditions for innovation? Another key point is cultivating diversity within the organization. Thinking differently sparks innovation and fosters positive discussion of problems. Uniformity, on the other hand, dooms the business to failure. That's why it's so challenging to build teams with employees who don't just repeat the "it's always been done this way," but who know how to ask questions, who are enthusiastic about discussing solutions rather than dwelling on problems, and who seek simplicity to get things done faster and thus be able to correct any errors more quickly.
If we want an innovative environment, we need to care for people, lead by example, and foster conditions that stimulate innovation, but with the responsibility of getting the company where it needs to be, with a commitment to delivering results. Without forgetting your purpose, you must seek balance between knowing what you want and the ideation and creativity needed to achieve something tangible and beneficial for the company and its people.
Ian Correa
Vice President of Operations of the Aço Cearense Group
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