Unleashing Innovation & Co-Creation in the New Normal

Welcome to the “new normal,” a world reshaped by the global pandemic and a fundamental shift in how we live and work. To navigate this transformative era, leaders must embrace a new approach — one that fosters a culture of innovation and co-creation.

The “new normal” encompasses two key elements. First, our work and lives have been forever altered. Second, this change is not temporary; it’s here to stay. The way we think about work, social interactions, and society itself has been permanently transformed. In this landscape, leaders face the challenge of finding new ways to collaborate and ignite innovation.

Rethinking our operations and mindset is critical for leaders in these unprecedented circumstances. The market has dramatically shifted, and the future is more uncertain than ever before. To thrive in this interconnected ecosystem, organizations must redefine their systems, acknowledging that they are just one piece of a larger puzzle. Collaboration with other organizations, partners, and even social and international networks becomes paramount, as every action and decision creates a ripple effect.

Leaders must adopt a radical approach to learning and unlearning, acting as catalysts, connectors, and system builders. By fostering a culture of innovation and co-creation, leaders unlock the full potential of their organizations. This approach taps into a wealth of resources, leverages diverse expertise, and positions the organization to adapt swiftly to emerging challenges.

There are two paths to learning and growth: competition and collaboration.

A. Learning by Trying: This traditional approach involves independent learning and competition. Organizations conduct private experiments to outperform their competitors. However, the insights gained from these experiments are not shared, limiting collective progress. Each organization relies solely on its own resources to test ideas and adjust its course.

B. Learning by Sharing: In contrast, organizations that embrace collaboration share data and findings from their experiments. By leveraging the insights and learning outcomes of others, organizations accelerate their own development and increase their chances of success. Collaborative learning amplifies productivity and effectiveness, resembling the principles of the prisoner’s dilemma, where cooperation yields higher returns than individual efforts.

Here are 7 strategies leaders can employ to enhance learning through shared experiences:

1. Embrace Debate and Discomfort: Foster an environment where opposing arguments can be voiced and debated. Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and value diverse perspectives. This sparring of ideas fuels healthy debates, leading to innovative solutions.
2. Reward Courage, Embrace Risk: Dare to break away from convention and encourage teams to take risks. Innovation thrives when individuals are empowered to step outside their comfort zones. Accept that not every venture will succeed and allocate resources for exploration and experimentation.
3. Foster knowledge sharing: transparency and relationship-building across teams are crucial. Leaders must act as catalysts, facilitating resource allocation, relationship development, and knowledge sharing. Encourage open-source initiatives, cross-industry partnerships, and collaborations with external stakeholders to accumulate knowledge.
4. Embrace Creative Destruction: Innovation goes beyond introducing new products. Highly innovative organizations excel by weaving digital platforms and services around existing products, creating new business models. This disrupts competitors and blurs the boundaries between industries and services.
5. Leverage Employee Knowledge: Pool and condense the collective knowledge and experiences that have contributed to your organization’s success. Apply these success factors to new fields and industries, expanding your organization’s reach and impact.
6. Cultivate Creativity: Nurture creativity by connecting the dots from initial ideas to prototype development. Adopt design thinking methodologies, fostering interdisciplinary teams that collaborate to find novel solutions. Encourage playful prototyping to address customer pain points and surpass competitors.
7. Embrace Dissent: Break free from limited mindsets by seeking out individuals from diverse backgrounds and disciplines. Hiring employees with non-traditional expertise brings fresh perspectives and unique problem-solving skills. Encourage thinking beyond the status quo and capture the power of imaginative ideas.

In this new normal, leaders must adapt their strategies and cultivate a culture of innovation and co-creation. By embracing collaboration, fostering debate, rewarding risk-taking, and unleashing the full potential of their organizations, leaders will thrive in this ever-evolving landscape.