Is your company as innovative as you think?

[Aklima@411]

A vast majority of companies on the planet consider themselves innovative. In technology, all companies consider themselves innovative. However, it is more complicated than that and innovation is relative to varying degrees. Many companies think they are innovative because at one time they were. The key to innovation, however, is consistency and adaptability, so just because you were innovative five years ago does not mean you are still innovative. Many companies think they are innovative for a reason. For example, they may use cloud computing to be innovative. This is not the case. Innovation cannot be just something you do to follow a trend, innovation is a mindset and an approach to all major decisions in your business. It's also a willingness to take risks and experiment, two things that scare most C-level executives. So let's see how you can determine how innovative your company really is with a few quick questions.

Is your company doing the same thing it did indonesia phone number when it was founded? Is it doing it the same way?
If the answer is yes and yes to this question, you are probably not innovative, unless you started your business a year ago. Most businesses start with a simple product or service that they provide, but innovation is about making sure that they are always providing that product or service in the best possible way, both for customers and for the business itself.



Are employees in your company allowed to share ideas with management?
This is a common situation in Silicon Valley, but in most workplaces, employees don’t have the opportunity to present their ideas to management. The fewer voices and perspectives, the worse the situation. Your employees are the future leaders and part of generations that think differently than you, so embracing their opinions can help drive innovation.

When was your last major product launch?
Let’s start by defining a major product launch. It’s adding several new features and functionalities or even refactoring your entire code base in a way that adds value to your customers. One-off releases that fix bugs don’t count. If the answer to this question is more than 1-2 years, then you’re not iterating on your product enough. Technology is changing fast, and if you’re not changing fast, others in your industry are most likely doing so. Talk to your customers, take the pulse of your market, and iterate on your product as much as possible to find a better product/market fit.