Balancing innovation and stability in your project. Can you take risks without jeopardizing success?

All business faces constant risk. All entrepreneurs choose a life of risk over a structured career path working for an organisation. The risk & uncertainty is part of the journey. Companies focused on pure Innovation are in a higher risk & reward cycle. Companies need to grow or they will slowly become irrelevant. Growth involves risk. Whether through m&a or new innovation risk is business. Innovation is a key driver of growth and long term survival for any company. The question is the extent of the risk a company will take versus the reward they potentially receive. Entrepreneurial innovation co’s tend to take higher risks. Less shareholders to answer to or are led by a leader who has proved an ability to reward risk in the past.

Well said, Aaron. It takes a special individual to risk and follow their entrepreneurial spirit. Larger companies are far too structured to allow the boundaries to bend to stretch beyond the comfort of predictable, acceptable measures. We need the two talking more so growth can continue.

When it comes to innovation, risk is an inherent part. However, it's important to calculate these risks carefully. Consider potential rewards against the likelihood and impact of failure. This doesn't mean shying away from bold moves, but rather integrating them with a solid risk management plan. By doing so, you can foster an environment where creativity flourishes while ensuring that a safety net is in place to catch any falls.

El riesgo determina la grandeza del proyecto y su éxito.En muchas ocasiones la organización deberá asumir riesgos si quiere subsistir frente a la competencia. Siempre deseamos seguridad y es lógico querer proteger la zona de confort. Para afrontar estas situaciones ha surgido el concepto BANI : B ( brittle): Frágil. Las organizaciones pueden colapsar sin dar avisos. A (anxious):Incertidumbre por los cambios tan rápidos que sufre la sociedad. N ( non linear) no es confiable la relación newtoniana causa-efecto y es sustituida por lo cuántico, efectos no revistos. I ( incomprehensible) Hay muchas versiones de la verdad . ¿Qué hacer?: Creatividad, entornos menos burocráticos, información contrastada y determinación.

La innovación solamente es vista como un riesgo por aquellos que están acostumbrados a repetir las mismas soluciones una y otra vez. Por supuesto que no se puede poner en peligro la estabilidad de los proyectos, pero un excesivo conservadurismo puede ser el mayor lastre de nuestros proyectos si no sabemos avanzar de forma medida, pero decidida.

From my experience, fostering open communication and a no-fear-of-failure environment can significantly enhance innovation. When team members feel safe to share unconventional ideas without judgment, they are more likely to contribute unique solutions. Additionally, cross-functional collaboration often brings fresh perspectives that can lead to breakthrough innovations. Celebrating both big and small successes helps reinforce the value of continuous improvement and keeps the momentum going.

A despriorização de iniciativas e o enfraquecimento da cultura de inovação acontece quando esses movimentos (POCs, pilotos, MVPs etc) concorrem internamente com o alto investimento no Business as usual. É importante trazer o business as usual para dentro da abordagem de inovação através de articulação entre stakeholders e permitir que as iniciativas de inovação façam parte do corpo decisório da alta gestão. Assim, a cultura de inovação pode ser fortalecida.

Creating an innovative culture in the FMCG sector involves setting clear leadership visions and goals, encouraging a risk-tolerant environment, and promoting cross-functional collaboration. Investing in employee development, leveraging technology, and adopting a customer/consumer-centric approach are key. Implementing agile methodologies, fostering an open innovation ecosystem and frameworks, and ensuring continuous improvement through practices like kaizen (especially quick Gemba's and why-whys) are essential. Monitoring and measuring the impact of these initiatives help drive tangible improvements and competitive advantages- not for just process impact, but people and engagement impact as well

Have you ever noticed how kids who aren't afraid to mess up sometimes come up with the coolest ideas? It's the same for grown-up teams! When a team is okay with trying new things, even if they don't always work out, they're more likely to come up with awesome solutions, like inventors! The leader, like the coach, can help the team get used to trying new things by starting with small risks, like testing a new recipe with a weird ingredient. Once they're comfortable with small risks, they can try bigger ones, like creating a whole new game! The more the team practices taking risks, the better they get at coming up with creative solutions for everyday problems, and eventually, even super tough ones!

Indeed, fostering innovation requires striking a balance with stability. To achieve this balance, we must establish clear constraints and non-negotiables - namely, budget, timeline, and quality standards - that serve as guardrails for creative exploration. By defining these boundaries, we create a structured environment where innovation can thrive without compromising project viability. This approach enables us to explore new ideas and solutions while ensuring our project remains on track, meeting its objectives and delivering value. By anchoring innovation with stability, we can harness creativity to drive success.

Stability Anchors are the most important factors while fostering innovation to avoid out of control and lead to project failure.

Fomente rituais semanais com seu time. Esses encontros recorrentes auxiliam a colocar todos na mesma página, com foco no agora, discutindo tarefas exequíveis e planejando prazos realistas. Deixe para sonhar alto a cada 15 dias, em rituais que celebrem a inovação futura e as pequenas conquistas. Feito isso, fique próximo dos entregáveis e das rotinas da equipe. É caminhando passo a passo, todo dia um pouco, que se chega muito longe.

Prepare seu time mentalmente para ser ágil. Processos ágeis são mais fáceis de aprender do que a mentalidade ágil, pois você precisa estar confortável em situações incertas. Promovendo uma cultura saudável à mudança, você evita ansiedades e medos na sua equipe. Falar é fácil, viver a mudança exige confiança e tranquilidade.

Pessoas engessadas atrapalham os processos, faz com que sua equipe abra a mente para o novo e colherá frutos bem mais criativos.

Na minha visão, uma boa prática é avaliar cuidadosamente cada ideia inovadora com base em dados e experiência. Realize análises de viabilidade e impacto para tomar decisões informadas e esteja disposto a ajustar ou abandonar ideias que não funcionem. Essa abordagem de riscos calculados permite explorar novas oportunidades sem comprometer a estabilidade e o sucesso do projeto.

Ouvir todas as ideias inovadoras é essencial para um projeto, mas é importante refletir com estratégia antes de agir impulsivamente.

Realize retrospectivas com seu time a cada 15 dias. Nesse momento abra o espaço para a equipe celebrar o "que fizemos de bom", mas também "o que podemos melhorar". A partir desse feedback constante você e seu time vão trabalhar de maneira mais entrosada, eficiente e harmoniosa. Fatores cruciais para saúde mental e produtividade.

La comunicación es crucial para cualquier proyecto. Implementar sistemas eficaces para cada equipo puede ser complejo debido a las diferencias entre los miembros. Para asegurar retroalimentaciones fluidas, es necesario evitar reuniones largas y tediosas, y no convertirlas en un control constante por falta de confianza en la delegación de tareas. Conocer a las personas con las que trabajamos es esencial, no solo en cuanto a su estilo de comunicación, sino también para detectar valores observables en el trabajo práctico. Esto nos permite identificar a personas de confianza para apoyar en el monitoreo, asegurando que la autoridad no limite la creatividad del equipo.

In cultivating a culture of innovation, embracing failure as a learning opportunity is crucial. Diversity of thought should be encouraged to foster richer discussions and more innovative solutions. Continuous learning and skill development should be prioritized to keep teams curious and adaptable. Celebrating experimentation and iteration allows for testing and refining ideas effectively. Lastly, supporting an entrepreneurial spirit empowers employees to take ownership of their innovations, fostering creativity and growth within the organization.

Maximise your knowledge on the topic before taking any steps. If we want to take an innovative approach to a project, we need to ask the questions: has this approach been tried before? Are there any case studies on similar approaches? What variables exist in the equation of our innovative approach and to what extent are these variables predictable? (The variables can be anything from the identity of the audience to the economic and political context.) What red flags should I look out for in the first steps to avoid major losses and complete failures? When do I hit the breaks if things go wrong? Planning and proper research are key to successful innovative projects, or at least to minimising the risk in such projects.

Todos tenemos la capacidad de ser creativos, aunque algunos creen no serlo debido a bloqueos y creencias determinadas por el ambiente. Aunque no todos tenemos las mismas ideas, podemos tomar decisiones que resuelvan nuestros problemas diarios y que, dependiendo de nuestra capacidad innovadora, podrían cambiar el rumbo de nuestra vida, ser el sello personal que nos hace únicos o llevarnos a hacer historia en el área en que la apliquemos. Para fomentarla, es fundamental crear entornos que estimulen la creatividad.Las organizaciones deben promover una cultura que valore las nuevas ideas y el pensamiento divergente. Esto implica la resignificación del temido "error"(aunque no aplica para áreas específicas donde los errores puedan costar vidas).