Nov 1, 2020
When the product to innovation is…people.
We propel leaders in an innovation frame of mind to imagine solutions with meaningful results.
I’ve been on a networking spree at the October Business Month (OBM) in Darwin. It’s a great opportunity for businesses or start-ups to attend an event that comprises of seminars, speakers, presentations, workshops and networking opportunities.
The OBM’s closing presentation was on Innovation Challenges for the Northern Territory (NT): New opportunities for Innovators in the North, which is relevant after COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to innovate by reimagining or pivoting our businesses. Impressively enough, there was a stark focus on the future of work and the NT’s pipeline to commercialize a range of technologies of the Fourth Industrial Industry, or the Industry 4.0 across a number of industries. For example, flying drones into remote communities to deliver and pick-up medical or service couriers, or connecting people worldwide with interactive digital avatars of Traditional Owners to boost tourism. The NT Government highlighted an investment in funding of $100k grant to commercialize any innovative project that can create employment opportunities of the Industry 4.0.
If you live and work — or have lived and worked — in the NT, it is evident that we are behind the curve. Being behind the curve isn’t the end of the world, it also signifies that there is immense opportunities to innovate, test, (inevitably) fail and learn. The NT faces many challenges — which I won’t embark on, in this article — but, one that I want to tap into is: the innovation mindset.
The cultivation of an innovation mindset is a strategic process. It begins with the individual and happens over time. When new ideas are encouraged and nurtured, the capacity for innovation grows leading to organizations and businesses benefitting from it. There are innumerable tools to propel to an innovation mindset like, implementing an ideation software or platform, choosing a series of innovation challenges, or establishing a Startup Weekend format to ideate solutions (check out my experience of a 54-hour Whirlwind-Startup Weekend Perth, Social Impact).
The future of work will be flourished by propelling people into an innovation mindset. If we’re going to create employment of the future, we need minds of the future to imagine how technology can solve challenges.
The real product to innovation is …YOU!
Want to find out more about how to propel your mindset into an innovative frame of mind? Want to be ready for the future of work or Industry 4.0?
Explore our creative workshops at Propel Innovations.
